TENDA AC18 User Manual

AC1900 Enhanced Smart Dual-Band Gigabit WiFi Router

Model: AC18

Tenda is a registered trademark legally held by Shenzhen Tenda Technology Co., Ltd. Other brand and product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Copyright of the whole product as integration, including its accessories and software, belongs to Shenzhen Tenda Technology Co., Ltd. No part of this publication can be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Shenzhen Tenda Technology Co., Ltd.

Disclaimer

Pictures, images and product specifications herein are for references only. To improve internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, Tenda reserves the right to make changes to the products without obligation to notify any person or organization of such revisions or changes. Tenda does not assume any liability that may occur due to the use or application of the product described herein. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this document to ensure accuracy of the contents, but all statements, information and recommendations in this document do not constitute a warranty of any kind, express or implied.

Item

Presentation

Example

Cascading Menus

System > Live Users

Parameter and value

Bold

Set User Name to Tom.

Variable

Italic

Format: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

UI control

Bold

On the Policy page, click the OK button.

Message

“

The “Success” message appears.

Symbol

Meaning

Note

This format is used to highlight information of importance or special interest. Ignoring this type of note may result in ineffective configurations, loss of data or damage to device.

Tip

This format is used to highlight a procedure that will save time or resources.

Acronym or Abbreviation

Full Spelling

Access Point

DDNS

Dynamic Domain Name System

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

DLNA

Digital Living Network Alliance

DMZ

Demilitarized Zone

DNS

Domain Name System

Preface

Thank you for choosing Tenda! Please read this user guide before you start with AC18.

Commonly Used Functions



Quickly accessing the internet



Setting a WiFi name & password



Turning off WiFi signals as scheduled



Extending WiFi coverage



Controlling bandwidth



Upgrading the router

Conventions

The typographical elements that may be found in this document are defined as follows.

The symbols that may be found in this document are defined as follows.

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronym or Abbreviation

Full Spelling

IPTV

Internet Protocol Television

ISP

Internet Service Provider

L2TP

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol

MPPE

Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption

PPP

Point To Point Protocol

PPPoE

Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet

PPTP

Point to Point Tunneling Protocol

SSID

Service Set Identifier

STB

Set Top Box

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

VLAN

Virtual Local Area Network

VPN

Virtual Private Network

WISP

Wireless Internet Service Provider

WPS

WiFi Protected Setup

Additional Information

For more information, search this product model on our website at http://www.tendacn.com.

III

Contents

Chapter 1 Get to Know Your Router .......................................................................................... - 1 -

1.1 Overview............................................................................................................................................................. - 1 -

1.2 Specifications ...................................................................................................................................................... - 1 -

1.3 Package List ........................................................................................................................................................ - 1 -

1.4 Appearance......................................................................................................................................................... - 2 -

Chapter 2 Quick Setup to Access the Internet ........................................................................... - 6 -

2.1 Connecting to Your Router ................................................................................................................................. - 6 -

2.2 Setting Up an Internet Connection ..................................................................................................................... - 7 -

Chapter 3 Other Functions ..................................................................................................... - 16 -

3.1 Internet Status .................................................................................................................................................. - 16 -

3.2 Internet Settings ............................................................................................................................................... - 20 -

3.3 Wireless Settings .............................................................................................................................................. - 22 -

3.4 Guest Network .................................................................................................................................................. - 32 -

3.5 Sleeping Mode .................................................................................................................................................. - 33 -

3.6 USB Application ................................................................................................................................................ - 34 -

3.7 VPN ................................................................................................................................................................... - 58 -

3.8 Advanced Settings ............................................................................................................................................ - 67 -

3.9 System Settings ................................................................................................................................................. - 91 -

I Appendixes ........................................................................................................................ - 107 -

I.1 Connecting a Computer to the WiFi Network of the Router ........................................................................... - 107 -

I.2 Configuring the Computer to Obtain an IP Address Automatically ................................................................. - 109 -

