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Setup WiFi on the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

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

The TP-Link TL-WDR3500 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 TL-WDR3500 Guides

This is the wifi guide for the TP-Link TL-WDR3500. 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 TL-WDR3500

To get started configuring the TP-Link TL-WDR3500 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 TL-WDR3500, follow our TP-Link TL-WDR3500 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

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 TL-WDR3500 router.

After logging into the TP-Link TL-WDR3500 router you should be taken to the Home page. To get started changing your wireless network settings click Wireless 2.4GHz on the left hand side of the page. Then click Wireless Settings beneath that.

Change the WiFi Settings on the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your TP-Link TL-WDR3500 router.

You should be brought to the page shown above.

Begin by setting a Wireless Network Name. This can be whatever you want it to be, however we strongly suggest avoiding the use of any personal information. To learn more be sure to visit our Wireless Names Guide.

After that you'll need to set the Channel to either 1, 6, or 11. Why are these the best options? Read our WiFi Channels Guide to learn more.

That's it for this page. Be sure to click Save before continuing on.

Click Wireless Security on the left hand side of the page.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your TP-Link TL-WDR3500 router.

This takes you to a new page.

Start out by selecting WPA/WPA2 - Personal(Recommended).

Next set the Version to WPA2-PSK. This will provide you with the strongest security. For more information be sure to check out our WEP vs. WPA Guide.

Set the Encryption to AES.

Lastly you'll need to set a PSK Password. This will be your network password and can be anything you like. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a strong password consists of 14-20 characters and includes no personal information. For more help be sure to take a look at our Choosing a Strong Password Guide.

Congratulations! You're finished. Just don't forget to save your settings 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 TL-WDR3500 Info

Don't forget about our other TP-Link TL-WDR3500 info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the TP-Link TL-WDR3500. We also have the following guides for the same router: