TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!

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TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!
TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!
2014-02-22 09:44:50
Region : NewZealand

Model : TL-WA830RE

Hardware Version : V2

Firmware Version : 3.13.26 Build 121008 Rel.61364n

ISP : vodafone


I have just bought a TL-WA830RE to use with my TD-W8960N.

I have spent literally hours trying to get the TL-WA830RE to work. I have been back and forth wtih TP-Link support but ended up solving the problem myself.

I tried everything I could think of, including setting a static IP and turning off the DHCP on the TL-WA830RE but it just would not connect.

I tried the WPS option given in the Quick Start Guide but it didn't work either. Then I read in the manual that WPS doesn't work when using it as a Range Extender, only if you're using it as an Access Point. TOO BAD THE QUICK START GUIDE DIDN'T MENTION THAT!!!!.

I tried the manual method but it wouldn't work either.

Finally I turned off the MAC filtering on the TD-W8960N (even though I had added the TL-WA830RE MAC address into the "Allow" list). But it still wouldn't connect.

Then TP-Link support told me it could take five minutes or more to connect. TOO BAD THE QUICK START GUIDE DIDN'T MENTION THAT!!!!.

So with the MAC filtering off, I ran the Quick Set-up, left it for 15 minutes and it connected. FINALLY!

Then I turned the MAC filtering back on and it wouldn't connect. I double and triple checked the MAC address that I had entered in the TD-W8960N and compared it to both the one printed on the back of the TL-WA830RE and the one displayed when connected to the TL-WA830RE using Internet Explorer. No joy.

So I turned off the MAC filtering (and most of my other wireless devices), connected to the TL-WA830RE and had a look in the list of connections on the TD-W8960N.

It turns out that the MAC address WASN'T 10-FE-....... as printed on the back of the TL-WA830RE and shown in the IE display (and as shown after doing a ping of the TL-WA830RE IP address and another command which I can't remember).

The actual IP address was 16-FE-..... i.e. the second character was a 6 and not a 0 - with the rest being identical.

Then, and only then, TP-Link support told me that the one on the back of the TL-WA830RE and displayed in IE isn't the "real" one. SO WHY IS IT THERE????

As you might have guessed, I'm pretty steamed up about this incompetence by TP-Link. I actually have four TP-Link products but I don;t think I'll be buying any more.

Bob Latimer
Auckland
New Zealand
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Re:TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!
2014-02-23 03:10:41
Yes, I readily admit that I am not an advanced network expert. However, the box of the product says "Easy Extension" and so I think it's reasonable to assume that it is not necessary to be an advanced network expert to get it working. (And I don't own an iPhone,.)

TP-Link support were aware from my very first support request that I was using MAC filtering and had added the (wrong) MAC address to the a"Allow" list. However, it took several more messages back and forth, with suggestions by them of things I should try, before I figured out that the MAC address was the problem.

It seems to me that any non-network-expert who uses MAC address filtering (and shouldn't everyone for network security reasons?) who tries to connect this product will have difficulties.

Wouldn't it be simpler if the other MAC address was also provided?
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Re:TL-WA830RE has wrong MAC address!!!!
2014-02-27 07:08:30
Interesting comment about the 72 hours!

I waited until the extender was "up" for 3 days and tried the test.

I have an old laptop running XP and using a TP-Link nano USB adapter - it reconnected after shutting down and restarting even after 72 hours.

I have an Asus Netbook running Windows 7 Starter and a built-in wireless adapter and it reconnected after shutting down and restarting (using Windows) even after 72 hours. However, it dual boots into Linux. The Linux side would not reconnect.

After I had shut down the base router and the extender and then restarted them one at a time (base router first) all connections were fine again.

Interesting that if I shut down and restarted only the extender, it would not connect again to the base router. I had to reboot both of them to get it to connect.
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