I.3 FAQ .................................................................................................................................................................. - 114 -

I.4 Technical Support ............................................................................................................................................ - 117 -

I.5 Safety and Emission Statement ....................................................................................................................... - 118 -

1.1 Overview

AC18 is a 1,900 Mbps 802.11ac dual-band wireless router dedicated to villas and large apartments. It is powered by a dual-core CPU and DDR3 memory, which ensure faster and more stable system operation. It is also equipped with the Beamforming+ technology, built-in independent PA/LNA signal transmission enhancement module, and three external high-gain omnidirectional antennas, featuring a robust wall penetration capability that truly achieves full dual-band WiFi coverage in villas and large houses. This router supports additional functions such as wireless repeating, LED indicator control, WiFi scheduling, USB device sharing, cloud management, and VPN server, making it an optimal choice of users who require wide network coverage, strong wall penetration performance, and resource sharing.

Chapter 1 Get to Know Your Router

1.2 Specifications



Five 1,000 Mbps RJ45 ports and one USB3.0 port



1 GB built-in NAND flash memory and 2 GB built-in DDR3 memory



3 external high-gain dual-band antennas with a coverage area up to 450 m



Support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands with a concurrent throughput of up to 1,900 Mbps



Support for WiFi and LED indicator schedules



Support for third-party firmware



Operating temperature: 0°C ~ 40°C



Operating humidity: 10%~90% (RH), no condensing

1.3 Packing List



1900 Mbps 802.11ac dual-band wireless router x 1



Power adapter x 1



CAT5E Ethernet cable x 1



Install guide x 1

- 1 -

LED Indicator Name

LED Indicator Description

State

State Description

PWR

Power indicator

Solid on

The router has been powered on properly.

Off

The router is not powered on or the power supply is faulty.

WAN

Internet port indicator

Solid on

The port is properly connected using an Ethernet cable.

Blinking

The port is transmitting of receiving data.

Off

The port is not connected or the connection is faulty.

LAN

LAN port indicator

Solid on

The port is properly connected using an Ethernet cable.

Blinking

A LAN port is connected.

Off

The port is not connected or the connection is faulty.

WPS

WPS indicator

Solid on

WPS pairing is successful.

Blinking

The router is performing WPS pairing with another device.

Off

WPS pairing is disabled or fails, or it has been over 2 minutes since WPS pairing succeeded.

2.4G

2.4 GHz signal indicator

Solid on

The 2.4 GHz WiFi function is enabled.

Blinking

The router is transmitting or receiving data over the 2.4 GHz WiFi network.

Off

The 2.4 GHz WiFi function is disabled.

5 GHz signal indicator

Solid on

The 5 GHz WiFi function is enabled.

Blinking

The router is transmitting or receiving data over the 5 GHz WiFi network.

1.4 Appearance

1.4.1 LED Indicators

States of LED indicators of the router that is powered on

- 2 -

LED Indicator Name

LED Indicator Description

State

State Description

Off

The 5 GHz WiFi function is disabled.

USB3.0

USB port indicator

Solid on

The port has been connected to a USB device.

Blinking

The port is transmitting of receiving data.

Off

The port is not connected to a USB device or a USB device has been ejected.

SYS

System indicator

Blinking

The system is working properly.

Button/Port

Description

DC-IN

It is the power port to be connected to the power adapter included in the package.

Power

It is the button used to power on/off the router after the router is connected to a power supply using the power adapter.

WiFi On/Off

It is the button used to enable or disable the WiFi function.

WPS

It is the button used to perform WPS pairing between the router and another device.

Reset

It is the button used to restore the factory settings of the router.

Internet

It is used to connect to an Ethernet cable with Internet connectivity.

1, 2, and 3

They are LAN ports that can be connected to devices using Ethernet cables, such as computers, laptops, and switches.

4/IPTV

It is a LAN port by default. After the IPTV function of the router is

1.4.2 Button& Ports

Description of buttons and ports

- 3 -

Button/Port

Description

enabled, it functions as an IPTV port for connecting to an STB or smart TV.

