WiFi range extender for difficult cable runs

tl;dr: TP-Link AC750 RE205 exceeds expectations

I got my RS1D a few days ago and was planning to run a 50 foot ethernet cable from my router to the shake that would be located on foundation under my house. That didn’t work out as planned because the walls are filled with fairly dense insulation and bracing, and a sill at ground level - no way to do what I had hoped.

Long story made short, and based on similar topics in the forum, I bought a $30 TP-Link AC750 RE205 Wi-Fi range extender to use as a bridge and am very pleased with the results. I use the 50’ ethernet cable from the shake to the device, and the device uses my WiFi for internet connectivity. The shake receives an IP from DHCP like any other device on my WiFi network. Throughput and latency are very acceptable even when set to lowest power. The device is very tiny and plugs directly into the wall outlet so there are no extra cables or power adapters. The device had 2019 firmware out of the box and I let it upgrade itself to November 2020 firmware so it appears to be getting ongoing support.

I wanted to post my success story about this wifi extender because there are so many products out there and not all seem to be created equal. Hopefully this will help anyone in a similar situation.

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Hello jsb,

Thank you very much for reporting this, and for adding so much detail to your story!

I am sure that other users in a similar situation can only benefit from your experience. Let’s hope this will give them what they need to position their Shakes in the perfect place in their homes.