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Setup WiFi on the TP-Link TD-W9980

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 3 minutes

The TP-Link TD-W9980 router is considered a wireless router because it offers WiFi connectivity. WiFi, or simply wireless, allows you to connect various devices to your router, such as wireless printers, smart televisions, and WiFi enabled smartphones.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

Other TP-Link TD-W9980 Guides

This is the wifi guide for the TP-Link TD-W9980. We also have the following guides for the same router:

WiFi Terms

Before we get started there is a little bit of background info that you should be familiar with.

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You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

Wireless Name

Your wireless network needs to have a name to uniquely identify it from other wireless networks. If you are not sure what this means we have a guide explaining what a wireless name is that you can read for more information.

Wireless Password

An important part of securing your wireless network is choosing a strong password.

Wireless Channel

Picking a WiFi channel is not always a simple task. Be sure to read about WiFi channels before making the choice.

Encryption

You should almost definitely pick WPA2 for your networks encryption. If you are unsure, be sure to read our WEP vs WPA guide first.

Login To The TP-Link TD-W9980

To get started configuring the TP-Link TD-W9980 WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the TP-Link TD-W9980, follow our TP-Link TD-W9980 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the TP-Link TD-W9980

If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your TP-Link TD-W9980 router.

The wireless setup guide for the TP-Link TD-W9980 router starts off on the Basic Status page. Begin configuring your wireless settings by clicking Wireless 2.4GHz on the left hand side of the page, and then Basic Settings below that.

Change the WiFi Settings on the TP-Link TD-W9980

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your TP-Link TD-W9980 router.

This should take you to the page you see here.

On this page, start by setting an wireless network name, known as an SSID. This can be anything you want, however we recommend avoiding any personal information due to security reasons. For more info on this topic, be sure to take a look at our Wireless Names Guide.

After that, set the Channel to either 1, 6, or 11. Want to know why these are the best options? Check out our WiFi Channels Guide.

Be sure to Save these settings before moving on.

Now click Wireless Security located on the left hand side of the page.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your TP-Link TD-W9980 router.

Begin by making sure the radio button labeled WPA/WPA2 - Personal (Recommended) is selected. Then set the Authentication Type to WPA2-PSK. To learn more, see our WEP vs. WPA Guide.

Now you need to set the Encryption to AES.

Finally, enter your desired Wireless Password into the given box. This can be whatever you like, however a strong password consists of 14-20 characters and includes no personal information. For more helpful tips, check out our Choosing a Strong Password Guide.

Congratulations! You're finished. Just make sure to click Save before leaving the page.

Possible Problems when Changing your WiFi Settings

After making these changes to your router you will almost definitely have to reconnect any previously connected devices. This is usually done at the device itself and not at your computer.

Other TP-Link TD-W9980 Info

Don't forget about our other TP-Link TD-W9980 info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the TP-Link TD-W9980. We also have the following guides for the same router: