Pulse 04 En
2018-01-04
: Tp-Link Pulse 04 En Pulse_04_en pulse resources
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Cover Story
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Table of Contents
Highlight
Cover Story Showcase
Japan: Fighting Fit in the Land of the Rising 
Sun — Exploration of a Retail Market
Technical Support: When Wi-Fi is Down, 
We're Always Around
Headquarters: AEO — Together We Can
Smart Home: Stand by Me — Together We 
Embrace a Limitless Future
Smartphone: Rebooting Our Smartphone 
Business
Colombia: Heroes at the Front 
— The Neos Trade Marketing Team
Czech Republic: How to Choose an Ideal 
Router — A Microsite for End Users
Brazil: Marketing With Emotion — Bidding 
Farewell to a Wi-Fi Legend
Australia: Diligence Redeems Ignorance 
— Eorts Do Pay O
Germany: Facebook Marketing on a 
Shoestring Budget
Networking BU: Marketing Materials 
— The Unsung Hero
Networking & SmartPhone : A Baptism 
of Fire — Training the Class of 2017
Getting the Small Things Right
Networking BU: AC5400X Gives Gamers the 
Router They’ve Been Waiting For
Networking BU: The Crisis of Trust in 
Pakistan
R&D: Getting Closer to Users
Networking BU: The Mystery of MiFi 
— Mobile Data Tech Explained
03
06
11
13
18
21
25
27
29
32
34
38
45
48
51
54
Who
Lives
Manufacturing Department: Strengthening 
the Foundation of Our Company
Canada: Keep Calm and Call HR
Brazil: A Mother’s Story
HQ  General Aairs Department: Hail to 
the Bus Driver
Russia: Become Your Own Personal Lead
UK: It’s Not Just Santa’s Elves Working 
Overtime in Q4
An Encounter with the Kitten Family
Triumph in the Skies
Life Through a Lens
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81
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Getting the Small Things Right
During my business trip to America, I learned a proverb: 
"Take care of the small things, and the big things will 
take care of themselves", meaning that when we focus 
on getting the small things right, the larger things will 
naturally follow. It’s a simple concept, and should be a 
guiding principle for our work today. Some of us tend to 
get caught up in larger goals, chasing instant success, 
focusing only on huge technological developments and 
dreaming of "big wins", but forget that the realization 
of goals and the success of a business stem from the 
accumulative eect of doing many small things the right 
way.
To   c o n t i n u e   t o   d o   t h e   s m a l l   t h i n g s   r i g h t   i s   to   u s e   t h e  
lowest expenditure possible to bear fruits as big as 
possible: eectiveness and eciency. This requires 
the correct method, attention to detail and hard work. 
These three are indispensable. The correct way does 
Jerey Chao
not necessarily mean sticking to professionalism or the 
industry practices dogmatically, but to keep thinking 
and correcting our way of doing things by observing the 
actual results.
To succeed in doing the small things right, we have to, 
rst of all, listen to real voices in the market, continue 
healthy business development, remove any false 
elements in sales, and bear in mind that increased 
point-of-sale competitiveness is essential for channel 
growth and that a good product is the one that can 
solve the pain points 
of consumers. Meanwhile, do not rush in blind; stay 
knowledgeable about our industry. Secondly, we 
have to focus on details. For example, we have to 
check if the product features we design grasp the 
essence of the users’ pain points or not, that the 
message on the product package is attractive and 

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convincing, that the assortment of products provided 
to retailers is competitive and can sell out, and that the 
content on the online product page is useful, helps 
to increase consumers’ condence in us and makes 
it easy for consumers to make the choice. Finally, 
we have to keep working hard and never be afraid of 
trouble. For instance, if we had worked harder, instead 
of holding back with hesitation and fear, we could have 
created an EAP community forum sooner. The R&D 
department is forever bargaining with the Sales team 
over minor changes to products. If they spent less time 
in discussions and used more time on practical things, 
those things would have been done much faster.
2017 is almost behind us. Standing at this crossroads, 
we have to start planning for the future. In the next year, 
which business areas should we make breakthroughs 
in? Which channels? Which small shops? Which 
products? Which customer pain points? What is the 
foundation of future growth? Where is our Achilles’ heel? 
What are the invisible opportunities around us? What 
are the shortcomings, problems and the breakthrough 
points we have neglected? To answer these questions, 
we need to re-examine and to know ourselves. This 
year, what business opportunities have we missed? Do 
we really know how to do business? What mistakes or 
successes have been made in product pricing, product 
portfolio, new product promotion, channel policies and 
retail management? On these issues, don’t be afraid to 
reanalyse, to summarize, and to constructively criticise 
and reect.
The Sales team is labelled by some departments as 
the one that shouts the loudest, crying for attention. 
Well, I think the noise they create is not loud enough, 
and the criticisms they send are not ery enough, not 
enough at all. We should be solely responsible for 
the work itself, and be accountable to the customers, 
sales channels and the end users, rather than the 
leaders and headquarters. Our work should focus 
on solving “the smaller problems”. This has to be 
formalized and promoted in the subsidiaries, so that 
all departments are well coordinated, and problems 
can be easily discovered and solved. It should 
become part of the fabric of our company culture. 
Each day we should seek out the small problems. 
The management team of each subsidiary should 
step out of the oce, into the market, to observe, 
communicate with and listen to customers.
Here, I advise all overseas salesmen and each 
member of the management team in our subsidiaries 
to spend two half days each month in point-of-sale 
shops. Although in some markets language could 
prove to be a barrier when communicating with the 
end users, it will not prevent us from observing their 
purchasing behaviour and interaction with sta. 
Keeping in close touch with our market is the most 
ecient and scientic way to collect evidence on 
which to base our decisions. In the future, we have 
to move “the oce” to the forefront of the market. 
Getting the small things right starts from here.

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03
Fighting Fit in the Land of the Rising 
Sun — Exploration of a Retail Market
One and a half years have passed since TP-Link entered the Japanese market in early 2016. At the beginning, 
business revolved exclusively around online stores such as Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo. We were totally unknown 
in Japan at this point, retailers not so much as batting an eyelid at our arrival. During a year of toil, tears and sweat, we 
achieved signicant growth online, climbing to a rank of second on Amazon for routers. Retailers’ interest was nally 
perked and we fortied ourselves for several rounds of tough negotiations. A breakthrough came in March 2017, our 
products landing on the shelves of two of the biggest retailers: Yodobashi and Bic Camera. Today we can be found in 
more than 200 retail stores all over Japan. 
Here I want discuss some of the diculties we faced on our bumpy road to success, and the measures we took 
to overcome them.
Retail Team, TP-Link Japan
Firstly, it’s important to point out that Japanese 
people have a strong national identity. The majority 
of Japanese are under the impression that without 
exception ‘Japanese national brands are the 
best!’ Unfortunately, even with the progression of 
globalization and with most Japanese manufacturers 
now dependent on Chinese OEM companies, that 
stereotype is still deeply rooted, and prevents us from 
making a smoother transition to this island nation. 
Netgear and ASUS, strong competitors of TP-Link, 
still struggle badly on these shores even though they 
made their entry into this market much earlier. Netgear 
entered retailers at one point but ultimately failed and 
retreated. ASUS also failed to make headway, giving 
up on selling gaming routers and focusing on low-
end products specialized for the local market instead. 
By stark contrast, the Japanese national brands like 
For the rst few months almost no retail sta knew 
TP-Link, so of course they didn’t promote us. To cure 
our problems in such a market, we needed a dose of 
strong medicine. In the IT area, Yodobashi commands 
an impressive market share of almost 10% with only 
22 stores, while other retailers at the same level have 
hundreds of stores. Thus, we chose Yodobashi as 
our breakthrough retailer. From April, we grabbed 
the attention of Yodobashi buyers with all kinds 
of promotions and gradually gained their trust. As 
August rolled around, we gained a chance to run two 
weeks of promotions with Yodobashi – pushing sales 
Understanding the Market and 
Facing up to the Challenges
Use a Dierent Strategy for a 
Dierent Retailer 
Bualo, Elecom, NEC and I-O Data enjoy weighty 
market shares. This was the situation we faced when 
we arrived on the scene.

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Establish Bases behind Enemy Lines 
Strategy is important, but when your eyes are on 
the stars, you also need to remember to keep your 
feet rmly on the ground. We established our own 
roaming team to maintain and improve displays in 
the shops, and build closer relationships with shop 
sta. The roaming squad consists of four members 
currently, distributed among three of the biggest 
economic zones: Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido. In their 
daily work, our roamers go round the stores one by 
one, educating sta on our products. In addition, 
more than 10 training sessions are held every month 
for our retailers, convincing them to buy into our 
brand slogan: “Reliably Smart”. Up to September 
2017, we’ve trained over 210 sta. They are the 
foot soldiers on the ground, and remain key in the 
A roaming squad member improving the display
traditional consumer channels. Each retail worker 
has the chance to inuence hundreds of people per 
month. Training sta is something we will continue 
to do, with the belief that they will communicate the 
virtues of our brand to increasing numbers. 
Training shop sta alone is not enough. Most 
customers will select products by themselves. 
Thus, in-store marketing methods are denitely 
signicant. This proved tricky in Japan. Japanese 
customers are very picky and inquisitive. This is the 
reason why local brands’ packages always include 
so much information, while our packages are too 
“clean”. To make a better impression, we developed 
lots of special localized marketing materials. For 
example, a “World’s No.1 Most Popular” sticker for 
the boxes – Japanese tend to choose the champion, 
and this impactful message helps to draw the gaze 
of passersby and gain their all-important trust. A 
“Wireless Speed” sticker highlighted the strong 
wireless performance of our products and made 
them easier to compare. Besides these, we also 
made some specialized popup stands and product 
catalogs. We learnt as much as we could from 
our local successful competitors and tried to do 
even better, believing our greater store marketing 
experience would be a solid base for our future 
success.
of Archer C9 and Archer C55 and winning 11% of the 
total store sales. Although that 11% doesn’t seem 
like a massive deal, it’s already sevenfold the share 
of ASUS, which entered the retailer much earlier than 
us. For another big retailer, Bic Camera, it proved even 
harder to gain the trust of their buyers. Undeterred, 
and condent of the capabilities of TP-Link’s sellers, 
we sent sales promoters to work at four Bic Camera 
stores. Currently, our sales promoters contribute to 
nearly 50% of our sales at all Bic Camera stores.

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Conquering a new retail market is a mission that challenges everyone beyond their limits. This includes not 
only our retail team but also support from our whole company. To gather the opinions from dierent teams (e.g. 
designers and support), we held an event. Every month, a company member needed to visit stores to observe 
and give feedback. The three best roamers were selected and won prizes. We got all kinds of useful feedback 
related to displays, marketing and so on and, more importantly, after three months of store visits the sta felt 
more condent with themselves and knew our brand better.
We will go on promoting our brand and products to both stores and customers. The word “brand” can be 
translated to " ㅷ晥 " (Pinpai) in Chinese. " ㅷ" means "quality" and " 晥" refers to "name recognition" in Japanese. 
We aim to increase our market share in the Japanese market and prove our quality as a manufacturer. Our 
ultimate target is to grab the No.1 spot in terms of market share in the next 5 years. With belief in our products 
and in each other, there’s no reason why we can't!
Best Roamers Award
Our retail team
Encourage Members to Oer Ideas and Suggestions
Keep Striving to Forge the No.1 Brand 