USB

It is a USB3.0 port located on the front panel of the router for connecting to USB devices. To disconnect a USB device from the USB port, click Eject on the router web UI and remove the device, instead of removing it directly. Do not connect two or more devices to the USB port using a USB hub. Otherwise, the devices may be damaged. You are not recommended to recharge the battery of your phone using the USB port.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(1)

(2)

1.4.3 Label on the Bottom



(1) Default domain name and IP address of the router. You can use the domain name or IP address to access the router web UI.



(2) Default 2.4 GHz WiFi name (SSID) of the router.



(3) Default WiFi password of the router. It is required when you connect to the WiFi network of the router for the first time.



(4) PIN that may be required by a wireless client, such as a smart phone, when the client connected to the router using the WPS function.

1.4.4 Label on the Top



(1) Default 2.4 GHz WiFi name (SSID) of the router. The default 5 GHz WiFi name (SSID) is

Tenda_XXXXXX_5G.

- 4 -



(2) Default WiFi password of the router. It is required when you connect to the WiFi network of the router for the first time.

- 5 -

Chapter 2 Quick Setup to Access the Internet

To access the internet, you need at least two steps:

Step 1 Connect to your router. Step 2 Set up an internet connection.

---End

2.1 Connecting to Your Router

2.1.1 Connecting to Your Router Through WiFi

Perform the following procedure:

Step 1 Connect the Internet port using any of the methods shown in the following figure depending

on your internet connection means.

Step 2 Use the power adapter to connect the router to a power supply. Step 3 Use a wireless device, such as a smart phone or tablet, to search for the WiFi network by the

WiFi name of the router and connect to the WiFi network. You can find the default WiFi name and password on the label on the top of the router. For details about how to connect to the WiFi network, refer to the appendix.

After the wireless device is connected to the router, log in to the router web UI on the wireless device and configure an internet connection. For details, refer to Setting Up an Internet

Connection. After changing the WiFi name or password, you need to reconnect the wireless

device to the router.

- 6 -

---End

2.1.2 Connecting to Your Router Using an Ethernet Cable

Perform the following procedure:

Step 1 Connect the Internet port using any of the methods shown in the following figure depending

on your internet connection means.

Step 2 Use the power adapter to connect the router to a power supply. Step 3 Connect your computer to the 1, 2, 3, or 4/IPTV port of the router using an Ethernet cable.

After the computer is connected to the router, log in to the router web UI on the computer and configure an internet connection. For details, refer to Setting Up an Internet Connection.

---End

2.2 Setting Up an Internet Connection

Step 1 Start a web browser, type tendawifi.com or 192.168.0.1 in the address bar, and press Enter

on the keyboard.

Step 2 Click Start.

The router detects your connection type.

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Step 3 According to the detection result, configure related settings. For details about the connection

type–specific configuration procedures, refer to Setting Up an Internet Connection with

PPPoE, Setting Up an Internet Connection with DHCP, and Setting Up an Internet Connection with a Static IP Address.

- 8 -

---End

2.2.1 Setting Up an Internet Connection with PPPoE

Step 1 Select PPPoE, enter your PPPoE user name and password, and click Next.

Step 2 Set a WiFi name and password, set a login password, and click Next.

Note

The WiFi password indicates the password for connecting to the WiFi network of the router. The login password indicates the password for logging in to the router web UI. To use the same password for both purposes, select Set up the login password to the same as the WiFi password on the Wireless Settings page of the quick setup wizard. Ensure that your password meets the complexity requirement.

Step 3 When the login page appears, use the password you set to log in.

- 9 -

Step 4 Go to the Internet Status page to view the current connection status.

If "Connected! You can surf the Internet." is displayed at Internet Settings, the internet is accessible.

---End

2.2.2 Setting Up an Internet Connection with DHCP

Step 1 Select DHCP and click Next.

