WiFi problem

Since switched to a new ISP, I purchased a new DSL modem + WiFi router from TP-Link.  One reason to go with this route is that the UPS has one fewer device to support during a power outage hence would last longer.

The TD-W8961ND router looks quite nice and straight forward to set up.  However, it started to give problems at the very beginning.  There are a few devices in the house would connect then lost the connection randomly, mostly wouldn't be able to get an IP assigned.  Even with DHCP reservation table.  The only fix is assign a fixed IP from the client side.  This is not a convenient solution, as one of these devices is my main laptop.  When I go to other places, I can't use the fixed IP, so had to change it all the time.

Eventually, I fed up and called TP-Link.  It seems that after suggesting update firmware (done that, didn't work), the tech quickly decided it's a hardware problem.  In an hour or so I received the RMA.  What's annoying is that even under warranty, TP-Link would need the customers to mail the defective device back to them at the customers' expense.  Then a new (or refurbished) device would be sent back to the customer.  Besides the shipping cost, the time required to complete the process may be easily two weeks. For most users, they'd get a new router for the two weeks.

Luckily for me, TP-Link has a an office that is within 50 miles that I bite the bullet drove there and did a "manual" swap.  Although the tech support and RMA (including the swap) process was smooth, and everybody are pretty nice, in the future, I'd seriously think twice to buy anything critical from them.

So far, the new router/modem seems to be working flawless in the first a few hours. The hardware version of the old defective one is v3.1 and the new one is v3.2.  So they are not exactly the same.  The firmware is also different, while on their support website, they only differentiate v3 to v2 and v4.