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"Ding——” 
“Hello! This is Clare from TP-Link Technical Support. 
How may I help you? ”
It’s 3:00 a.m. The technical support engineers are still 
alert, their focus unwavering as they assist people 
from every time zone via a 24-hour hotline and live 
messaging service. 
On the other end of the line, a user explains his issue, 
the urgency detectable in his voice. The  Deco M5 
(3-pack) he bought doesn’t work after an update. He 
needs access to the network immediately, as he has 
some critical work to deal with. The technical support 
engineers understand his emergency, oering several 
solutions at once: restart the modem and Deco, reset 
the congurations. None of them work.
There’s no time to lose. The technical support 
engineers immediately export the user's telephone 
communication record, conduct a detailed analysis 
When Wi-Fi Is Down, We’re 
Always Around
Networking Bu Technical Support Team, edited by Estela Ji
and discuss the solution. As promised, the user 
receives a call back via Skype and is given remote 
guidance, conrming each step as he goes. Finally, 
he conrms the Wi-Fi is back up and running – "I’m 
grateful for your help". The support engineers breathe 
a sigh of relief, their tense faces transforming into 
wide grins.
With the aim of improving service quality and user 
satisfaction, the engineers work in shifts from morning 
to evening, weekends and holidays. When midnight 
falls, a light can always be seen from a window in the 
oce, inside which the engineers are busy solving the 
troubles of users the world over. 
"We are going to hold a party at the weekend, but the 
Wi-Fi doesn’t work. What should we do?" 
"Travelling abroad, roaming is too expensive. Only a 
SIM card can access the internet, but I want to share 
my network with my computer. What should I do?" 
"I work at home. Suddenly the network is down and I 
have a pile of papers to write!" 
"To build a wireless network for a large conference 
room, what kind of product should I select?”
The technical support engineers are facing these 
questions every day, some of which have been 
answered hundreds of times. But they understand 
that for users, each question is urgent and deserves 
to be answered considerately. Chatting with users 
from all over the world, from dierent cultures, and 

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Professionalism Derives from 
Every Tiny Eort
To be able to solve problems relating to a whole 
range of products, technical support engineers must 
possess a deep well of knowledge.
From the beginning of the one-month product training 
to answering their rst phone calls, a great deal of 
work is needed. Nearly 100 outstanding recordings 
(cases) have to be analyzed, combined with "talk" 
training, high-level English and other relevant courses. 
Every newcomer is striving to lay a solid foundation 
of skills. Some of them choose to do additional 
English listening practice in their spare time, in order 
to communicate with users more eectively and 
therefore solve the problems faster. 
with unique characters and needs, they always follow 
the same principle: professionalism and sincerity. 
The entire team is making unremitting eorts to 
improve the quality of service, from meetings where 
cases are shared with the group to the product 
training and Q&A organized by the department. Daily 
e-mail eectiveness checks, weekly recording checks, 
monthly professional knowledge reviews along with 
laboratory testing and user scenario simulations 
underpin the team’s eorts to constantly improve. 
With every detail counting towards our image, the 
professionalism of the technical support team as a 
whole has been recognized by our users. 
In addition to product knowledge, managing emotions 
is another way the professionalism of the technical 
support team shines through. Facing so many 
anxious users and their complaints, you’d be forgiven 
for thinking the engineers would be driven crazy at 
times and erupt like an angry volcano. “Never let the 
users’ emotions aect your own” is a guiding principle 
that every engineer must bear in mind from the very 
rst day. However, that’s easier said than done. It’s not 
easy to keep a patient attitude and a smile on your 
face for every user, especially when emotions can 
change rapidly from call to call. 
To prepare for this emotional rollercoaster, the 
department arranges a professional course named 
“Emotion Management”, aiming at helping team 
members learn how to rule their emotions and stay 
professional in all situations.
Organizing regular meetings to share experiences 
and tea parties to get to know one another better 
are good ways for the team to gain encouragement 
from others and get help in solving problems. All 
instructors and team leaders are proactive in making 
sure every member is feeling good about their work, 
and are happy to have heart-to-heart talks where 
personal diculties can be worked out. 

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Sincerity and Making Friends with 
Users
If a professional is to win the consumer's trust, the 
aim has to be to make every user TP-Link’s friend. At 
the other end of the wire could be an elderly, anxious 
employee desperately in need of a network, or 
someone who’s already called seven times to track 
our troubleshooting progress. Those who turn to us 
for help deserve our patience and best analytical 
eorts. Support engineers and users can build strong 
relationships even though they have never met 
before.
" I still remember a user from Singapore, who told 
us his wife was on a business trip in Shenzhen 
after we’d solved his problem. When he found out 
our headquarters was in Shenzhen too, he at once 
proposed a dinner with him and his wife. Although 
we haven’t had the chance yet, the meal invitation 
was most welcomed, and he spoke as though we 
had been friends for many years. Looking forward to 
meeting him one day. "                                              —Leah
"There was a Turkish user who couldn’t speak English, 
but translated the thank-you note via Google into 
English and sent it to us to express his sincere thanks. 
Though some grammatical mistakes were inevitably 
included, the love and support for TP-Link shone 
through between the lines. It gave every member of 
the team encouragement. "                            —Jasmine
"Sometimes a user can be very angry when their 
network access is out, don’t cooperate with the 
troubleshooting and talk to us impolitely. But most 
of them regret their attitude afterwards, and call us 
back or express their apologies and thanks in
 the livechat. "                                                             —Zeplin
"When I initially conversed with the US user David 
Harrer, it was via Livechat. Since Livechat is 
inconvenient when holding a two-way conversation, I 
Receiving appreciation from users is another source 
of positive energy for the technical support team and 
can give everyone a big boost. Aside from a standard 
"thank you" on the phone, especially grateful users will 
even sometimes send special thank-you notes. 

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immediately called David and assisted him with 
his problem. When the user praised me in my role as
 "the face of TP-Link" and said he had picked the 
right product, I got an immediate sense of 
accomplishment. "                                                   —Anna
These wonderful thank-you notes from users are like 
medals, regarded as recognition for the hard work 
that goes into each case. The members who receive 
thank-you notes are regarded as positive examples 
for the team, inspiring their colleagues to keep up the 
good work and never stop improving. 
Unremitting Eorts to Provide 
Ecient and Diverse Service
In recent years our user base has expanded rapidly. 
In order to be closer to the users and react to their 
needs faster, our company this year established 
the Philippines Call Center. This is just one part of a 
strategy to up our game when it comes to customer 
service.
Another is an initiative of the technical support 
personnel to think as a user, estimating the problems 
that users may come across when using the products 
and then shooting a series of product conguration 
and troubleshooting videos. These have won plenty of 
praise. Users can solve common problems in a timely 
way simply by watching the videos. The Technical 
Support Team also benet since they have more 
time and energy to solve the more urgent and tricky 
problems. 
Currently, the videos have over 400 000 views on 
YouTube, oering help for a great number of users. 
Now the technical support team has an ecient way 
to serve users and subsidiaries: that is, send the video 
links as a reference rst. There is no doubt that this 
initiative has greatly improved eciency.
We believe that there will be more support videos, 

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remote control and high-tech operations being 
applied into the technical support service in the 
future. Continuously improving the interaction, 
eciency, quality and reputation of our service, we 
know that although the technology may change, our 
professionalism and dedication will not. 
TP-Link’s Technical Support team will always be able 
to handle the pressure, take the initiative and promote 
a positive image of the company. 
Users choose TP-Link among tens of millions of 
brands. Every phone call, Livechat, successful case 
and thank-you note is a great endorsement for the 
team, cementing the bond between our company and 
its customers to grow our base of loyal fans.
The original article was provided by Leah, Zeplin, Clare 
and Catherine 
To watch the YouTube videos, please scan the QR 
codes below: 
Network Card PLC

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AEO — Together We Can
Rosalind Rong, with translation by Teresa Xu, HQ Oce Department
TP-Link was rst certied as a Shenzhen Customs 
AA Class Enterprise back in 2010. Then, in 2014, 
came promotion to an AEO Advanced Certied 
Enterprise. By complying with strict criteria during the 
re-certication examination, TP-Link made history 
in August 2017, becoming the rst company in the 
Shenzhen Customs Territory to pass re-certication 
as an AEO Advanced Certied Enterprise at the rst 
time of asking.
When it comes to AEO, many colleagues may 
not know its signicance. AEO, which stands for 
Authorized Economic Operator, is a voluntary 
compliance program that issues certication for 
enterprises’ credit status. Advanced Certication 
is one of the highest honors awarded to import 
and export enterprises, and is granted by customs 
organizations of countries and regions, including 
within the EU, ASEAN and in North America. 
Armed with such certication, TP-Link can enjoy 
clearance facilitation among international customs 
oces and has the trust of customs in all AEO-
recognizing countries. Benets include an ultra-low 
inspection rate for goods, simplied documentation 
examinations and priority when going through 
import and export clearance formalities. With our 
markets spread all over the world, the certication is 
a great help with the logistics and distribution of our 
products. Within China, we also get VIP support from 
39 government departments. To sell our products in 
overseas markets more eectively, AEO certication 
is a must.
The Headquarters Oce Department began working 
intensively towards the certication in May. The AEO 
certication criteria are divided into ve categories, 18 
articles and 32 total entries. The ve categories are 
Internal Control, Financial Condition, Law Compliance, 
Trade Safety and Additional Standards. Enterprises 
may only be certied once they reach the benchmark 
in all graded projects and their total score is 95 points 
or above. The team knew nothing less than perfect 
co-ordination between the headquarters and every 
relevant department would be necessary to pass. 
In the event, all involved rose to the occasion and 
delivered. TP-Link was given a near perfect score, and 

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even picked up some additional points, taking our 
nal tally up to an impressive 102!
Aside from investigating enterprises’ daily operations, 
AEO certication also provides a good opportunity 
for enterprises to complete internal reviews and 
optimize their processes. During the three months 
of preparation for the AEO certication examination, 
the team at headquarters has shown responsibility, 
professionalism and discipline in equal measure. 
Attention was paid to every detail, from optimizing 
the work space to the development and launch of 
the ERP system from scratch. Each colleague set 
the highest standards for him/herself and made 
unremitting eorts.
For three months, in rain or shine, on workday or 
weekend, colleagues volunteered to work overtime 
to make sure the company was fully prepared for the 
AEO examination. There was a time when the oce 
was under decoration, and the pungent smell of 
paint was unavoidable. Wearing a mask, wiping tears 
from smoked red eyes, the commitment from sta 
was unwavering. Among them was Qiong Zhang, the 
Warehouse Director. She has been with the company 
since its founding 21 years ago. The midnight oil 
was burned more often than not, as Qiong reviewed 
every phrase of all-important documents. There were 
new operation specialists and international logistics 
specialists too, who had little experience but bags 
of energy. Selina Wang, from the Administration 
Department, was eight months pregnant at that time 
and worked late right up to her due date. She gave 
birth to a healthy “AEO” baby, just after we passed the 
certication. The AEO project brought out a strong 
sense of responsibility, collective pride and seless 
dedication as unsung heroes worked diligently 
towards a common goal. It showed us that we really 
push ourselves, we can achieve more than we could 
have imagined.
This September, TP-Link attended the Shenzhen 
Customs General Meeting as a delegate of the Top 
Ten Enterprises in the Shenzhen Customs Territory 
and the representative company of the Nanshan 
Government. At the meeting, the Vice Chief of 
Shenzhen Customs, Fang Tu, was quick to laud our 
achievements: “During the AEO certication process, 
TP-Link has been a fantastic example of a law-abiding, 
trade compliant, highly trusted and safely managed 
enterprise in the industry. It is a model enterprise 
when it comes to AEO Certication in the Shenzhen 
Customs Territory.”
Each and every colleague involved in getting the 
AEO certication should take a huge sense of 
achievement and satisfaction from their work, bred by 
pushing themselves to the limit to achieve something 
big. Although there are still many challenges ahead 
of us, our team will always take “value creation” as our 
core working principle, staying rock-solid at the back 
end of the company to boost business at the front! 

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Stand by Me — Together We Embrace 
a Limitless Future
Sonia Zhang, Smart Home BU, with translation revised by Ifti Anees
The TP-Link Smart Home Business Unit achieved outstanding results over the 31-hour Amazon Prime Day 
online shopping event. TP-Link Smart Plug sales gained the most momentum; sales of Smart Wi-Fi Plug HS100 
exceeded 50,000 on Amazon US, and they were also a favorite in the UK.
Looking back on the past year, the TP-Link Smart Home Business Unit has grown from a nobody into a 
somebody in this rapidly developing industry. Our achievements are the product of the hard work of everyone in 
the team. Together we will carve out a future without limits.
Strict Quality Control
By May 2016, our Kasa product line had gained brand 
acknowledgement from consumers, gaining popularity 
in part thanks to native support for Amazon Alexa. 
Promotions were ran too which reaped bountiful rewards. 
Sensing an opportunity to press home our advantage 
in terms of market position, we made a request for 
increased supply from the manufacturing side and 
readied ourselves for a close race with competitors. 
At the end of that month our QA factory inspector, Gong 
Xue, was performing her usual tasks, making the Final 
Quality Assurance (FQA) inspection on smart plugs. That 
day, her shift involved a check of the signal lights. Among 
the 200-odd machines tested, she noticed that the light 
on one HS100 repeatedly stopped blinking. Without 
hesitation, she agged up the issue with a high-level 
manager.
An immediate call-to-action followed from the Quality 
Assurance Department, Product Department, and 
Engineering Department at the factory and R&D 
engineers in the Smart Home Unit. Testing yielded 
a denitive conclusion, and it wasn’t good news: the 
capacitance of the DDR memory was insucient for it 
to function correctly, which would mean users couldn’t 
control the plug! If the inspector hadn’t spotted that one 
malfunctioning light among the sea of LEDs, hundreds 
of thousands of defective products would have shipped, 
resulting in countless customer complaints and lasting 
damage to our brand image. 
Fast-forward to today and that inspector has been 
promoted to leader of FQA in the Quality Assurance 
Department. Looking back on the day she examined the 
product casings, she had inspected them one by one, 
nding issues without a clue which technical component 
had gone wrong. She showed diligence, attention to 
detail and a determination to thoroughly check every 
single product assigned to her and report even the 
smallest abnormality.

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Cooling Down and Speeding Up!
At the start of 2017, TP-Link smart plugs held a 
dominating position in the US market. However, smart 
home products in Europe are not nearly as popular. We 
believe our success in the US market can be repeated 
in Europe. After all, it’s surely a matter of time until 
voice assistants (Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant) 
become popular there, and our integration with them will 
lead us to success.
Localization in Europe is not easy as there are 
multiple countries with dierent safety standards and 
certications. A domestic certication agency are 
responsible for checking our products meet these 
requirements. However, due to the agency’s lack of 
attention when performing thermal tests, our eorts to 
make progress with our smart plugs in Germany were 
hampered. With adjustments urgently needed, the 
R&D team wasted no time in discussing solutions in 
an attempt to get the project back on schedule. After 
multiple attempts, the thermal specications were good 
to go and we had that all important certication. 
Once bitten, twice shy. The R&D Hardware team worked 
closely with the certication agent. Engineers made 
a special trip to Guangzhou to supervise the thermal 
test process and eliminate any possible source of error. 
With attention early on, our smart plugs now go through 
certication for the German market without issue. R&D 
Hardware team subsequently changed their approach to 
regulation testing too. German safety testing is very strict, 
with engineers now checking both Chinese and German 
texts to make sure not a single word is overlooked. 
To further expand their eorts, a regular meeting every 
other week was scheduled. The idea is to keep up to 
date with local information. All materials that may impact 
the certication process are reviewed from back to 
front. That includes the packaging, user guide and 
installation guide on top of our original responsibility of 
laser carving information on products. The problem-
solving process was optimized as well. The old linear 
workow of “R&D-Testing-Factory” has been rethought 
with the cooperation encouraged between any two of 
these three parts. Samples for testing were increased in 
number. They expect to lower the future defect rate and 
even contribute to the company’s product development 
processes.
The R&D team are like a family. The smart plug squad 
has grown from a trio into a dozen. When a new issue is 
found at the end of the shift, the team are happy to start 
over again without a single complaint. A new dad in the 
team who needed to rush home and take care of the 
baby was supported by other hardworking colleagues. 
Encouraging, considerate, supportive, diligent — that’s 
them. A pleasant work environment keeps the team 
motivated and productive.
Our products wouldn’t do even close to as well as they 
do without the R&D team’s endeavor. Better quality 
products ensure a tighter bond with our users and 
build up our reputation as a brand. Users may never 
know about the hours that go in backstage; one thing 
that’s for sure is that these unsung heroes always exert 
themselves to the fullest to make a dierence.
David Li, in charge of the TP-Link Smart Home Business 
Unit, made a special trip out to the factory and thanked 
Gong Xue in person. “What you did could be regarded 
as a life-saving rescue for our business unit. Thank you 
for such professional, rigorous quality control and your 
attention to minor details at the factory!”

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15
Supplying the World
Today, the demand for our smart home products 
has multiplied several times over compared to when 
we rst launched them. Keeping up with demand is 
a challenge in itself. Enter Lucy Yang, Verna Wang, 
and Echo Lin – the Product Management Engineers 
(PME). They coordinate overseas subsidiaries, the 
factory, R&D, purchasing, and suppliers. Their phones 
are ringing constantly, with no time to waste when it 
comes to dealing with requests.
Attention to detail, ecient coordination and accurate 
forecasting are a must in this team. They say the 
biggest challenge for now is to seek a balance 
between the supply and demand in peak and quiet 
seasons. Not much is available in the way of past data 
since the business unit is still a young one. Extreme 
caution is taken when it comes to gures. One more 
“0” in a column results in mountains of dead stock 
while one less causes shortages everywhere, both 
very damaging. Furthermore, if a defect is discovered 
after shipment the details must be passed to R&D and 
the factory immediately to rework a solution. From 
there it’s a race against time to avoid a gap in supply.
From last summer, smart bulbs were outsourced 
for production. Finished products were sent back 
to our own factory’s Quality Assurance Department 
for QC check. The back and forth frequently cost 
time and eort, impacting on eciency. Facing an 
incoming shipping request, Lucy and Verna decided 
to shake things up and change the status quo for the 
better. They urged their QA colleagues to move their 
oces to the location of the bulb supplier. The switch 
immediately made a dierence, guaranteeing higher 
product quality borne out of more rigorous inspection. 
From March this year, to better match shipment 
volume with overseas sales volume, they started 
to keep an eye on the quantity sold and customer 

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16
The Cloud Is Here with Us!
We successfully concluded the Amazon Alexa Q4 
bid with a quantity of 11 million units, and concluded 
the agreement with Best Buy in store. It’s an exciting 
season for us and hopefully is a sign of things to 
come in the next year. 
Rapid development inevitably brings pressure. With 
improved brand recognition and an increasing range 
of devices, the challenges grow larger. In the aptly-
named “Fully Best” building in Shenzhen, the Cloud 
and Smart Home departments are close neighbors. 
Necessarily so, since the cloud platform provides 
reliable connections for all our smart home products 
and supports the IoT cloud in the US.
Smart home products rely heavily on user experience. 
reviews on Amazon. Excessive stock was diminished, 
and the stock balance has been improved ever 
since. In July, smart bulbs began selling on Amazon. 
Designated contact persons were identied at each 
stage of the production cycle in order to delegate 
responsibility and ensure orders were fullled on time.
A sense of responsibility and common goals are 
what motivates these ladies. Recently, we reached 
an agreement with BestBuy. The Smart Home 
Department is very excited about it; it’s the rst time 
TP-Link products will be sold through BestBuy, so it’s 
a big breakthrough. The PMEs are about to get even 
busier.
For this reason the Cloud Department customize 
their services to match the specic needs of the 
Smart Home Unit. They have even set up an LED 
screen in a corner of the oce to supervise the 
cloud server 24/7. It displays one of three characters 
who act as watchmen, reporting the status of the 
cloud. Doraemon the cat, Pac-Man and a Minion from 
“Despicable Me” have become key personnel. They 
take it in turns to report “I’m okay” and will promptly 
trigger an alarm whenever an error crops up. The 
Cloud Department’s availability is another reection of 
their commitment. Even at midnight, cloud colleagues 
are only a WeChat message or email away. For last 
year’s “Black Friday” in the US, the shopping rush 
came at nighttime in China. The cloud team dealt with 
it that time by doing an overnight shift in the oce. 
If any abnormality was found, they would be woken 
up by one of their digital watchmen and be able to 
resolve the situation on the spot.
March 2nd: Smart home devices began disconnecting 
from the server one after another. It was the most 
complicated and serious situation the cloud team 
have run into. With overwhelming reconnection 
requests, the cloud server crashed. The team seized 
every second to restore the server. They rst allowed 
all users to reconnect at the front-end and then got 
them back on the server. Dealing with the fall out 
afterwards, the Smart Home Unit proactively replied 
to bad reviews. We also sent PR emails to our list of 
US Kasa users, provided by the cloud team. Overall we 
made a pretty good job of minimizing the grumbling. 
The cloud service architecture was upgraded within 
a month to avoid a similar situation in future. We in 
Smart Home are incredibly grateful for the tireless 
work our friends in the Cloud Department put in to 
ensure our products can work as they should. 
From yesterday’s zero to today’s hero, our feats could 
not be achieved without the support and hard work 

Highlight
17
of every colleague. Not everyone in our department 
is a genius, but this group diligently stick to their work 
by constantly seeking improvements and maintaining 
unwavering focus. 
To g e t h e r   w e   b r i n g   d i e re n t   i d e a s   a n d   i m p l e m e n t  
change. Faced with intense competition in the smart 
home eld, we sail a steady course. The eld is vast 
with many future discoveries awaiting us. We want to 
push onwards and ensure TP-Link Smart Home can 
make a lasting impression on consumers.
Gratitude goes to colleagues interviewed: Gong Xue, 
Huang Weijie, Lao Changwei, Lucy Yang, Verna Wang, 
Lu Maoxiang, Wen Yong.

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18
Neos: Rebooting Our Smartphone 
Business 
Learn from the Past for a Brighter 
Future 
At the end of September 2017, the Smartphone Business Unit hosted a business training and sharing 
conference. Our smartphone sales executives, country managers and regional directors convened at 
TP-Link’s headquarters in Shenzhen to discuss the latest developments in the Neos journey. 
For the past two years, TP-Link has been exploring 
various development models for a successful 
smartphone business. We’ve made some steps 
forward, although admittedly not as many as we’d 
like, and we still have a long road ahead of us. The 
conference provided an opportunity to reect. 
We discussed policies, shared the lessons of our 
experiences and dened an overall strategy for 
the smartphone business area — no small task by 
anyone’s standards.
Back when Neos was still in its infancy, the idea 
was to target the middle and high-end of the market. 
Our brand promotion, channel expansions and retail 
materials were all tailored to give the impression of 
an upmarket product. Growth stalled though due to 
limited product range and poor execution when it came 
to market positioning among other factors. Salesmen 
were nding it tough. 
Part of the problem was that smartphone business 
executives have had the misconception that as a new 
brand, Neos must suer from poor brand recognition. 
Therefore, promotions were run in which prices were 
dropped to attract attention. This was far from ideal, 
and came with its own set of consequences; Neos 
was dragged into a perpetual price war with low-
budget rivals, which moved it away from our original 
Yuki Li, with translation by Joicy Huang and Michonne Wang, Smartphone BU

Highlight
19
Keep Calm and Implement 
Strategy
Attendees discussed several topics, including the 
essence of business, classication of consumers and 
basic business tactics. Thus, a simple but eective 
strategy was formulated.
Unity is key — four unities to be precise: a unied 
working language, unied industry understanding, 
unied team culture and unied competitive strategy. 
To succeed in this business, cooperation is needed 
from top to bottom, from headquarters to subsidiaries. 
We have to nd the optimum position in the market 
and set benchmarks. This business is huge. Only by 
focusing on a specic part can we carve out our own 
space for the brand. In the past, our business has 
been scattered. With more focus, we can control our 
business better. 
Last but not least, a simple but eective combination 
of tactics are needed for business. Subsidiaries 
should adapt their tactics according to local 
conditions, focusing on one channel, one client and 
one product. Breakthrough with channels supported 
by retail, and increase awareness by marketing. We 
can build up the reputation of Neos as a brand and 
increase sale volumes using simple but eective 
methods.
vision for the brand and stied our development. To 
regain the initiative, the Smartphone BU adjusted the 
overall operation strategy, going into "cost-eective" 
mode. 
The head of Smartphone BU, Jason Xu, kicked o the 
meeting by looking back at the reasons why TP-Link 
entered the smartphone business in the rst place. He 
explained how smartphones have entered an era of 
extreme homogenization. An excellent manufacturer 
not only must achieve the ultimate quality, but also 
needs to have excellent ability in cost control and 
operational management. These three aspects give a 
smartphone company the tools to survive and thrive 
in any era, which is exactly why the Neos brand will 
prove successful. With a culture of exceptional quality, 
cost control and operational management inherited 
from TP-Link, Neos’ steadfast management and quick 
response to the market will see it climb to the top of 
this emerging market with the perfect combination of 
high-performance products at aordable prices.
A strong company culture is needed to create the 
conditions in which a brand can thrive. Building a team 
that’s "active and positive, open and enterprising, 
practical and realistic and open to constructive 
criticism" is the aim. Reection is the most eective 
way to learn from experience. It requires sta to be 
down-to-earth, to review and introspect, to look for 
improvement, and nally to grow and progress.
By revisiting the lessons of the past at the meeting, 
the sales team gained a clearer understanding of the 
current situation. Three necessary evolutionary stages 
for the smartphone business emerged: "to survive, to 
stand rm and to ourish". 

