TP-LINK TL-WR941ND (review request)

[tipstir]

Tim,

This router is starting to make news, I was wondering if you could do a review on it. Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704030 sells them for $60 bucks. Other sources have review it like CNET, but you go one step above them as you take devices apart and tells us all what's makes it tick? I already know it has 20dBm transmit RF wireless power, 3x 2dBi ANT. I would like know what type of CPU is powering it and the RAM used. One site has it up against DIR-855. Although this doesn't have gig ports, no USB it runs in only a mix mode for b/g/N still the 2.4GHz band is stronger than all of the DIR, DGL, that's what they say.

Anyway this might make a good wireless access point for b/g/n for those of us who can't afford to buy the $285 buck DIR-855. I just hope that TP-LINK comes out with a 5GHz model soon?

Youtube Video from CNET about this router.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ADp3Dy5G0

 

[thiggins]

Comparing a single-band, single radio router against a dual-band dual-radio router doesn't make sense.

It is based on the Atheros AR9001AP-3NG chipset
- AR9132: 400MHz Wireless Network Processing Unit (WNPU),
dual-band MAC/Baseband, Gigabit Ethernet MACs, 3x3 MIMO
- AR9103: Single-band 3x3 MIMO 802.11n Radio

FCC docs.

Main difference from the other cheap draft 11n routers is its 3x3 radio, which could provide more speed, but not range.

 

[tipstir]

Comparing a single-band, single radio router against a dual-band dual-radio router doesn't make sense.

It is based on the Atheros AR9001AP-3NG chipset
- AR9132: 400MHz Wireless Network Processing Unit (WNPU),
dual-band MAC/Baseband, Gigabit Ethernet MACs, 3x3 MIMO
- AR9103: Single-band 3x3 MIMO 802.11n Radio

FCC docs.

Main difference from the other cheap draft 11n routers is its 3x3 radio, which could provide more speed, but not range.

Tim good info from FCC on this company and what's inside of it. I had to use IE to get to the FCC site FF block the certs. Still so the CPU is 400MHz, If I blow-up the CPU it's Marvel 88E6060 SOHO with 512KB cache, don't know the speed. The RAM inside is made by hynix - HY5DU561622ETP 32MB.

Old technology chip-sets CPU 2002 and RAM 2005 plus no more Marvel SOHO for me eek! I'll pass.. Thanks for your help Tim!

 

[tipstir]

Update - DD-WRT might be available for this router?

Here's a real closet of this router internals
http://images.lark.net.cn/tl-wr941n/01.jpg

CPU: Atheros AR9132-AC1E 400MHz
Switch: Marvell 88E6060-RCJ1
Memory: HY5DU561622FTP-5 (16Mbx16, 32MB)
Flash: SPANSION FL032A1F (4MB?)
Radio: AR9104 (According to 3x3 MIMO reference design)

PCB board rev is 1.0 but flash is changed to 4MB from old version which has 8MB flash.

Serial/JTAG/USB pin can be easily added.

 

[jdabbs]

I wish FCC docs were as sharp as that photo.
It's unlikely the AR9103 was replaced by a AR9104, as the latter is a dual-band radio. Hardware changes tend to be along the lines of cost-cutting measures, generation refreshes, or scrapping a problematic design.

I couldn't identify the Flash chip based on the provided model info, but 4MB is probably correct.

 

[tipstir]

Well I don't have this router but I've seen this image of the internals, I thought you or Tim would get a kick out of how clear the image is. The FCC with all the money they have don't you think they would use a razor sharp digital camera. Hire me I would take better shots of the internals. Anyway these chipsets are getting a lot of attention on the net. Seems a lot don't want to spend a lot on network gear.

TP-LINK PCB in the above post looks well soldiered and put together.

Now take the Trendnet TEW-652BRP you can now flash the firmware with DIR-615 C1/3.01 firmware since both models have the same internals. So is this a trend for Trendnet and DLINK to pretty much sell almost the same product. Trendnet cheaper than DLINK though.