Archer A7 & C7 User Guide

Chapter 16 Manage the Router

This chapter will show you the configuration for managing and maintaining your router.

It contains the following sections:

•Set Up System Time

•Control LEDs

•Test the Network Connectivity

•Upgrade the Firmware

•Backup and Restore Configuration Settings

•Set the Router to Reboot Regularly

•Change the Login Password

•Password Recovery

•Local Management

•Remote Management

•System Log

•Monitor the Internet Traffic Statistics

1. Set Up System Time

System time is the time displayed while the router is running. The system time you configure here will be used for other time-based functions like Parental Controls. You can choose the way to obtain the system time as needed.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Time Settings. It is 12-hour time by default, and you can toggle on to change to 24-hour time.

•To get time from the internet:

1.In the Set Time field, select Get automatically from the Internet.

2.Select your local Time Zone from the drop-down list.

3.In the NTP Server I fileld, enter the IP address or domain name of your desired NTP Server.

4.(Optional) In the NTP Server II fileld, enter the IP address or domain name of the second NTP Server.

5.Click Obtain to get the current Internet time and click Save.

•To manually set the date and time:

1.In the Set Time field, select Manually.

2.Set the current Date (In MM/DD/YYYY format).

3.Set the current Time (In HH/MM/SS format).

4.Click Save.

•To set up Daylight Saving Time:

1.Select Enable Daylight Saving Time.

2.Select the correct Start date and time when daylight saving time starts at your local time zone.

3.Select the correct End date and time when daylight saving time ends at your local time zone.

4.Click Save.

2. Control LEDs

The router‘s LEDs indicate router’s activities and status. You can turn on or turn off the LEDs either from the web management page or by pressing the LED button.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > System Parameters.

3.In the LED Control section, toggle to turn on / off the LED.

4.You can enable Night Mode if needed, and set a time period, and then the LEDs will be off during this period.

5.Click Save.

3. Test the Network Connectivity

Diagnostics is used to test the connectivity between the router and the host or other network devices.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Diagnostics.

3.Enter the information with the help of page tips:

1 )Choose Ping or Traceroute as the diagnostic tool to test the connectivity;

•Ping is used to test the connectivity between the router and the tested host, and measure the round-trip time.

•Traceroute is used to display the route (path) your router has passed to reach the tested host, and measure transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol network.

2 )Enter the IP Address or Domain Name of the tested host.

4.Click Start to begin the diagnostics.

Tips:

Click Advanced, you can modify the ping count, ping packet size or the Traceroute Max TTL. It’s recommended to keep the default value.

The figure below indicates the proper connection between the router and the Yahoo server (www.Yahoo.com) tested through Ping.

The figure below indicates the proper connection between the router and the Yahoo server (www.Yahoo.com) tested through Traceroute.

4. Upgrade the Firmware

TP-Link aims at providing better network experience for users.

We will inform you throught the web management page if there’s any update firmware available for your router. Also, the latest firmware will be released at the TP-Link official website www.tp-link.com, and you can download it from the Support page for free.

Note:

•Make sure you remove all attached USB devices from the router before the firmware upgrade to prevent data loss.

•Backup your router configuration before firmware upgrade.

•Do NOT turn off the router during the firmware upgrade.

4.1. Online Upgrade

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.When the latest firmware is available for your router, the update icon will display in the top-right corner of the page. Click the icon to go to the Firmware Upgrade page.

Alternatively, you can go to Advanced > System Tools > Firmware Upgrade, and click Check for upgrade to see whether the latest firmware is released.

3.Focus on the Online Upgrade section, and click Upgrade.

4.Wait a few minutes for the upgrade and reboot to complete.

Tips:

If there’s a new and important firmware update for your router, you will see the notification (similar as shown below) on your computer as long as a web browser is opened. Click Upgrade now, and log into the web management page with the username and password you set for the router. You will see the Firmware Upgrade page.

4.2. Manual Upgrade

1.Download the latest firmware file for the router from www.tp-link.com.

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 > System Tools > Firmware Upgrade.

4.Focus on the Device Information section. Make sure the downloaded firmware file is matched with the Hardware Version.

5.Focus on the Manual Upgrade section. Click Browse to locate the downloaded new firmware file, and click Upgrade.

6.Wait a few minutes for the upgrade and reboot to complete.

4.3. Restore Interrupted Upgrade after Power Failure

If your router cannot start up after an upgrade interruption due to power failure, follow the steps below to restore the interrupted upgrade. Otherwise, your router cannot work again.

1.Make sure you have the latest firmware file in your computer. If not, try another way to connect your computer to the Internet and download the latest firmware file from www.tp-link.com.

2.Connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable.

3.Visit 192.168.0.1 and you will see the following upgrade page.

4.Click Browse and select the downloaded firmware file.

5.Click Upgrade and wait for a few minutes until the router completes the upgrading and restarts.

5. Backup and Restore Configuration Settings

The configuration settings are stored as a configuration file in the router. You can backup the configuration file to your computer for future use and restore the router to a previous settings from the backup file when needed. Moreover, if necessary you can erase the current settings and reset the router to the default factory settings.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Backup & Restore.

•To backup configuration settings:

Click Backup to save a copy of the current settings to your local computer. A ‘.bin’ file of the current settings will be stored to your computer.

•To restore configuration settings:

1.Click Browse to locate the backup configuration file stored on your computer, and click Restore.

2.Wait a few minutes for the restoring and rebooting.

Note: During the restoring process, do not turn off or reset the router.