Highlight
20
The Fruits of Practice, the 
Beginning of Success
Buoyed by the conference, subsidiaries set about 
putting the lessons and requirements into practice. 
Business began to thrive.
In Malaysia, we concentrated resources into the X1 
Lite. Products were distributed in batches to sales 
channels and we marketed more aggressively. We 
held a launch event to release the product and made 
full use of our famous brand ambassador to increase 
awareness. On the retail side, we redecorated our 
VIP stores, putting a spotlight on the X1 Lite. The 
hard work paid o. In October, the number of sales in 
Malaysia broke the 6000 barrier for the rst time.
Over the border in Singapore, we focused on our key 
channel – the high-street IT retailer Challenger. We 
targeted Xiaomi, attempting to outdo them product 
for product. Samsung was our inspiration for in-store 
marketing and materials. By October, we were in all 
Challenger stores. Increased sales gures provided 
the perfect endorsement for our newly devised 
strategy for Neos.
In Ukraine, MOYO electronics store was the target. 
By this stage, MOYO was about to remove Neos 
products because of their poor sales during the rst 
half of the year. We had to turn things around. First, we 
introduced fresh marketing materials into the stores 
to help consumers get a better understanding of what 
the Neos brand is all about, then went on to launch a 
promotion campaign to generate interest. Our sales in 
MOYO doubled from November to September before 
increasing by a further 43% in October.
The plan in Colombia was to cooperate with a 
distributor, who placed a welcome order of 1000 units 
in the end. When they ran into a problem with a self-
developed app, we worked tirelessly to get it xed 
and solved the issue within a week. The reliability, 
fast responses and excellent customer service 
are what impressed the distributer most about the 
Neos team, and they expressed a strong interest in 
continued cooperation.
The guiding principles that emerged from the 
Neos conference have helped us to rediscover the 
inspiration that gave birth to the brand in the rst 
place. Acting on these directives is already generating 
tangible results in our global oces, giving us the 
encouragement to look forward to a bright future with 
condence. 

Highlight
21
Heroes at the Front — 
The Neos Trade Marketing Team
Hope Chen & Gustavo Agudelo, TP-Link Colombia
Building Up the Forces
How do you go about assembling a brand new team, 
starting with only yourself? Since the beginning of 
2017, Juan Valendia, Neos Manager, has been 
working towards doing just that. After screening a 
pile of resumes and interviewing more than a dozen 
candidates, two outstanding individuals were selected 
to come aboard in February. They were to be the rst 
recruits for the innovative Trade Marketing team.
In March, we invited Gustavo Agudelo to join us 
as Supervisor and assist Juan with management. 
In addition, three more promoters were picked 
up. Our “1+5” (1 Supervisor + 5 Promoters) team 
supported the key POS (points of sale) provided by 
the Panamericana store. With strong promotions in 
March, we achieved record sales of 340 units, with 
promoters involved in 59% of these.
In April, we began business in Cencosud, forth largest 
listed retail company in Latin America, and recruited 
nine more promoters. Our team morphed into “1+14”. 
After some survival training in Panamericana, the new 
promoters entered Cencosud in May raring to go. We 
made sales of 766 units and promoters were even 
more instrumental this time, contributing to 71% of 
the sales.
The next step is to look towards generating more 
business in the northern cities. In August we hired 
a promoter in the Panamericana Cucuta store. The 
impact was immediate; sales jumped from 6 units per 
month to 27. The strategy has been so successful 
Focus on Details AND on 
Customers
In their daily work, promoters must have an eye for 
details. Every day they need to prepare their samples, 
give product demos, prepare the POP (point of 
purchase) materials and so on. These details matter 
since they will improve the image of our product and 
brand, while going a long way towards attracting 
consumers.
Of course, the main job is to engage with consumers 
actively and give sound advice on purchases 
according to consumers’ requirements. The key is to 
not bore the visitors with specications, but reveal the 
benets instead such as battery life, camera quality 
and merchandising gifts.
Promoter introducing Neos and clinching a deal
that in Q4 ve more promoters will join us for the 
season

Highlight
22
Never Stop Improving
Improvement is continual. We have our sales 
meetings on Wednesdays every fortnight. During 
these, we study the new models, learn the key selling 
points, check the sales gures, exchange sales 
experience and discuss our competitors. After work, if 
we come across anything interesting from our Neos 
Facebook page or any other way, we share it with the 
team at the next opportunity.
Everyone in our team has a shot at promotion. After 
Q2, we promoted three team members who worked 
well over Q1. They were assessed in the following 
aspects: examination, presentation and sales target 
completion. In their new roles as Specialist Promoters, 
they will take on additional responsibilities to help out 
our manager.
“Neos is challenging me every single day. I have  A Promoter Presentation
become more competitive, and faster at making 
decisions, with a good understanding of what needs 
to be done. It wasn’t easy at the beginning, but today 
people know the brand and we are no longer "one of 
the others" in the market. We are NEFFOS!”
— Ingrid Martinez, Specialist Promoter at Metro 
Soacha
“Being part of the Neos team improves my 
knowledge, stimulates personal growth and gives 
me opportunities to move into higher level positions. 
There’s no doubt in my mind that we are going to 
become one of the leading brands.”
— Andrés Sánchez, Specialist Promoter at Jumbo 
Hayuelos
“When I started with Neos eight months ago I didn’t 
know too much about the brand. Time has shown 
me that my choice was a good one. We have won a 
better market position in a short space of time, with 
Neos now recognized as a highly competitive brand. 
My ambition is to accompany Neos on its journey 
to stardom, doing everything I can to help the brand 
reach its potential.”
— Juan Moreno, Specialist Promoter at Jumbo Suba

Highlight
23
Gustavo preparing the POP materials and training an external promoter
“A Professional Team”
“When Juan Velandia invited me to join his Neos 
team, it was a proposal that I was delighted to accept 
since I foresaw an exciting professional challenge 
ahead”, says Gustavo Agudelo, our Supervisor. “We 
started to build a promoter team, selecting personnel 
based on experience and sales attitude (key for this 
position). The point of sales team we assembled was 
born to shift stock. We’ve built strong relationships 
with store personnel too, ensuring we get allocated 
prime store positions and a good amount of space to 
maximize our impact. 
My daily work is centered around promoter 
management: 
- Training internal and external promoters.
- Supporting their activities such as promotion 
implementation and merchandise distribution. 
- Tracking sales and pushing sellouts.
- Gathering the price map and sales reports, 
giving feedback about the market and promoters’ 
performance.
At the beginning, we were a fresh team and problems 
such as low sellout rates, lack of inventory, bad 
promoter performance and lack of training hindered 
our progress. We needed to react, to work harder 
than other teams and make up the dierence. Our 
eort was reected in the results. Nowadays, Neos 
products occupy the rst and second positions 
in terms of units sold in the top stores covered by 
promoters. This can be put down to how closely 
our team are working together and helping one 
another. Also, we are working from a strong strategic 
plan devised by the Neos Manager, who is always 
alert and ready to switch things up in response to a 
dynamic market. 
I believe the key to leading the promoter team is 
to consider the promoters’ opinions. This means 
maintaining strong lines of communication and 
taking their feedback on board. After all, these are 
the guys on the frontline of the market every day 
and understand it well so their feedback can oer 
valuable insights. It’s also important to make them feel 
condent and committed to the brand. 
I’m proud to be involved with Neos and results are 
looking good from my side. Big opportunities await 

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24
The Best Month is Next month
Tr a d e   M a r k e t i n g   Te a m   i n   N o v e m b e r
Here in the Colombia Trade Marketing Team, we never 
rest on our laurels. At the end-of-month summaries, 
we stand by a favorite saying from Christian An, the 
Manager of TP-link Colombia:
“Which month is our best month? Next month!”
If this month we’ve smashed the sales record? It’s 
worth celebrating, but we know it’s just the beginning 
for us. We need to be ready to go again next month 
and never get complacent. 
Here, I would like to express my gratitude to all the 
members of the Trade Marketing Team whose hard 
work has contributed to TP-Link Colombia's every 
success:
VIVIANA VARGAS, WENDY GOMEZ, IOAM SANCHEZ, JUAN 
MORENO,INGRID MARTINEZ, JUAN ARBOLEDA, ANA VERGARA, 
FELIX OSPINO,DIEGO JIMENEZ, DEISSY ACOSTA, DARWIN 
ALDANA, JUAN CORREA, OSCAR PARRA, YORLENI BARRERO, 
MARIBEL JARAMILLO, YENIFER APONTE, PATRICIA PUELLO, 
JULIE ROJAS, YENIS DUARTE, PAOLA GOMEZ, CARLOS JIMENEZ, 
CRISTHIAN CARVAJAL, RONALD BERNAL, NEDITH ZABALA, 
FREDY CADAVID, JESICA  HOYOS
with the chance to branch out to an ever greater 
number of retailers. I will do my best to keep up the 
sales gures and guide this dynamic and diligent team 
to the best of my ability.”

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25
How to Choose an Ideal Router — 
A Microsite for End Users
Tereza Houdková, TP-Link Czech Republic
With an incredibly diverse range of router products on oer here at TP-Link, customers can have a tough time 
deciding which is the right one for the job. We organized a brainstorming session with our top partner, e-shop Alza.
cz, to think about how to create a useful tool to give customers a helping hand. The aim was to make it easy for 
customers to choose a new home router based on their needs, and at the same time to educate them about the 
benets of our products and show them that the cheapest option is not always the best. 
We imagined a simple microsite where, after the customer answers several easy questions, an ideal router for their 
home is displayed. Our partner Alza.cz expressed enthusiasm, but then hit us with the bad news; since their coders 
were already fully deployed on other projects, it would take over a year for them to develop such a tool.
Undeterred, we approached the agency that manages our partner portal to see whether they would be able to do 
something. We were in luck.
1. What type of connection does your internet 
provider oer?
a. Fixed connection by telephone line (ADSL/VDSL)
b. Fixed connection from local internet provider
c. Mobile connection using the LTE SIM card
2. How many devices will be connected to the 
wireless network?
a. 0-8 devices  b. 9-15 devices  c. 16 or more
3. Do you use a fast connection (1 Gbit/s), by LAN 
cable for instance, to connect to network data 
storage?
a. Yes  b. No
4. Do you want an option to set up a separate network 
for guests and control access for children?
a. Yes  b. No
5. Do you play online games and watch HD videos 
over the internet?
a. Yes  b. No
6. Are you going to use the router in a densely 
populated area with a high concentration of wireless 
networks ?
a. Yes  b. No
Questions were designed to identify the network environment of the end user and assess the performance 
and features needed to support their online activities:

Highlight
26
After the rst draft, we knew we wanted to roll out this tool to other partners as well, so we designed it 
accordingly. The customer is redirected from our partner’s website to the microsite. After he/she answers the six 
questions, an ideal router for them will be displayed. A “Buy” button is displayed below the recommended router, 
which then takes the customer back to the partner’s website and, more specically, to the product page of their 
dream router so they can make the purchase.
Currently, we implement the microsite on the websites of all our partner retailers. We have a special microsite 
for each of them with links to and from their websites, while the product list remains identical. Most trac to the 
microsites originate from banners on homepages and also from individual routers' banners on the sites. The fact 
that the microsites run on our domain allows us to keep a close eye on them. Since the launch in August, we’ve 
already had hundreds of visitors keen to discover their ideal networking match.
In the next few months we will aim to ne-tune  the tool to the specic needs  of our partners. That way, we will 
be able to oer our customers even better pre-sales support, which is one of our main objectives. 
1. ADSL/VDSL routers
a. TD-W9970B
b. Archer VR400
We created a list of routers that included bestsellers from each category and ensured there was a suitable 
model for every possible user scenario. For our microsite the list includes the following models:
2. LTE routers
a. TL-MR6400
b. Archer MR200
3. Wi-Fi routers
a. Archer C20  b. TL-WR940N  c. TL-WR1043ND
d. Archer C1200  e. Archer C7

