Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211

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Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211
Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211
2012-12-28 11:37:51
Region : Singapore

Model : TL-WPA281

Hardware Version : Not Clear

Firmware Version :

ISP :


Hello, and Season's greetings to everyone.

I recently bought a WPA281 and PA 211, and after a bit of difficulty, managed to pair them up (power indicator, Powerline, and LAN/Wireless working). However, i still have questions that I have not been able to resolve by searching the internet. Before I get into that, my setup is as follows:

Devices connected to my PC via LAN cables:
Modem and Router (from Starhub, my "original network")
Netgear ReadyNAS Duo

Wireless devices (connected to original network):
Acer notebook (able to access NAS)
MacBook Pro (able to access NAS)
iPAD
A.C. Ryan Playon (at my TV)

TP-LINK devices:
PA211 is connected to modem
WPA281 is in another room (together with AC Ryan device and TV)

Questions:
1. I found that I now have two wireless networks running in my home - my original, and the "WPA281 network". Is this how the extender is supposed to work? I was expecting the extender to increase the range of my existing network, not create a new one that is layered upon my existing one.

2. Also, I need to manually select for the the WPA281 wireless network on my notebook (have not tested the MacBook or iPAD yet). Again, is this how it is supposed to work, or is there a way to enable automatic switching from one network to another, depending on signal strength?

3. The last questions are related to my NAS - I've stored all my videos in this device and would like to watch the movies on my TV, wirelessly. I am unable to stream movies properly right now because the signal from my modem alone is very weak and sometimes doesn't even connect. However, when I chose the WPA281 network, I cannot access the movies I've stored on my NAS. So:

a. Do I need a separate PA211 / WPA281 for the NAS? .... and / or ....
b. Is there a way for the WPA281 network to detect my NAS drives in my current configuration(s)?

Hope you guys can help!

Cheers, Jeffrey
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Re:Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211
2012-12-28 14:19:03
As far as I am concerned, TL-WPA281 will have its own network even it is called a extender. Since it has a different network, devices cannot roam between two different networks usually. Maybe you can try to change the name and the security settings as exactly the same as the main router does, then you may have the same network.
As to the NAS device, have you tried to connect it to TL-WPA281 through the Ethernet cable?
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Re:Questions on use of TL WPA281 and PA211
2012-12-29 07:22:39
Thanks for the suggestion, Joy! I connected my multi-media box to the WPA281 instead, and that allowed me to detect the files in my NAS. Not what I had envisaged, but it works!

Cheers, Jeff
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