TP-Link was founded in 1996 by two brothers, Zhao Jianjun (赵建军Zhào Jiànjūn) and Zhao Jiaxing (赵佳兴Zhào Jiāxīng), to produce and market a network card they had developed. The company name was based on the concept of "twisted pair link" invented by Alexander Graham Bell, a kind of cabling that reduces electromagnetic interference, hence the "TP" in the company name.[1]
TP-Link began its first international expansion in 2005. In 2007, the company moved into its new 100,000-square-meter headquarters and facilities at Shenzhen's Hi-Tech Industry Park. TP-Link USA was established in 2008.[2]
In September 2016, TP-Link unveiled a new logo and slogan, "Reliably Smart"; the new logo is meant to portray the company as being a "lifestyle"-oriented brand as it expands into smart home products.[3][4]
TP-Link 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet switchA white wall mounted TP-Link Wireless N Router WR845NTP-LINK AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit ADSL2+ Modem RouterBack of an TP-Link Wireless Router
TP-Link sells through multiple sales channels globally, including traditional retailers, online retailers, wholesale distributors, direct market resellers ("DMRs"), value-added resellers ("VARs") and broadband service providers. Its main competition includes companies such as Netgear, Buffalo, Belkin, Linksys, D-Link and ASUS.
Deco is a family of mesh-network products. The first of this category was the TP-Link M5, followed up by the M9 Plus which had backhaul compatibility improving on the usable bandwidth in certain cases compared to the M5. At the same time, TP-Link also introduced the Deco P7 which was a power-line connected mesh-network system meaning nodes communicate through the electrical wiring of the domicile compared to the wireless transmissions of the other Deco products. The Deco P7 has since been replaced with the newer Deco P9 which has a different aesthetic but the same wireless performance. Recent products in the series include the Deco M4 and S4 which have the same wireless bandwidth, with only slight differences in design. Further products have been introduced, including the Deco X20 as a new base model, and the Deco X60 as a mid-tier model with higher bandwidth but the same overall design. The Deco X90 is the most powerful of the current Deco family, with more than double the bandwidth compared to the X60 model, and a larger design compared to the other models.
On September 30, 2019, TP-Link launched Tapo with one of its initial offerings being the mini smart Wi-Fi Plug—Tapo P100. The smart plug works over a 2.4 GHz wireless connection and integrates with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.[10] Other offerings from Tapo include a line of home security Wi-Fi cameras [11] and a line of smart lighting appliances.[12]
Manufacturing
TP-Link is one of the few major wireless networking companies to manufacture its products in-house as opposed to outsourcing to original design manufacturers (ODMs). The company says this control over components and the supply chain is a key competitive differentiator.[13]