Highlight
27
Marketing with Emotion — 
Bidding Farewell to a Wi-Fi Legend
Ana Carolina Zugaib, Ana Laura Vassoler and Julia Barros, TP-Link Brazil
The demand for high-performance routers has been 
growing at a healthy rate over the last two years 
in Brazil. In November 2016, sales of these next 
generation products overtook the gures for the older 
150Mbps routers.
With a large population and the increasingly 
widespread availability of the internet, the Brazilian 
market holds great potential for broadband expansion. 
At TP-Link, we’re betting on more ecient products, 
such as 300Mbps and AC routers, to win over 
customers with the superior Wi-Fi experience they 
provide.
Video and music streaming, online gaming and 4K 
movies already feature in the daily lives of some 
Brazilians. However, a smart TV isn’t so smart when 
you need to wait around for it to load up the content. 
Similarly, your favorite online games just aren’t as fun 
when you lose your connection and the match.
To get the best performance from devices, the user 
needs solid network infrastructure. That's why the 
new 802.11ac technology, with the promise of ultra-
fast Wi-Fi and minimized interference, has gained 
such high levels of popularity in a short space of time.
Last year, TP-Link Brazil received a call from the 
commercial team informing us that we would stop 
retailing our range of 150Mbps routers in Brazil. The 
process of withdrawing them from the national market 
has been happening since the beginning of the year. 
The plan is to have no TP-Link 150Mbps routers 
available for purchase by the end of 2017.
“My dear 150Mbps router,
All those years we spent together were incredible. 
We have so many good memories: the day we met 
for the rst time, and you connected me to the world; 
the information I accessed through you to learn new 
things; easily connecting with my friends; the online 
chat nights... good times! But today I see how much 
the world has changed and how you struggle to be a 
part of it.
I’ve become so much more connected. Today I 
have a smartphone, a tablet, two smart TVs and two 
computers. That’s not to mention when all my friends 
come home! It's a party of electronic gadgets. The 
power of the internet is growing and it’s sending you 
more data than you can handle.
In order for users to understand the message and be 
receptive to the arrival of more advanced devices in 
the market, TP-Link Brazil's marketing department 
created an emotional movie to appeal to Brazilian 
families. 150Mbps routers have served families well 
over the years, and like every good professional, 
there comes a time when it's right to retire and let the 
younger generation take over. But not to worry — we’ll 
always remember the good old years when 150Mbps 
routers connected thousands of homes. Now that the 
TP-Link AC router has arrived on the scene to help 
with the task of getting families online, the 150Mbps 
router can nally enjoy a well-earned beach vacation 
(or perhaps a skiing holiday, if that’s his thing).

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28
Today I met the new TP-Link AC router, which is 
prepared for everything the latest technology has in 
store for us. Thank you for the incredible work you've 
done, my friend. I will always remember you!
Kisses of your eternal #TPLover”
The script was written and then combined with a 
video featuring simple hand-drawn pictures. The 
video was then posted to our social media accounts. 
With pride and just a hint of sadness, we realized our 
goal had been achieved; we had created an emotive 
tribute to our great companion of many years.
The next step for our marketing department is to 
reinforce the features and benets of AC technology 
in the minds of potential customers. By engaging 
with people across all forms of media, we hope to 
educate customers about their data usage and 
network requirements. We believe that by providing 
knowledge, the consumer will feel more condent 
in buying a device that matches their online needs. 
Customers will then make TP-Link their point of 
reference, adding to the perception that we are a truly 
reliable choice.
Some fan comments:
"I can’t believe I cried for this router"
"I cried! What an exciting story!"
"A digital tear-jerker"
Script and text: Ana Laura Vassoler (Marketing Executive)
Voice: Lucas Ishii (Training Analyst)
Illustrations and video editing: Ana Carolina Zugaib (Graphic 
Designer)
Direction: Julia Barros (Marketing Manager)
Total reach: 241 738
Likes: 970
Shares: 231
Comments: 99
YouTube link: http://bit.ly/2kXLBYT

Highlight
29
Looking back at where we were 10 months ago, it’s 
fair to say that we essentially started from scratch 
when it comes to NBN. Here are just some of the 
issues we faced:
-Customers: We lost our contract with our largest ISP 
partner which became defunct in August 2016. We 
had supplied ADSL products to the company for over 
three years, and this now caused an annual revenue 
shortfall of one billion dollars.
-Quality: Due to quality problems concerning software 
versions failing to pass ISP tests, we were facing 
customer complaints, thousands of refund requests 
and a mountain of work to do to patch up the issues.
-Products: We had a lack of products that met 
the NBN specications, causing us to lag behind 
the major competitor for more than 18 months. 
Discussions relating to additional demand weren’t 
concluded for nearly half a year.
Diligence Redeems Ignorance — 
Eorts Do Pay O
Teddy Wu, TP-Link Australia 
I joined the Australian subsidiary at the end of last 
year. Frankly speaking, we didn’t have much inuence 
on mainstream ISPs in Australia at that time. Our 
relationships with customers were becoming more 
and more distant because of various problems. It was 
no longer the era of "selling the comb to the monk". 
Were we going to stand by and just let our customers 
walk away?
Changes had to be made! A sentence I had seen ten 
years ago in front of the entrance to a company came 
back to me now: “There never exists an immortal 
emperor – everything depends on ourselves.”
First of all, let’s get down to the essence of our 
business. The ISPs can provide reliable and stable 
network service while we can provide reliable and 
stable network terminals. We’ve delved deep in this 
market and done our best to solve our customers’ 
problems. We’ve also realized that NBN deployment 
is the new trend, and updating our terminal products 
is our biggest opportunity for expansion. But what 
The game is changing here in Australia. A nationwide infrastructure project is under way with NBN (National 
Broadband Network), a government-owned corporation, tasked with expanding and speeding up Australia’s 
connections. NBN is a monopoly wholesale provider of broadband access. This means ISPs have to make 
contracts with NBN to access the network and provide internet service to end users. For TP-Link, this boils down 
to our products having to comply with a very specic set of standards. 
We began to sell NBN-compatible products to ISPs in November 2016. We’ve now put pen to paper on deals 
lasting the next two to three years, valued at millions of dollars. This represents the rst time our high-class 
VDSL products have made a breakthrough in Australia and, more signicantly, the rst time in the global ISP 
market too.

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30
management in order to reduce the development 
delays and the complaint frequency, which were 
usually caused by over-ambitious promises to the 
customers. Outside the oce, we normalized our 
commitments to customers and put stricter controls 
on releasing new products and new versions, so 
that we can guarantee the product quality meets our 
standards.
As for business development, it’s about matching 
the magic combination of good products and brand 
image. We improved products for T3 customers, 
established the brand for T2 and became a trendsetter 
for T1. To work with a T1 ISP, it usually takes two to 
three years of product development and bidding. We 
didn’t concentrate too much on speed; instead, we 
made a long-term development plan for three years 
from the outset. As the local team here has a long, 
established relationship with TPG, a leading ISP, we 
had an opportunity to open the door to customers on 
our new NBN products after a short space of time.
should we do if we don’t have any experience and 
brand presence in the NBN market?
Keep cool and advance step by step. Having fallen 
behind with our product line, we didn’t waste a second 
in researching customers and opponents. Within 
a month, we analyzed nearly all the products from 
the major competitors. What’s more, with the NBN 
development plan, we devised a product strategy 
that plays to our strengths and can satisfy market 
demand. The joint advantages of performance and 
cost-eectiveness provided by Broadcom and MTK 
chip manufacturers respectively met requirements 
for T1, T2 and T3 customers (referring to large-scale, 
medium and small network operators respectively).
When it comes to improving the quality of our 
products and building our ISP brand, identifying the 
issues and coming up with solutions is the only way 
forward. For instance, regarding the release of ISP 
software, we devoted ourselves to rening our project 

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The market strategy from the frontline has been 
supported by technical know-how from headquarters 
all the way. Various problems relating to the TR069 
technical specications and Wi-Fi performance were 
solved in the blink of an eye. 
• In January 2017, Archer VR1600v was developed, 
adhering to NBN specications.
• In February 2017, TPG received our bid involving 
Archer C1200.
• In April 2017, after three months of access tests, 
Archer C1200 obtained TPG's rst PO, marking a 
breakthrough in NBN Green Field.
• In July 2017, after six months of development and 
access tests, Archer VR1600v got the rst PO of 
TPG while the product hardware and software were 
not yet mature, regarded as a breakthrough for our 
company’s NBN products.
There have been twists and turns along the way. 
After the rst deals, we came across problems like 
changing MAC labels and dealing with software 
bugs. For the MAC labels, the ISP team changed 
the MAC labels of some 5500 machines in the 
customer warehouse within two days. To enhance 
Wi-Fi performance and debug the current network 
problems, the technical sta debugged day and night 
for several weeks in the client room. By constantly 
learning lessons, we are advancing step by step.  
There is no success story for us to copy in the ISP 
market. Only by making achievements, building a 
reputation and setting benchmarks can we promote 
our products and stories to a larger market, and even 
the world.
There’s no need to fear a late beginning because, in 
the end, hard work most denitely pays o.  

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Improving our brand awareness has been a key 
objective at TP-Link in recent times, with our 
marketing departments under pressure to reach out 
to ever greater numbers of potential customers. We 
know we have a limited budget to work with, but with 
a little creativity, a small investment can make a big 
splash.
Here in Germany, Felicitas Binder, our Head of Online 
and Social Media Marketing, formulated a cunning 
plan to shine the spotlight on our Neos smartphone 
range while spending only a tiny fraction of her 
budget.
Buying up advertising space on social media is easy, 
but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best option. 
Your message is simply delivered to a certain number 
of people from a particular demographic. The higher 
your budget, the more people the message can be 
sent to. The trouble with this is that many individuals 
won’t take interest in the content, and therefore won’t 
interact with it. A better way is to send out content 
that spreads organically, driven by interest. People 
should like the content they see and share it with their 
friends. The best thing about this is, of course, that it 
costs absolutely nothing.
OK, so nothing is totally free – Felicitas spent a small 
amount on an agency, who searched for the hottest 
words and topics trending on Facebook. The result, 
intriguingly, came back as “Holiday”.
So how to tie together a holiday theme with our TP-
Facebook Marketing on a Shoestring 
Budget
Florian Sohn, TP-Link Germany

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Link Neos smartphones to create an eye-catching 
ad? Felicitas had the answer: great holiday snaps with 
Neos’ camera of course! 
An amusing video featuring Neos phones quickly 
took shape and was shared with the Facebook 
community on August 8th. Without paying anything 
to push the content, our video began to trend, getting 
shared between groups of friends and families. Users 
were soon tagging each other in the comments 
sections of the dierent clips.
The video was viewed over a million times within 
the rst week and the response from the public was 
beyond even our wildest expectations. By the time the 
campaign had ended, a staggering one out of every 
ve German Facebook users had been reached; that’s 
5.7 million people without the use of any paid media! 
In terms of value for budget, our initial target was a 
solid cost-per-view of 0.015 Euros. The campaign 
beat that target by 202%, coming in at a thrifty 0.007 
Euros per view.
TP-Link Marketing Germany thanks Felicitas for her 
creative idea. 
The result can be seen here:
More key stats from the campaign:
Views: 2 Million
Reach: 5.7 Million
Total Time Watched: 14001 Hours
Likes: 14978
Comments: 17705
Shares: 3081
Engagement Rate: 1.77%
Reaction: 88% Positive Comments
https://business.facebook.com/pg/neffosde/
videos/?ref=page_internal

