Update – TP-Link has issued an official statement on the matter of the domain names. Check out the statement below for the details,
In case someone setup your router for you, you might not know that there is actually a URL that you can visit that lets you access the router’s configuration page. TP-Link and other router makers have included these links on their devices and in their manuals, although you could look up the information online.
Unfortunately for TP-Link, it seems that someone in their office messed up because two URLs associated with their router config pages had their domain names expired and not renewed. This has resulted in someone else picking up the domains and registering it for themselves in an attempt to try and sell them back to TP-Link for $2.5 million, at least according to Amitay Dan, the CEO of Cybermoon who spotted the lapse.
The domains in question are “tplinklogin-dot-net” and “tplinkextender-dot-net”, the latter of which is for those who uses the company’s wireless range extender. TP-Link has since changed the domains to “tplinkwifi-dot-net” and “tplinkrepeater-dot-net” respectively, and have updated their online manuals.
However the stickers on existing routers and printed manuals are obviously unchanged. We suggest that TP-Link users who routinely access their config pages to note down these new URLs. This is because it is possible that the domains could be used for malicious purposes, even if at the moment they do not appear to be so.
Statement from TP-Link:
There may arise instances in which we update or change the site domains we use. We have discontinued using two such domains: tplinklogin.net and tplinkextender.net. The discontinued use of these two site domains does not affect TP-LINK devices or the security of our customers’ networks.
For users with older or end-of-life TP-LINK products with discontinued site domains, please use the IP address to access the device.
Below are the default IP addresses for TP-LINK networking devices:
Routers: 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1
DSL and Cable Modem and Router: 192.168.1.1
Range Extender and Powerline Extender:
Default: 192.168.0.254
Configured: Find the IP address for the device in your router’s DHCP Client list and then use that IP address to access the device
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