Extend the range of your existing wireless router with Toto Link

Most of us today need the internet, be it information, communication or entertainment. The source of the internet is basically from your ISP, which enters your home using a copper wire, either via cable, Ethernet or telephone lines. This is then connected to your PC using an Ethernet port. However, using the internet on the PC only restricts you to your desktop or laptop. With most devices featuring wireless connectivity, having a wireless (Wi-Fi) router at home or office has become a necessity.

Now comes in a wireless router, which takes an internet connection from a cable wire and wirelessly feeds it to all your devices using Wi-Fi signals. However, wireless routers are bound to an RF signal range, which is just around 10 – 25 metres. While some high-end routers have a higher range, other budget routers suffer—thanks to cheap and low power antennas and amplifiers to cut costs. Apart from the routers capabilities, the wireless signals are also hampered by objects in its path. Obstacles such as walls, furniture and alike, cause the Wi-Fi signal range to drastically drop at larger distances. For example, if your router is in the living room, there are high chances of the signals failing to reach your bed room. This makes you think on opting for a new, high-end router, so that you can get sufficient range in all rooms. However, you may be in shock when you buy the new router only to find out that the signals are still weak where you need it. Reason—router wireless range differs from house to house and based on obstacles in your room. Solution—opt for a range extender.

A range extender is nothing but a simple wireless amplifier, which helps further increase the range of an existing wireless signal (router), by being the middle man. It picks up a weak signal from a router, amplifies it and boosts it further on. A wireless range extender needs to be placed between the router and the device. Therefore, instead of upgrading your wireless router for more expensive ones, you can make use of range extenders.

Toto Link, a Korean manufacturer, has entered India with a range of products. The Toto Link EX300 is one of the products and a Wi-Fi range extender. It is an entry-level wireless accessory and features a 2.4GHz 2T2R network with two dipole antennas. The EX300 2.4 GHz 2T2R Wireless N Range Extender from TOTOLINK is designed to expand existing wireless network signals and coverage. Users can extend their wireless network just by placing this extender between the wireless router and wireless devices, so more wireless devices can access the Internet, such as iPads, iPods, notebooks, smartphones, game consoles, and TV. With two antennas, the EX300 receives and sends data with high stability and meet user's demands for wireless Internet access on hard-to-reach areas.

The EX300 features a 300Mbps Wi-Fi speed, supporting 802.11 b/g/n standards with backward compatibility. The range extender sports a mini size with a portable design. It features a built-in power supply with an attached power plug—so simply plug in, power on and start surfing. The compact design is good enough for those who need it while travelling—increase the range in your hotel room or holiday home.

The device has a power switch on the left side and a reset/WPS button on the front. Along with the WPS switch are three LED indicators for power, Wi-Fi, LAN. On the two sides are two non user-replaceable antennas, but can be moved to multiple directions to get perfect range coverage.

Apart from being just a range extender, the Toto Link EX300 also features security features such as WPA/WPA2 (TKIP/AES) encryption to ensure the security of wireless connection. Users who know the SSID and encryption key can connect to the network, so that they do not need to worry about being occupied by others.

You can also connect your laptop to an Ethernet port provided on the bottom of the device for physical access to the network. This is a great option for those having a media player, network storage or gaming consoles that don’t feature wireless networking, or for those who don’t want their guests to gain access to the wireless network by sharing the password. Apart from being an extender, you can also configure the device to be an access point (AP) or a network client.

Specifications in detail:

• Interface: 1 x 10/100BaseTX RJ-45 port (auto MDI/MDIX)
• Button: 1 x RST/WPS, 1 x Power on/off
• Antenna: 2 x 4 dBi External antennas
• Power Supply: 100 to 240VAC (Built-in)
• LED Indicators: 1 x Wi-Fi, 1 x Extending, 1 x LAN
• Wireless Frequency: 2.4GHz to 2.4835GHz
• Wi-Fi Standard: IEEE 802.11b/g/n
• Data Rates: 802.11n: Up to 150 Mb/s, 802.11g: Up to 54 Mb/s, 802.11b: Up to 11 Mb/s
• Security : 64/128-bit WEP
• Encryption: WPA/WPA2/WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (AES/TKIP)
• Output Power: < 20 dBm
• Channels: 1-11
• Modulation Type: DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, and OFDM (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM/ 64-QAM)
• Reception Sensitivity: 270M: -61 dBm @10% PER, 135M: -65dBm @ 10% PER, 54M: -68dBm @ 10% PER, 6M: -88 dBm @ 10% PER, 11M: -85 dBm @ 8% PER, 1M: -90 dBm @ 8% PER
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 4 x 3.66 x 2.95-inch (101.5 x 93.00 x 75.00 mm)

Installation and setup of the Toto Link EX300 is pretty simple. You can do it from your tablet or a PC, with any internet browser. Simply plug in, power up and connect your laptop, desktop or tablet to the wireless network that is beaming from the extender, or your PC to the Ethernet connector.

But the installation could be a little tedious for a novice. It requires you to setup your network card (or wireless adapter) to a particular IP address as the range extender does not feature a DHCP network and takes this information from the base router it will connect to. The default IP address of the range extender EX300 is 192.168.1.254, and you will have to manually enter a static IP address in the range for your network adapter. The user manual inside the box will help you start configuring in detail. Sadly, there should have been an easier method or a simple DHCP network to set it up.

To begin with, setting it to 192.168.1.10 is good enough. Once done, your PC or tablet will connect to the range extender and you can now open your browser and hit the address http://192.168.1.254. Once done, you can enter the user name/password as admin/admin to enter into the firmware for setting it up. Now you can configure the device as a range extender, client or AP as required. Once configured, you can start using the device instantly. However, in order to use the device in other locations, you will have to go through the pain of setting it up time and again. Toto Link should have placed a button for profiles, making it easy for those who are constantly on the move.

The range extender once configured, becomes invisible to the user, provided you keep the exact same SSID and password as that of the base router. This will make your devices automatically latch on to the network when moving from room to room.

We tested the range extender in our office, where the network original was barely visible in the pantry. The EX300 was placed somewhere in between so that it could pick up the signals from the main router and extend it to the pantry area and beyond.

For a novice user, we would suggest using an app called WiFi Analyzer to check the range of your existing router and best suitable place for the extender. You can then test the range of the two for a perfect location to cover the entire desired area.

Once installed, we used the wireless range extender and found no issues or troubles, whatsoever. The EX300 works invisibly in the background serving the purpose efficiently. The Toto Link EX300 is available for an MRP of Rs 2,699 and on Flipkart for Rs 1,625, and we recommend using a range extender to boost the network signals to other rooms rather than upgrading your wireless router. You can also avail of the device from Creative Peripherals & Distribution Pvt Ltd (E-mail: sales@ecreativeindia.com, Contact No: 9004652356).