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34
Marketing Materials — 
The Unsung Hero
Networking BU Marketing Department
Capturing the Imagination of 
Customers
Marketing materials perennially play the role of the 
unsung hero. With the product itself grabbing the 
limelight and making headlines, they hang out behind 
the scenes instead, rarely discussed despite their 
importance in driving sales.
In recent years, consumers have increasingly been 
making impulse purchases, reected in the increase in 
the proportion of buys that are unplanned. The upshot 
of this is that marketing materials, which provide 
greater possibilities to stimulate sales, become much 
more signicant. 
Suppose you are going to buy a new router. Perhaps 
you would access the website of a retailer rst to 
compare appearance, price and performance. You 
may also try to read some articles and magazines 
about electronics to get reliable reviews of the hottest 
products. But after all these steps, there still may not 
be a clear target product in your mind, perhaps just 
few brand names or several models that impressed 
you in some way. Thus, you decide to head out to the 
shops to take a look for yourself.
On the bus, you spy some billboards along the 
street. Perhaps one of the brands' ambassadors is 
your favorite lm star, and you immediately feel a 
connection.
As you walk onto the shop oor you notice all kinds 
of ags hanging from the ceiling, colorful display 
cases and a myriad of boxes shining on the shelves. 
You begin to hesitate, overwhelmed, with dozens of 
products to choose between.
“Hi there. Are you looking to buy a router?” A friendly 
promoter approaches you, introducing the pros and 
cons of the various products, making use of a variety 
of promotional materials such as guides, posters, 
video demos and prototypes.
All of these guides, posters, containers and exhibitions 
belong to the wonderful realm of marketing materials. 
Their job is to catch the consumer's eye and convey 
useful information that aids the decision making 
process.
Back in the day, businesses simply placed boxes, 
man-made licensing, print outs with the brand logo, 
balloons and other decorations in front of their 
shelves. It’s fair to say things have moved on a little 
since then. Each brand now provides a lot more 
information, and competition for the consumer’s 
attention is erce. But with so much content 
screaming to be looked at, it’s easy for key messages 
to become mixed up and diluted, making it tricky for 
customers to make a nal choice.
There was a time when brands began to rapidly 
Improving Marketing Eciency 
Within the Five Meter Range 

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35

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36
expand the amount of information they provide to 
such an extent that it became detrimental to business. 
Attempting to bombard customers with slogans and 
stats not only brought more trouble to them, but also 
contributed to increased advertising costs.
So striking a balance is important. We should extract 
value from our existing resources eectively. During 
2017 our team undertook an in-depth analysis of the 
motivation for purchases in the Malaysian and Thai 
markets. The research proved that many customers 
know little about networking products before they 
buy, and so make their decision while browsing the 
shelves to a large extent.
A survey revealed that streamlining the materials 
and focusing on those that can attract customers 
from within a ve meter radius is more eective than 
putting high costs into advertising and gifts.
Before Deco was released, we produced several Deco 
desktop shelves (PDQ) and freestanding shelves. 
These conveyed the key selling points, product 
images and other essential information directly to the 
consumer. They were placed next to the cashier so 
all customers making a purchase would notice them 
and could be drawn in, maximizing the opportunity 
to clinch a deal. Shelves have also been adapted 
to meet the needs of dierent regions; for minority 
language countries we translate the copywriting, while 
for countries with special size requirements, we make 
sure those are also met.
The choice of supplier was carefully considered 
since we wanted to create the best possible visual 
eect and make the biggest impact on shoppers. We 
carried out rigorous testing of samples from dierent 
suppliers. Taking shelves as an example, we asked our 
colleagues to sit on the shelves to test their durability 
and load-bearing capabilities. No detail escaped our 
attention, from the particular shade of color used to 
the texture of the surfaces.
Focusing on the materials within ve meters of the 
product not only streamlined our eorts but also 
ensured the maximum benet for the smallest outlay.
PDQ for Deco
Localize to Popularize 
Our markets are spread far and wide. Since dierent 
markets and channels have dierent characteristics, 
that means we have to spend more time and eort 
adapting our persuasion methods for consumers on 
the last mile of their purchasing journey.
The WALN standard known as 802.11ac has been 
around for several years now. Although 802.11ac 
inherits all the features of 802.11n standard, it's the 
introduction of the 5G band that really makes it such 
a great leap forwards. One problem we’ve had is that 
not as many people are taking up 11ac products 
as we had hoped. The old generation of network 
products, such as TL-WR841N, only support 802.11n 
but still hog quite a hefty market share.
To do something about this, we recently launched 
the "Feel the Speed" project to proactively promote 
802.11ac standard products. We wanted to enhance 
consumers' awareness of the benets of 11ac 
over 11n products, persuading them that it’s worth 
spending some cash to make the upgrade.

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37
Bangkok, Thailand was chosen as our debut city. 
We decked out the agship store with a range of 
ve-meter promotional materials such as shelves 
and selling point stickers, ensuring shoppers in 
every corner of the shop would “Feel the Speed".
In terms of design, the HQ and the local marketing 
teams worked together closely. Our team in 
HQ provided the vision and basic design while 
subsidiaries modied their designs based on the 
local situation.
Our design centers around explosions of color 
to highlight the characteristics of the improved 
speeds 11ac can provide. The local team added 
further information, photos of the hottest products 
and a sales volume gure to make them more eye-
catching.
The Thailand team also worked on local promotional 
content focusing on the selling point that "your 
phone supports 11ac, so should your router". 
Besides that, they formed a list of mobile phone 
models and their supported network frequency 
bands then posted it on Facebook, which showed 
customers that to make the most of their phone’s 
Wi-Fi capabilities they would need to step up to 
11ac.
Of course, promotion doesn’t magically happen 
overnight. This was our rst attempt at it since our 
research eld trip. We will explore more options in 
the future and continue to think of new ways to glue 
more eyes to TP-Link boxes.
Thank you to all our colleagues at TP-Link Thailand 
for supporting the "Feel the Speed" Campaign. We 
welcome collaborations on this and future projects.
Come and feel the speed with the HQ Marketing 
team!

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38
A Baptism of Fire — 
Training the Class of 2017
 Networking BU & Smart Phone BU
July 10th, 2017: thirty-one new sales recruits enter the oce mere mortals; by the time they leave at the end of 
the day, work cards are hanging proudly from their necks — they’re TP-Linkers. 20 days of training follow in which 
they soak up invaluable knowledge — product specics, business etiquette and manufacturing. On August 4th, 
they board a plane to Malaysia, ready for the next stage.
Awaiting them on the other side is what’s become known as the "devil's training" — nearly three months of 
it. Throughout August they remain in Malaysia, accumulating valuable sales experience with mobile phone 
products. When they reach the mid-way point of their three-month stint — September — they pop over to 
Singapore and switch their focus to networking products, before heading back to Malaysia and the mobile phone 
business for the remainder of their education. 
Due to delays, we arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport at 
midnight, just as the clock ticked over to August 5th. 
Our plans wouldn’t be altered through, even though 
it was almost 3 a.m. When we gratefully caught sight 
of our beds, we knew we still had to be up at the 
crack of dawn to begin work in our new destination. In 
Malaysia, the rhythm of our lives sped up to a whole 
new tempo. 
We began work at 8:30 each morning, starting with 
a meeting in which we discussed sales results, case 
studies, our experiences and the problems we had 
found the previous day. These meetings were useful 
since we could learn from one another’s experiences 
and gain a better understanding of how to deal with 
dierent types of customer. All in all, they got us up to 
speed with the market and made us more seasoned 
The Routine of a Salesman 
— Mars Chen 

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39
Maybe it’s because summer is the only season in 
Malaysia that the people, just like the weather, are warm 
in all situations.
Bustling crowds greeted me upon my entrance to 
Lowyat plaza, accompanied with incessant shouts in my 
direction of "hello boss". It gave me a sense of déjà vu, 
such was the similarity with the Huaqiang electronics 
markets of Shenzhen. Lowyat UG is an arena containing 
the agship stores of all the famous mobile phone 
brands that operate in Malaysia. Beneath the surface, a 
close competition was being fought, with every brand 
ghting to stand out. Among the retailers is a small stall, 
GK003, sitting quietly to one side of the arena. This is 
See the Beauty of the World — Allen Zhu 
and skillful. 
After the meeting, each group would make breakfast. 
Those days spent living together in a big house 
reminded us of college life. It also made us, 31 
channel salesmen, become lifetime brothers!
After breakfast, we made our way to our respective 
stores separately and started our daily sales work. 
From 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. we were fully immersed 
in the business world. When the selling was over, we 
had to make a summary of the whole day, including 
a case analysis, consumer sample collection, sales 
condition summary and a daily summary. Never put 
o what should be done today till tomorrow! Besides 
the work, we also took time to exercise in our free 
time. The accommodation facilities in Kuala Lumpur 
are excellent and more than met our needs.
Although life in Kuala Lumpar was busy, it was also 
rewarding, giving us the opportunity to develop 
ourselves and contribute directly to the company’s 
success. 
Jago’s territory.
Jago rarely talked. Even when promoting, he was 
concise and clear, and never wasted a word. He stabbed 
at the keys of his calculator like it had oended him, 
causing it to rattle loudly with each digit he entered. 
Every time a customer came to the store, he’d whip out 
that calculator, and I’d hear that familiar rattling sound 
again.
From my observations, Jago was a person almost 
without emotion. When a deal was clinched, Jago shook 
hands with the customer. On the other hand, when a 
deal fell through, he just gave the customer a sad smile 
and said goodbye impassively. 
I remember the rst time we met, I said to him, "Hi, 
Jago! I’m new here. Could you please teach me how to 
promote?"
"There are no skills. Just let it go.", came the reply from a 
head that hadn’t even been lifted.
As I watched Jago strike a deal in his own way, I repeated 
his words in my head — let it go? I thought this whole 
selling business was simpler than I’d built it up to be...
I couldn’t have been more wrong. It turned out that this 
method did not work for me. I sat myself behind the 
showcase and waited for the customers to ock to me. 
An hour later, a single customer had asked me where 
the toilet was.
I thought that maybe I should change my strategy. I 
started to keep myself busy by intercepting customers, 
striving to actively promote our products. Although this 
busyness gave me comfort psychologically, it had no 
practical eect, as I still failed to make any sales in those 
early days.
My last day at the store arrived, and I told Jago I’d be 

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40
leaving him soon. I already had the unenviable honor 
of a record-breaking zero deals in ve days. On that 
day though, I noticed a change in Jago. When I tried to 
promote, he came to help me introduce our products. 
And when customers were indecisive, he gave them 
every selling point to nudge them towards a purchase.
Unfortunately, Jago's newfound helpfulness still didn’t 
break my selling duck. Nonetheless, before I left, he 
gave me some words of encouragement — “You’ll make 
a breakthrough sooner or later." Coming from him, it 
meant a lot.
When I hopped out my Uber cab, the bleak surroundings 
and rushing cars made me think the driver had taken 
me to a wrong place. After checking with the Uber 
driver that his GPS wasn’t busted, I headed for the Giant 
Hypermarket, where the store I would work at, Maxlink, 
could be found. Maxlink is really a magical store. Just as 
its name suggests, it links with many customers, and has 
a great look-to-buy ratio even though it resides in the 
wilderness. 
What’s more, Maxlink has an amazing manager — 
Nicolas. Nicolas spent most of his time in store playing 
the mobile game King of Glory. At one point I even 
suggested that he should try to turn professional, as a 
rising Malaysia e-sports superstar such as him shouldn’t 
be conned to a store. He replied sternly, "No, Neos 
needs me to rescue it”, before immediately turning back 
to his games again. 
For a long time, Nicolas gave the perfect impression of 
a layabout. I had to completely rethink my  opinion of 
him though after a particular customer approached me. 
Because I couldn’t understand the Malaysian language, 
the customer didn’t think I could be of help to him, and 
was just saying “Selamat tinggal” (meaning goodbye) to 
me when, at that moment, Nicolas rushed to my side and 
began to communicate with him.
Even though I hadn’t the slightest idea what they were 
saying, I did see customers nod his head frequently, 
which seemed positive. In the end, the customer got up 
to his feet and said thanks before walking away — that 
scene I’ve seen so many times which breaks the heart 
of a salesman.  
“Business is business” Nicolas sighed, as he began a 
new level on his game.
Located in a mall of the government district, Putrajaya, 
Thundermatch Alamanda was a highly productive 
retailer for us. My colleague, Hubery, had sold at least 
three pieces per day there, which was phenomenal. All 
the elements for a great selling environment were there.  
The manager there, Roy, was a calm and reserved 
person, never letting the success go to his head.
Roy was a tough person with a well-built physique, 
honed from years of training. He reminded me a bit 
of Fidel Castro in a strange way. Thus, the rst time I 

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41
saw him, I couldn’t help but say “Hi, boss!” Since Roy 
was a reserved character and always busy with store 
operations, I seldom had contact with him. 
One day, after a complaint by a customer, I came to Roy 
dejectedly, knowing he would scold me with no mercy. 
To   m y   s u r p r i se ,   h e   i nv i t e d   m e   to   d i n n e r   i n s t e a d .  
At the dinner, Roy told me some things about his life. He 
told me that all of us can fall down, but all we need to do 
is pick ourselves up, make up for the mistake and carry 
on stronger than before.
In retrospect, though this August seemed to last forever, 
the various people I met and things I did kept me 
entertained. I’m wondering, as I write this, whether Jago 
is mashing in gures on his calculator, Nicolas is winning 
his game and if Roy is still fussing over every detail. 
Malaysia’s sunshine really does make people there very 
hospitable.   
I still remember on my sixth day at Lowyat GK003, when 
I had no sales to my name, I turned to Jago and posed a 
question. “If a guy always loses, how will he feel when he 
gets his rst success?” 
“Actually, you will feel nothing. Because you deserve it.”   
Maybe life is just like this. The only thing we should do is 
learn from the defeats, and then the success is bound 
to arrive.

