Enabling Smart Connect
TP-Link Smart Connect allows the router to automatically assign connected devices to the Wi-Fi band that provides the fastest speed. By balancing the load and assigning devices to the most appropriate band, Smart Connect can reduce delays and interruptions.
When Smart Connect enabled, the router’s 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks share the same SSID (network name) and password. You can enjoy a seamless connection between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
How to configure Smart Connect on TP-Link Wi-Fi router?
In this example, we will use the Archer AX50 as an example. The actual interface may vary slightly from the product model. For more details, please refer to the User Guide of your router.
Via Web Management:
1. Verify the hardware connection and make sure your router is connected to the Internet.
2. Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.
3. Go to Advanced> Wireless> Wireless Settings and enable Smart Connect.
4. Customize your network name and password. Click Save to apply your settings.
Via Tether App:
1. Connect to your TP-Link Wi-Fi Router.
2. Launch the Tether App and select your router from the Device list.
3. Go to Wireless settings and toggle on Smart Connect.
4. Customize your network name and password. Click SAVE to apply your settings.
When to enable Smart Connect?
1) When you are not sure which frequency band or which location provides the best wireless signal
Wireless signals cannot stay stable all the time. Thus, sometimes it is necessary to change the frequency to get a better signal. If you are not sure which frequency band or which location provides the best, just relax and try the Smart Connect on your TP-Link router.
2) When you have devices released at different times
Devices released at different periods have different compatibility with the 5 GHz wireless network. Some legacy devices can only work well at the 2.4 GHz wireless network. If you have many legacy devices mixed with the newer devices in the wireless network, your 2.4 GHz network might be overloaded for piling too many devices on it. Enable Smart Connect to allow the router to automatically choose the most efficient band so that every device can reach its full potential.
I just set up a new AC4000. It works fine. But I have the three SSIDs showing, one for each band. I did not see the setting shown above for enabling the Smart Connect, and can't seem to find it anywhere in the router web pages. Is this option only available in the initial setup? Can you help me out?
Turns out the web page layout was unfamiliar; after rooting around some more, I found the option.
I have Smart Connect setup on an AX11000. Connections seem fine and I am generally happy.
However, I noticed that Smart Connect has assigned all 5Ghz clients to one band, and keeps the other one unused. For example, right now I have 2 clients on 2.4Ghz, zero clients on 5Ghz-1, and nine clients on 5Ghz-2. Why doesn't the router more evenly balance the 5Ghz clients between the two 5Ghz bands?
I believe my issues started when I turned on the Smart Connect in the wireless section of the AX11000. I had devices wireless and wired loose connection or would not connect up as a new device or a previous connected device. I had to go into Advanced, then Security, then Access Control, then +Add, click circle Add manually and put in the devices MAC address, then it would connect. I turned off my WIFI on my smart phone one day and went to turn it back on and it would not auto reconnect. I did the manual MAC add and it works fine now. Even a TP-Link range extender would not connect to 2.4G unless I did a manual MAC add. I'm turning it off and see how things do.
Not sure if this is related to Smart Connect, but I have had the AX11000 change the last 3 numbers of a devices IP address. I can't connect remotely to a device if my IP address has changed from what I had the remote device setup for.
I have AX55 v.1 and WiFi printer Brother 1210W. This printer has only 2.4GHz radio and it is next to the router (maybe 1.5m). So, the problem is that when I have a smart connection enabled it is really hard to connect that printer to the WiFi. It happened accidentally, and if there is a connection that works really slow and often disappears. The switch with smart connect works as a 'magic switch'. When disabled my printer works perfectly (even if I have exactly the same SSID and password those two separate networks can work next to each other. Definitely 'smart connect' doesn't work well. I'm using a static IP for that printer (address reservation in DHCP) and there is definitely a lack of settings. There should be an option that this device with reserved IP can connect only to 2.4 Ghz or only to 5Ghz or both. At this moment it looks like that router can't detect that some devices can work only with 2.4 GHz radio and smart connect algorithm should avoid any 'improvements' on it.
BIUS