There is no way one could check for its hardware version without opening the package. Version number is only seen on serial number tag on the back side of the device. And mine is V1.1 (version one)
Edit: Version number is also on the serial number tag on the package. Damn, I wish I knew about the version differences before so that I could check for it before opening the package.
It mentions the version on the box. Problem is these e-tailers do not reflect it, its only in the comments (if you're lucky) some one will mention it. So before buying you have to confirm.
its quite maddening how router vendors change things under the hood and yet still keep the same model number. It means whatever was said here, whatever benchmarks were conducted only applies at the time it was said. 6 months or a 1 year later, the next version comes out, will it still retain the same good chipset or not is an open question, maybe or not. Discussions here on router models come with an expiry date.
The chipset makers run a certain number of chips off the die then its time for something new, you cannot get the same chips again, so what's a router vendor to do ? go with the latest & greatest and keep the costs within control. Maybe the new chip ain't that great or maybe its the same. This is of little concern to the vendors, but to a consumer it makes the difference between having a good signalk in one room and then getting a much weaker one with the next model. Price is the same so why did the performance drop.
Although the coverage of the router is decent, it ain't great as is mentioned here. I do not get max coverage at all of 1000 sqft flat. It drops to almost minimum at extreme corners (two walls). I now realize that this could be due to low powered 3dBi antennae.
No, its down to the power amps that amplify the signal. Going through a wall depending how thick it is entails a loss of 5-10dBm. so what good will an extra 2dB antenna gain give you ? not a lot, if you want to boost signal you need at least a 6dB boost. That means if your router comes with 3dBi, you need to get 9dBi antenna to notice an improvement. Improvement is it crosses an extra wall where there was none or very weak signal before. You cannot get 9db, tp-link sells 8db, so the boost is 5dB.
A difference of 2db means you get maybe 10-15 feet more range, in open space. We don't live in courtyards, we live in houses with walls. Walls absorb signal, signficantly so.
What really matters is what the client can do with the signal, how much data it can shift. You might get better signal strength with a larger antenna but if throughput only increases by a small amount then it becomes debatable whether the antenna upgrade was worth it. But if you could not get a signal before whereas now you get it or it was flaky and its now more stable then yes.
One of the main reasons I got this was due to its 'great' range. And it is clearly not great on my router. What are my options? Is there a way I can prove that the antennae are of 3dBi, and not of 5dBi as stated on their product specification page? If there is a way to do that, can I demand for a replacement as the product I got is not as described on their product page?
Live with it or get repeaters. Really depends how much data you need to shift. Basic browsing only means a repater, anything more means a more powerful router. cannot say anything more unless you put up a floor plan that indicates signal strengths both good & bad.
Difference between 3dbi vs 5dbi antenna is down to size or antenna length. Look up what size they should be for 3 vs 5 and just measure it.