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Prosperity and Hardship, 
Side by Side — Miracle Gao
I was prepared to go it alone, to meet all kinds of 
challenges and people, to enjoy the bustling world, and 
also to catch a glimpse of life's suering.
When I was in Malaysia, insomnia was like an old friend. 
But it was on such nights that I could reect.
I can’t fall asleep, yet again. I get up and open the door. 
I see the empty living room with the soft, blue of the 
moonlight seeping through the seam of the curtains. 
Listening carefully, I can hear the faint sound of snoring 
coming from the bedrooms. I open the fridge and take 
out a bottle of milk, sipping it beside the window from 
a cup. As the cold milk slips down my throat, I feel 
pensive. I pull the curtains away a little, getting a view 
of the KL Tower standing not far away. The crescent 
moon reminds me of the people I have met at work.
One was a wealthy housewife with ve children. She 
came to my store with the youngest two, a boy and 
a girl, both around eleven years old. They were very 
lively and by expressing their enthusiasm had easily 
persuaded their mother to buy two Neos X1max 
phones. Perhaps now these little guys lay beside their 
mother, lost in sweet dreams.
Another was a cleaner in the mall, around 50 years 
old, who greeted visitors warmly every day without fail. 
The thing that stood out most were his eyes, which 
were always lled with joy. He recently got his rst 
smartphone and was forever asking me questions 
about how to use various apps, like a child learning how 
to play with his new toy.
There was the shopkeeper too, who accompanied 
me for more than half a month. He was nearly 30, and 
very talkative. Being a sociable creature, he had great 
business relationships with the people around him in 
the store. More importantly, he had a beautiful wife, a 
lovely daughter of two, and, I noted a little enviously, a 
seriously cool Lexus. 
The day I left, he took me out for a drive, taking his 
wife and daughter too. We went to a restaurant where 
they served his favorite sh and, most importantly, we 
split half a box of Tsingtao beer. When the beer arrived 
at the table, I felt like I was back in China for a few 
moments. I closed my eyes, taking in the aroma of the 
alcohol before tasting it. When I opened them, I found 
I was ghting back tears. My friend laughed at me as 
I was so emotional that I could barely hold my drink. I 
was wiping away my tears, and admitted sheepishly 
that Tsingtao beer was really great.
I swirl the milk around my cup, pulling me back to the 
present. I take a swig, as if it was beer instead. By the 
moonlight, I can see there’s only a little left.
I think of the street of bars nearby, awash with alcohol 
and hormones. The street was crowded on weekends. 
This is where the city’s workers congregated to let 
their hair down after a long week at the oce. We once 
squeezed our way through the groups of partygoers, 
smelling a myriad of exotic perfumes. 
There was another street not too far from the bar 
street, where sometimes I would stop by after work. 
It was a street of long queues. Generous individuals 
in red t-shirts distributed bread, water and milk to the 
homeless people. They even oered a simple medical 
examination. I noted that most of these volunteers 
were ethnic Chinese, which made me feel honored.
Reminiscing is a better method of nodding o than 
counting sheep. I shue slowly back to my bed, 
dragging my slippers that don’t t me, and lie down. I 

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I never thought I would come to TP-Link, and never 
dreamed I would work in Malaysia for half a year 
either. Most of all, I never expected to end up making 
connections with so-called “gangsters” in my new role. 
I spent my third week in Malaysia stationed at a phone 
store in Klang, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur. The boss, 
let’s call him Ah Kah, wore plenty of gold and silver, and 
gave me the impression of a big shot right from the 
rst glance. 
“Chinese! If you can’t sell more than 20 units, go back 
to China!”, was the rst sentence he barked at me.
Before moving into phone retail, Ah Kah had joined 
a local underground organization. It’s no secret that 
70% of Malaysian Chinese were aliated with dierent 
gangs in the not so distant past. The society my boss 
had chosen is called HongMen, famous for its support 
of Sun Yat-sen and the National Revolution in China in 
the 1910s and 30s. 
Though Ah Kah frightened me at rst with his less than 
politically correct jokes, it was just his way of being 
friendly. He took me to taste the traditional food Bah 
Kut The, and explained to me the moral codes in his 
shadowy society.
“In our company, what gives you authority is not just 
the ability to ght, but also morality and virtue. No 
matter how high your internal class is, if you don’t have 
Walking Forwards with Courage 
— Joe Zhang
lial piety, don’t respect or take care of your parents, 
or you are disloyal, dishonest and unwilling to help 
your brothers, you will be looked down upon and be 
penalized under the ‘Family Laws and Rules’ of the Holy 
Te m p l e. ”
While listening to his narrative, I realized “gangsters” 
is an out-of-date description for these kind of groups. 
HongMen is not an underground organization for the 
unruly, but a club where Malaysian Chinese men try 
hard to improve their reputation and earn the respect 
of their fellow brothers. No wonder HongMen translates 
to “Chinese Freemasons” in English!
One day he told me the Holy Temple of HongMen 
would be organizing a reunion. Images lled my mind 
of a cavernous temple in a remote location, lit by 
candles mounted on red walls, with dozens of heads 
turned towards the all-knowing leader. Above the 
leader’s head hangs the portrait of the revered founder, 
together with other legendary gures. I couldn’t contain 
my excitement and curiosity, and begged Ah Kah to 
cover myself with blankets, raise the temperature of 
the air conditioner a touch, and close my eyes, ready 
for another busy morning

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Friends Never Make a Journey
Alone — Kol Liu 
Three months of overseas training may have gone by 
in a ash, but there’s one phrase we will never forget — 
only full marks is a pass. The fast pace of our working 
lives forced us to get up to speed quickly. 
At rst, some of us were too shy to intercept and 
grab the attention of customers. By the end though, 
we could introduce ourselves and our products, hold 
demoes and give out yers. The biggest progress is 
made when you leave your comfort zone.
The best part for me was making so many friends and 
nding a sense of belonging within my new team of 
brothers.
At the end of our rst period of training, two groups 
were given a physical exercise punishment of 500 
“suicide runs” for nishing bottom of the sales rankings. 
But when they began running we all joined in, giving 
each other high ves at the end. The punishment of 
eight people became a shared positive experience for 
a group of 31 brothers.
When we rst arrived we simply ate bread from the 
local convenience store as breakfast. As time went 
on though, we learned to corporate, cooking delicious 
food like noodles, omelet and patties.
We did some outings as a team to the imposing 
twin towers of KLCC, the atmospheric colonial train 
station and elegant Putrajaya. These cultural activities 
reinvigorated us, breathing fresh condence and 
energy into our work.
May all young TP-Linkers keep their enthusiasm and, 
wherever you are, burn like bright stars that together 
form an unstoppable re. 
take me with him. He agreed. 
As is often the way with these things, the reality was 
a little dierent. We found ourselves in a gold colored 
hall, lled with more than 100 tables. It felt more like 
the venue of a wedding banquet than that of an illegal 
get-together. On the front wall was written “38th Ghost 
Festival Monlam (ceremony) of Universal Salvation in 
Middle Klang”. Traditional Chinese believe the whole 
month of July is reserved for hungry ghosts, so the 
title made some sense to me. Then, up came an 
emcee onto the stage, also dressed in gold to match 
his surroundings. He began the proceedings of what 
looked very much like an auction. It nally dawned on 
me why the “headquarters” had gathered all factions 
here — they were asking the “subsidiaries” for money 
so they could hold a bigger ceremony next time. 
Coincidently, I witnessed this kind of gathering again in 
Singapore two weeks later.
As a newcomer to Malaysia, and a newbie to the 
gangster scene, I was in for a bit of a ribbing from the 
senior members. I just concentrated on drinking my 
beverage cup by cup as these veterans took it in turns 
to make cutting jokes. They killed me! What gave me 
strength at that moment was an idea; I would get all the 
brothers around this table to become Neos users. 
This was entirely possible, for I had strong ally. Ah Yong, 
let’s call him, is the son of the leader at this table. He’s 
16 years old and worked a part-time job at my store. 
He thought very highly of Neos, and was committed 
to make the brand a hit in the shopping mall. When my 
time at the store was over, Ah Yong took up the mantle 
of promoting Neos.

Highlight
45
AC5400X Gives Gamers the Router 
They’ve Been Waiting For
Samuel Li, Networking BU Product Department
Archer C5400X is TP-Link’s first wireless router that’s specifically designed for online gaming fans, who look 
for not only a cool-looking product but also ultrafast network performance. A whole lot of eort has gone into 
meeting their unique needs. Here’s the low-down on the stand-out features.
Performance Surrounded by 
Fine Crafting 
Determined to make a high-level product in every 
aspect, we believed that cutting-edge hardware 
on the inside should be matched by an equally 
impressive outside. To meet the tastes of gaming 
users, we sought out US designer Whipsaw to create 
the exterior shell of Archer C5400X. Whipsaw came 
back with over 10 proposals, of which we selected 
one to rene. Five rounds of revisions and reviews 
then followed over the space of ve months until 
we nally arrived at a design we were satised with. 
Special attention was paid to details such as the 
color of the antenna, the status shifts of the LED 
light and the polishing on the thin strips around the 
edges. Such care guaranteed a better product for our 
customers.
More than Just a Beautiful Shell
Whether it’s teaming up with friends on League of 
Legends or entering online football tournaments on 
FIFA, gamers expect an immersive experience; that 
means no lag no matter what else is happening on the 
network. To meet these expectations, Archer C5400X 
possesses the most powerful CPU ever used in a 
SOHO router. It’s a quad-core, 1.8 GHz processor, 
capable of handling all the strenuous tasks a network 
can throw at it without breaking sweat.
Archer C5400X still excels when you’re taking a 
break from battling your friends too. According to lab 
data, Archer C5400X achieves a 66% improvement 
in throughput compared with that of the previous 
Archer C5400 model. Its advanced features are 

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Every Detail Counts
Quality Testing to the Limit 
Every time users buy a router, they have to go 
through the initial conguration process. To make 
this as painless as possible, users complete the 
whole set up simply by following steps on our easy-
to-use Tether app. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi provide 
alternative connection options for set up. Users no 
longer need to turn the router over to search for the 
default wireless password either. User experience 
lies behind every detail.
As users, we know what a terrible experience it is 
to spend time installing eight antennas by screwing 
them onto a product, not to mention that they still 
might need tightening. We knew there must be a 
better way, and we came up with one — push-in 
antennas. Since it was a new method, we inevitably 
met some challenges; several rounds of trial-and-
error tests were required before we successfully 
found a joint that was suited for both easy 
installation and antenna stability. Although it took 
a lot of eort, every product engineer was willing 
to put in the hours to come up with a workable 
solution, all in the name of user experience. 
A consistently stable and fast network is what users 
generally look for in a router, and that’s no dierent 
here. The Testing Department conducted no less 
than 10 rounds of thorough tests on Archer 5400X. 
Sample users were selected from TP-Link employees 
for product trials. Real users in the US were used for 
the beta test. As ever, feedback gave us valuable 
insights into users’ concerns and revealed product 
deciencies, including OpenVPN security, initial 
conguration guidance, portal functions and others. 
We addressed them one by one, with our changes 
received positively. 
Lastly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to 
everyone involved in this project; that includes R&D, 
the Testing Department, the project management 
engineers and the structural engineers. Thanks in 
advance to our front-line salesmen also; I know we 
can count on them to introduce Archer C5400X to 
the market and make it this Christmas’ must-have gift 
for gamers everywhere.
greater in number too. HomeCare not only protects 
home networks, but also ensures smoother gaming in 
the case of limited bandwidth thanks to QoS (quality 
of service). With built-in 16GB storage and available 
USB external hard drive, users can secure their les 
and access them anytime and anywhere via the free 
FileBank app. The security issues and expansion fees 
of network disks are a thing of the past. RangeBoost 
technology expands wireless coverage, beaming 
C5400X’s powerful signal to devices all over the 
home.

