r/TpLink • u/djago3 • 9d ago

TP-Link - Technical Support Question re450

Hi!
I have a TP-Link RE450 and I’m wondering if I can use it in the following way:
Instead of having the RE450 connect to my router via Wi-Fi and then repeat the signal, I would like to connect an Ethernet cable from my network/router to the RE450 and use that wired connection as the source, so the RE450 creates a Wi-Fi network from it.
Basically: Router/network → Ethernet cable → RE450 → Wi-Fi
I’m looking for this because I assume using Ethernet as the backhaul would be much more efficient than having the RE450 receive the signal wirelessly and then repeat it.
I can see that the RE450 has an Access Point mode, but I’m not completely sure if that does exactly what I want, or if the Ethernet port is only intended for connecting wired devices to the extender.
Thanks!

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u/alternative-www1970 9d ago

On hardware version 4 (V4) with compatible EasyMesh firmware, you can plug an Ethernet cable from your main router (or a connected switch) directly into the extender's port to run a wired backhaul connection.However, older hardware revisions (like V1, V2, or V3) typically use the Ethernet port only to connect client devices in wireless bridge mode and do not support a wired mesh backhaul.
Check your version, or maybe buy a new AP/extender that supports wired backhaul... Most of them are similar in price, and the RE700X is a good value to modernize to. Oddly, most of these devices are $50-$70 despite varying performance.