Tether – the Application for Configuring a TP-Link Router With a Smartphone

Read this article to find out how to configure Wi-Fi routers by TP-Link with your smartphone or tablet PC and a specialized application, TP-Link Tether. We’ll have a look at basic capabilities of TP-LINK Tether, and I’ll also show you how to quickly modify main router settings using this tool.

Tether – the Application for Configuring a TP-Link Router With a Smartphone

TP-LINK Tether Application

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Tether Application to Configure TP LINK Routers from a Smartphone in 2019 🌐🖥️📱

Tether Application to Configure TP LINK Routers from a Smartphone in 2019 🌐🖥️📱

The standard web interface of the router menu is not very comfortable to use from a mobile device. The letters and symbols are too small so you have to zoom in and out all the time.

However, TP-Link has been thinking about their customers and finally released TP-LINK Tether – a very good application for smartphones and tablet PCs to make router configuration easier. You can use it to view the device information and connection settings, manage your Wi-Fi router, and modify the settings.

The application is available for the two most popular platforms – iOS and Android. It supports iOS from version 7 and higher, and Android from version 4. In this article, we will see how Tether works with Android 8.1.

Tether in Android Play Market

Below, we’ll have a look at basic capabilities of TP-LINK Tether, and I’ll also show you how to quickly modify main router settings using this tool.

The application supports almost all popular router models by this manufacturer. I’ll illustrate its work with the example of TP-LINK TL-WR841N.

To begin with, download the app from AppStore or PlayMarket depending on your particular mobile device and install it.

The link to the app:

Tether in Android Play Market Web

Getting Connected to the Router with Tether

To make the application see your router, you should connect to the router by Wi-Fi. If you’ve been using the router for some time, it means you are likely to be already connected. If you want to configure a new router, find the standard name and password for connecting on a sticker attached to the bottom side of the device.

TP-Link

When the application starts for the first time, you’ll see a summary of its capabilities. Scroll it away and tap Let’s Get Started.

Tether

Tether

Tether

Tether

Agree to the Terms of Use…

Tether

If you are connected to a network, you’ll see the router name as well as its MAC address.

Tether

To get to the main screen and manage your router, enter the name and password combination. By default, these are admin and admin. If you have already changed them, give the new data.

Tether

Tether

Main Screen

After entering the router settings, you will see the main screen. The screen shows the control panel with the information about your Wi-Fi connection and the network in real time.

Tether

By tapping on the router symbol, you will see its name, model, firmware and hardware versions.

Tether

Clients Menu

In the Clients tab (or by tapping on the icon showing the number of clients in the main screen), the application shows all devices connected to this network, their connection types and IP addresses.

Tether

By tapping on one of the connected devices, you can also learn the MAC address and block it if you want.

Tether

This function can be useful if an unwanted stranger connects to your network somehow. You can also change a client icon or name.

Tools menu

Go to the next tab – Tools – and it has much more options than the previous two.

Tether

Wireless contains only the most essential Wi-Fi network settings. You can turn wireless networks on or off, change the network name, password and security options. If you have guest network enabled, it will also be shown here.

Tether

Tether

Internet connection is one of the most important sections which is used when configuring the router for the first time or switching to another Internet provider. If your provider doesn’t support automatically assigned addresses or uses PPTP connections, you can use this function to configure settings according to your provider’s data. Choose connection type and enter details, specify username and password, IP address and so on.

Tether

Tether

Parental controls let you configure a list of supervised devices, specify permitted websites and set up access schedule.

Tether

Tether

Network diagnostics lets you check your connection to the router and to the Internet.

Tether.

Share password – the name speaks for itself: you can view the password to the network or get a QR code to access it.

Tether

Tether

In the last line, System, you can modify administrator’s account data or specify a new name and password, as well as reboot the router or reset it to factory settings.

Tether

Tether

Summing up, I can say: although TP-LINK Tether tool includes only a small set of functions, it does provide access to all essential router settings. Its simple interface will never confuse you – unlike the standard administrator’s menu that opens in your browser.

This application gives a good start for quick router setup, but advanced users looking for more detailed settings will have to use the web interface anyway.

To enter the web interface from your smartphone, connect to your Wi-Fi network, specify the router address, administrator’s login and password.

Read another article for a very detailed description of all basic router settings.

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WiFi Router Basic Setup with TP Link AC750 Archer C20 in 2019: Internet, WiFi, DHCP, Password

WiFi Router Basic Setup with TP Link AC750 Archer C20 in 2019: Internet, WiFi, DHCP, Password

Router-Configuring Applications from Other Manufacturers

Other router manufacturers can also offer specialized apps to configure their products.

For example:

Tenda WiFi for Tenda routers:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tenda.router.app

Mi Wi-Fi for Xiaomi routers:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xiaomi.router

And many others as well.

Also, there are many versatile apps that can help you configure a router regardless of its model and name:

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=router%20setting&c=apps

Yet as long as I have only a TP-Link router, it is difficult to demonstrate the work of other applications.

I hope you will find this article useful. You are welcome to leave comments and ask questions.

Vladimir Artiukh

Author: , Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: , Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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