- 10 -

Step 2 Enter a WiFi name, WiFi password, and login password, and click Next.

Note

Step 3 When the login page appears, use the password you set to log in.

- 11 -

Step 4 Go to the Internet Status page to view the current connection status. If "Connected! You can

surf the Internet." is displayed at Internet Settings, the internet is accessible.

---End

2.2.3 Setting Up an Internet Connection with a Static IP Address

Step 1 Select Static IP, enter your static IP address and other related information, and click Next.

- 12 -

Step 2 Set a WiFi name and password, set a login password, and click Next.

Note

Step 3 When the login page appears, use the password you set to log in.

- 13 -

Step 4 Go to the Internet Status page to view the current connection status. If "Connected! You can

surf the Internet." is displayed at Internet Settings, the internet is accessible.

Note



If the internet is inaccessible after the preceding steps, refer to FAQ 5 in Appendix I.3.



For the detailed procedure for connecting to your router through WiFi, refer to Appendix 1.



If you change the WiFi password of the router when setting up an internet connection, all the wireless connections of the router are disconnected. You can access the internet only after reconnecting to the router using the new password.

---End

To enable the router to provide more stable WiFi signals and cover a wider area, position your router as follows:



Put it on a high place at the center of your house. Keep it close to your wireless devices, such as mobile phones and laptops.



Put it at a place with good ventilation. Unfold its antennas by 45°. Do not put it in an

enclosure, such as a wire distribution box, shoes cabinet, or metal box.

- 14 -



Keep it away from electrical devices, such as ceiling fans and microwave ovens.



Keep it away from metal surfaces, such as metal doors or aluminum nails.



Keep it away from other materials that may affect your wireless signals, such as glass, mirrors, and fish tanks.

- 15 -

This chapter describes how to configure the functions of this router.

3.1 Internet Status

Log in to the router web UI and access the Internet Status page. On this page, you can view the network status of the router, set basic WiFi information, add blacklisted devices, and so on.

Chapter 3 Functions

3.1.1 Current Internet Connection Status

The current internet connection status and Internet Settings are displayed on the lower part of the Internet Status page. If "Connected! You can surf the Internet." is displayed, you can access the internet through the router. If another message is displayed, follow the onscreen instruction to resolve the issue. You can click Internet Settings on this page and configure internet settings.

- 16 -

To configure the settings, select your connection type, set related parameters, and click Save. For the detailed configuration procedure, refer to Internet Settings.

3.1.2 WiFi Settings and Information

You can click Wireless Settings in the upper-right corner of the Internet Status page to access the Wireless Settings page.

- 17 -

For the detailed configuration procedure, refer to WiFi Name & Password.

Note

Only the wireless devices that can work with 5 GHz signals can find and connect to the 5 GHz network of the router. If your WiFi signals are not encrypted, you are recommended to encrypt those signals for higher WiFi network security.

3.1.3 Online Device and Blacklist

The number of online devices and the number of blacklisted devices are displayed in the upper-center part of the Internet Status page. See the following figure.

- 18 -



To view the number of online devices of the router, click .

When detecting an unknown device, you can click Add to add it to the blacklist. A blacklisted device can connect to the router but cannot access the internet through the router.



To view blacklisted devices, click .

To remove a device from the blacklist, click Remove corresponding to the device. The device removed from the blacklist is added to the online devices list when it is online and can access the internet through the router.

- 19 -

Parameter

Description

PPPoE

If you directly connect an Ethernet cable with internet connectivity to your computer, you can access the internet only after setting up a dial-up connection on the computer using a user name and password provided by your ISP.

DHCP

If you directly connect an Ethernet cable with internet connectivity to your computer, you can access the internet without configuring your computer.

Static IP Address

If you directly connect an Ethernet cable with internet connectivity to your computer, you can access the internet only after setting static IP address and other related information on your computer.

3.1.4 System Status

You can click the router icon on the Internet Status page to access the System Status page, which shows the basic information, WAN port status, LAN port status, and WiFi status of the router.