•To reset the router except your login password and TP-Link ID:

1.Click Restore under the Factory Default Restore session.

2.Wait a few minutes for the resetting and rebooting.

Note:

•During the resetting process, do not turn off the router.

•After reset, you can still use the current login password or the TP-Link ID to log in to the web management page.

•To reset the router to factory default settings:

1.Click Factory Restore to reset the router.

2.Wait a few minutes for the resetting and rebooting.

Note:

•During the resetting process, do not turn off or reset the router.

•We strongly recommend you backup the current configuration settings before resetting the router.

6. Set the Router to Reboot Regularly

The Scheduled Reboot feature cleans the cache to enhance the running performance of the router.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Reboot Schedule.

3.Check the box to enable Reboot Schedule.

4.Specify the Reboot Time when the router reboots and Repeat to decide how often it reboots.

5.Click Save.

7. Change the Login Password

The account management feature allows you to change your login password of the web management page.

Note:

If you are using a TP-Link ID to log in to the web management page, the account management feature will be disabled. To manage the TP-Link ID, go to Basic > TP-Link Cloud.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Administration and focus on the Account Management section.

3.Enter the old password, then a new password twice (both case-sensitive). Click Save.

4.Use the new password for future logins.

8. Password Recovery

This feature allows you to recover the login password you set for you router in case you forget it.

Note:

If you are using a TP-Link ID to log in to the web management page, the Password Recovery feature will be disabled. To manage the TP-Link ID, go to Basic > TP-Link Cloud.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Administration and focus on the Password Recovery section.

3.Tick the Enable Password Recovery checkbox.

4.Specify a mailbox (From) for sending the recovery letter and enter its SMTP Server address. Specify a mailbox (To) for receiving the recovery letter. If the mailbox (From) to send the recovery letter requires encryption, select Enable Authentication and enter its username and password.

Tips:

•SMTP server is available for users in most webmail systems. For example, the SMTP server address of Gmail is smtp.gmail.com. You can refer to their Help page to learn the SMTP server address.

•Generally, Enable Authentication should be selected if the login of the mailbox requires username and password.

5.Click Save.

You can click Test Email to test whether the configuration is successful.

To recover the login password, please visit http://tplinkwifi.net, click Forgot Password? on the login page and follow the instructions to set a new password.

9. Local Management

This feature allows you to limit the number of client devices on your LAN from accessing the router by using the MAC address-based authentication.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Administration and complete the settings In Local Management section as needed.

•Enable Local Management via HTTPS

Toggle on Local Management via HTTPS if you want to access the router via HTTPS and HTTP, or keep it disabled if you only want to access the router via HTTP.

•Allow all LAN connected devices to manage the router:

Toggle on Access for All LAN Connected Devices.

•Allow specific devices to manage the router:

1.Toggle off Access for All LAN Connected Devices.

2.Click Add.

3.Click View Existing Devices and select the device to manage the router from the Existing Devices list, or enter the MAC address of the device manually.

4.Specify a Description for this entry.

5.Tick the Enable This Entry checkbox.

6.Click OK.

10. Remote Management

This feature allows you to control remote devices’ authority to manage the router.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Administration.

3.Enable Remote Management.

4.Keep the HTTPS Port and HTTP Port as the default settings.

5.Decide which remote device can access the router remotely. Select All Devices to allow all remote devices to access the router, or select Specified Device and enter an IP address to allow only the remote device using the specified IP address.

6.Click Save.

Now the specified remote device(s) can access the router from the internet via the displayed Web Address for Management.

Note:

If a warning pops up when you visit the above address remotely, click Trust (or a similar option) to continue.

11. System Log

When the router does not work normally, you can save the system log and send it to the technical support for troubleshooting.

•To save the system log in local:

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > System Log.

3.Choose the type and level of the system logs as needed.

4.Click Save Log to save the system logs to local.

•To send the system log to a mailbox at a fixed time:

For example, I want to check my router’s working status at a fixed time every day, however, it’s too troublesome to log in to the web management page every time I want to go checking. It would be great if the system logs could be sent to my mailbox at 8 a.m. every day.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > System Log.

3.Click Mail Settings.

4.Enter the information required:

1 )From: Enter the email address used for sending the system log.

2 )To: Enter the recipient’s email address, which can be the same as or different from the sender’s email address.

3 )SMTP Server: Enter the SMTP server address.

Tips: SMTP server is available for users in most webmail systems. For example, the SMTP server address of Hotmail is smtp-mail.outlook.com. You can refer to their Help page to learn the SMTP server address.

4 )Select Enable Authentication.

Tips: Generally, Enable Authentication should be selected if the login of the mailbox requires username and password.

5 )Username: Enter the email address used for sending the system log.

6 )Password: Enter the password to login the sender’s email address.

7 )Select Enable Auto Mail.

Tips: The router will send the system log to the designated email address if this option is enabled.

8 )Set a fixed time. The recipient will receive the system log sent at this time every day.

5.Click Save.

12. Monitor the Internet Traffic Statistics

The Traffic Statistics page displays the network traffic of the LAN, WAN and WLAN sent and received packets, allowing you to monitor the volume of Internet traffic statistics.

1.Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.

2.Go to Advanced > System Tools > Traffic Statistics.

3.Toggle on Traffic Statistics, and then you can monitor the traffic statistics in Traffic Statistics List section.

Click Refresh to update the statistic information on the page.

Click Reset All to reset all statistic values in the list to zero.

Click Delete All to delete all statistic information in the list.

Click to reset the statistic information of the specific device.

Click to delete the specific device item in the list.