3.2 Internet Settings

This module enables you to configure internet settings and view internet connection status and duration.

When you use the router for the first time or after you reset the router, the router detects your internet connection type. You are recommended to select the detected type and follow the instructions of the quick setup wizard to configure internet settings. If you do not configure internet settings using the quick setup wizard, you can configure them on the Internet Settings page.

The following table may help you understand your internet connection type. If you are still uncertain about your internet connection type, consult your ISP.

- 20 -

3.2.1 Setting Up an Internet Connection with PPPoE

Perform the following procedure:

Step 1 Set Select a connection type to PPPoE. Step 2 Set User name and Password to the user name and password provided by your ISP. Step 3 Click Save.

---End

If the "Connected! You can surf the Internet." message appears after a while, you can access the internet through your router.

3.2.2 Setting Up an Internet Connection with DHCP

Perform the following procedure:

Step 1 Set Select a connection type to DHCP. Step 2 Click Save.

---End

- 21 -

If the "Connected! You can surf the Internet." message appears after a while, you can access the internet through your router.

3.2.3 Setting Up an Internet Connection with a Static IP Address

Perform the following procedure:

Step 1 Set Select a connection type to Static IP. Step 2 Set IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Preferred DNS Server, and Alternate DNS

Server to the static IP address and other related information provided by your ISP.

Step 3 Click Save.

---End

If the "Connected! You can surf the Internet." message appears after a while, you can access the internet through your router.

3.3 Wireless Settings

This module enables you to configure the WiFi function of the router.

- 22 -

Parameter

Description

2.4GHz and 5GHz

2.4GHz specifies whether to enable the router to provide 2.4 GHz WiFi signals.

5GHz specifies whether to enable the router to provide 5 GHz WiFi

3.3.1 WiFi Name & Password

The router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi signals, featuring strong anti-interference performance. This function enables you to configure WiFi names, encryption modes, and passwords for both frequencies. The following figure shows a configuration example.

The following table describes the parameters.

- 23 -

Parameter

Description

signals. WiFi Name

It specifies the name of a WiFi network.

Security Mode

It specifies the encryption modes supported by the router, including:



None: It indicates that a WiFi network is not encrypted and any clients can access the network. This option is not recommended as it leads to low network security.



WPA-PSK: It indicates that WPA-PSK/AES is adopted to authenticate users.



WPA2-PSK: It indicates that WPA2-PSK/AES is adopted to authenticate users.



WPA/WPA2-PSK: It indicates that WPA-PSK/AES and WPA2-PSK/AES are adopted to authenticate users.

Password

It specifies the password required when a client access the WiFi network of the router.

Hide

It specifies whether to prevent a WiFi name from being detected by wireless devices. If this function is enabled, the corresponding WiFi name is not broadcast. Therefore, the name is not displayed on the available WiFi networks list of a wireless device. To connect a wireless device such as a mobile phone to the WiFi network, you need to manually enter the WiFi name and password of the network on the device.

3.3.2 WiFi Schedule

It specifies whether to enable the WiFi function schedule, which allows you to specify the downtime of the function. By default, the schedule is disabled. For the configuration procedure, refer to the following example.

Application Scenario

You want to disable the WiFi function during 23:00 to 7:00 every day for a healthier sleep environment.

- 24 -

WiFi function downtime:

23:00~07:00 every day

In this period, the WiFi function of the router is inaccessible to wireless devices.

Configuration

Step 1 Choose Wireless Settings > WiFi Schedule.

Step 2 Set WiFi Schedule to the state.

Ensure that the router is connected to the internet and the system time of the router is synchronized with the local internet time.

The WiFi Schedule page appears.

Step 3 Set Turn off WiFi during to the downtime. In this example, the downtime is 23:00~07:00. Step 4 Set Repeat to the days to which the downtime is applied. In this example, select Every Day. Step 5 Click Save.

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