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The Crisis of Trust in Pakistan
Ben Huang, Networking BU Technical Support  
"Emergency! A Pakistan sales agent has discovered that the PPTP 
dial-up functionality of TL-WR840N V4.0 doesn’t work. More than 
4600 products have been involved, causing a large number of 
goods to be rejected!" 
The technical support team received this alarming news on 
February 21st in the early hours. Our nerves were rattled by such a 
large scale problem. The situation was serious. 
When It Rains, It Pours
We informed our R&D and testing colleagues in the 
headquarters immediately. By coincidence, there 
was a rmware version of TL-WR840N V4.0 currently 
at the test stage, and a probabilistic bug relating to 
PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) automatic 
reconnection had just been xed. Without further ado, 
we sent this beta rmware to the agent for a trial. The 
agent checked the rmware in his oce as we waited 
nervously – success!
However, the situation was far more complicated 
than we had imagined. Problems cropped up one 
after another. Considering that the feedback came 
primarily from Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, we 
asked the agent about the local ISP providers. It 
turned out that 80% of local network service was split 
between two ISPs. One is ConnectCom and the other 
is FariyaNet. The servers used by these two ISPs were 
often in close proximity, and even street to street the 
servers could be dierent. This made for an extremely 
complex ISP setup.
Both providers gave feedback that the newly arrived 
TL-WR840N V4.0 didn’t allow access to the internet 
by PPTP dial-up. By utilizing the beta rmware, we had 
only solved the problem with the ConnectCom lines 
in the agent’s office. The trouble with FariyaNet was 
still unresolved. 
The agent began to lose his trust in us. He was 

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worried that we wouldn’t be able to get a solution any 
time soon. We completely understood his concern 
of course; it would have taken us at least six months 
to test all servers in town. And during that period, we 
may well have continued to get refund requests from 
customers. Apart from the prot losses, the damage 
to our brand image would be irrevocable.
Faced with the situation, the agent proposed that they 
stop selling TL-WR840N V4.0 and go back to the old 
version, TL-WR840N V3.0.  The regression would be a 
huge hit for us. What’s worse, the storm would not only 
aect 4600 products that had been shipped, but also a 
larger amount of goods on the way.
We had no option but to nd a way.
Problems Never Come in Ones
We decided to focus on FariyaNet to gure out the 
problems as soon as we could. Although FariyaNet 
had various servers in dierent towns, we believed 
that once we had a working solution for one case, the 
rest would follow.
We asked the agent to nd a user who was willing to 
help us with the test. When the user had completed 
the testing of TL-WR840N V3.0 and was preparing to 
test for TL-WR840N V4.0, his optical ber service was 
suddenly cut o due to the overhauling of wiring on the 
street where he lived. So no progress yet! 
While waiting for the ber repairs, we continued 
the tests on ConnectCom lines with the help of 
colleagues from R&D and Testing to gure out the key 
cause for the PPTP failure. After all, the last test had 
only proved that the new beta rmware could solve 
the networking problem in the agent’s oce. What 
about everywhere else?
After several tests on ConnectCom lines, we nally 
sorted the issue and by distance training, we taught 
the agent's technicians how to grab the data packets 
through WANs, which turned out to be very helpful 
for the FariyaNet problem. Even more inspiring, our 
professionalism and devotion gradually regained the 
trust from the agent.
Three days later, the testing user’s ber cable service 
still wasn’t up and running. The situation was critical. 
We asked the agent for a new testing environment, 
which was surprisingly agreed to readily. In the 
afternoon, the agent told us we could run tests in the 
server room of FariyaNet! Being able to test directly 
in the ISP’s server room gave us huge condence. It 
was a perfect environment for the test! 
This time we made extensive preparations. The 
agent sent two technicians to the FariyaNet server 
room while we set up a WeChat messenger group 
and added the R&D and Testing team in order to 
communicate. Everything was going to plan… That's 
until the server room suddenly experienced a power 
cut. Our frustrations almost boiled over. We’d been so 
close to the key!
We contacted the guys at FariyaNet and were told 
that the server room would be out of action for at 
least the next two days. 

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Problems never come alone!
Luckily, we had saved all the precious test data in the 
notebook computer before the power kindly decided 
to out. Based on the data we had on hand, we had a 
discussion with the R&D team and through our analysis, 
nally shone a light on the fundamental cause. The 
internet environment of FariyaNet was quite special 
indeed: the PPTP servers and the PPP servers share the 
exact same IP address (normally, these are dierent). In 
this special case, the routing entry of TL-WR840N V4.0 
becomes erroneous, impeding the forwarding of data 
packets. 
Immediately our R&D colleagues set to work, preparing 
a new beta rmware. Since the FariyaNet server room 
was still in repair mode, we tested the new beta rmware 
on ConnectCom in the agent’s oce, the result of which 
couldn’t have been better. However, we weren’t home 
and dry quite yet with the solution yet to be implemented 
with FariyaNet. 
After 48 hours of anxious waiting, the server room nally 
had power again! All of us were waiting for the nal test 
results with bated breath, our complete focus on the 
screen in front of us. After what seemed like an eternity, 
the agent sent a response. The rmware had been a 
success! Our celebrations were muted; we still wanted 
nal conrmation as to whether our dial-up users could 
now connect successfully.
At 2 a.m. on March 8th, the agent sent us a message 
in the WeChat group informing us that users had 
conrmed that the solution for FariyaNet now worked!
At that moment, every one of us was relieved. 
Later, the R&D team released the ocial version of the 
rmware x, to permanently resolve the problem. At the 
same time, other products using the same platform 
were gradually updated with the rmware.
Follow-up: As mentioned above, the agent worried 
that we wouldn’t be able to solve all the problems 
in a short space of time because of the diverse ISP 
circumstances. It turned out that as long as we solved 
one problem, the others would be solved eventually. I 
contacted the agent on Skype today (September 12th) 
to conrm whether TL-WR840N V4.0 was still working 
normally. The answer was an emphatic YES!
Breakthrough

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Getting Closer To Users
Luo Jun & Yang Minghua, Testing Unit of R&D
Purpose: Respect Users
For the TP-Link International Testing Group, users are 
sacred. This not only means user experience, but also 
putting users rst throughout the whole production 
cycle. As we are serving millions of users all over the 
world, it's much harder to practice what we preach. 
We have to be more stringent and meticulous while 
also providing diversity to cater to a wider range of 
user demographics.
Regardless of product appearance, performance 
and supporting features, for the testers, the user 
experience is the only standard we care about. It 
can’t be denied that in the past things have been 
overlooked, either because of the urgency of the 
project, the lack of awareness of new sta or other 
reasons, causing quality issues that bring signicant 
losses to the company.
In order to minimize the risk of the above, we have 
tried a variety of ways to eliminate sources of 
mistakes. Among all the measures put in place, test 
cases are by far the most eective way for sta 
to learn of issues. A test case is when an issue is 
discovered after the product has been released to 
users. The products are recalled and the case is 
investigated in great detail in order to nd a solution. 
The downside of this is that test cases come at 
a great cost, sometimes thousands of dollars. 
For obvious reasons, the information gathered is 
regarded as extremely valuable to the department. 
Ideally though, we don’t want to have to pay such 
a high price in exchange for problem-discovering; 
taking preventative measures would be preferable. 
Principles: Be More than an Expert
We should take the users' point of view, and stop 
thinking like a tech expert. 
Thinking as an expert is a trap many technical 
engineers have fallen into. Because of the complexity 
of the inner workings of these products, it’s easy to 
focus obsessively on the technology and ignore the 
users' experience.
I remember we were so anxious about the stability 
of 3G communications when we tested the rst 3G 
wireless MiFi products. But once the product was 
released into the market, the most common problem 
reported back to us was that the shell surface was 
easily scratched.
Since it was the rst 3G MiFi product, it was a big 
challenge to grasp the stability of the relevant 
How can we take precautions?
It is dicult to solve an unknown issue, since if it is 
unknown, how can we predict its presence?
But if we look at this question in another way – 
"How do we predict the problems that users may 
encounter?" – then we can begin to make progress.
From this viewpoint, the key is to get closer the users 
and to accurately grasp their dilemmas when they use 
our products.

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Approach: Think as a Customer 
When we evaluated our test process a while back, we 
found the circumstances in which testing took place 
were often far from the environment in which users 
usually deploy the product. It’s a common problem. For 
example, we used megabyte bandwidth when testing 
an ADSL product, but in some African countries the 
uplink rate is only 100-200Kbps. This means a single 
device can fully occupy the uplink bandwidth, leaving 
the line useless for others.
Another example is the English language version of 
a router. When it began selling in Russia, the users 
couldn’t log in using their Russian web browser. Why 
are electronic products limited to certain regions? It’s 
because we don’t consider conditions all over the world 
when creating it.
Thus, we have to consider the users' circumstances 
from every angle. Some ways to do this are to get 
feedback from our sales teams on the front-line or 
collect users' comments through online platforms. 
Moreover, we can keep up with the latest developments 
of the major ISP services and then adjust testing 
conditions in the laboratory accordingly.
We’ve got a few new tricks for simulating users’ 
conditions. We can limit bandwidth and change the 
language to name just two. For those conditions we 
can’t simulate, we can have someone do the tests 
locally in what’s either called a Local Test or Beta Test.
technology, but we ignored the fact that as a portable 
product that would be used outdoors, we should also 
concentrate on its durability. Although we had done 
a scratch-resistant test on the surface at the R&D 
phase and submitted a report that it wasn’t not strong 
enough to resist scratches, we didn’t pay too much 
attention to this problem, concentrating foolishly on 
the high-level tech instead.
If we had been closer to the users, in this case we 
would have seen that the shell quickly accumulates 
oily ngerprints and scratches, making it look like an 
old product after just a short space of time. Explaining 
to customers that our choice of material will cause 
these problems does not put us in the best light. 
There are many more examples just like this.
In the past few years, we have continually improved 
our testing methods. For a totally new product, we 
have tried to design a number of UX tests and some 
less standard tests without incurring the high cost 
of user cases. For product upgrades, we have gone 
to online business platforms to collect and analyze 
user comments and learn from the experience of real 
users in the forums.
With the progress of science and technology, such 
as the development of AI, one day we believe we’ll be 
able to interact with customers pretty much face to 
face. Until that day comes though, it’s important to 
reach out to customers as often as we can.

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Development: Moving with
the times 
We have to keep pace with demand and move 
with the times. In the past, we only installed one 
NIC (Network Interface Card) driver on each PC. 
The chances of two NIC drivers conicting were 
very small. Today, with the abundance of network 
equipment, the probability of users having multiple 
NIC drivers on their PC has greatly increased, causing 
conicts that must be resolved immediately.
Keeping up with the times not only means bringing 
out new products or features as they are innovated, 
but also nding new ways to cope with some old 
diculties. NIC drivers produce a new process when 
the installation link is clicked on the PC. The new 
process will try to continuously start up if the last 
process is running or has stopped due to a bug. An 
advanced PC can handle this problem super-quickly, 
before the users are even aware of it. It can be a 
serious issue in a Pentium rst generation PC though 
due to its slow processing, leading to installation 
failure and even system crashes. We need to broaden 
the scope of our testing as much as possible, so 
that our products can adapt to a variety of terminal 
equipment. 
The same goes for our app family. When the iPhone 
X came out we immediately made a purchase, then 
carried out the rst trials of Tether, Deco and the rest.
There are many ways to get closer to users. Feel 
free to contact us with your own suggestions and 
questions. Together, let's take the user experience to 
the extreme!

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The Mystery of MiFi — 
Mobile Data Tech Explained
Kidd Li, Networking BU Product Department
The History of Mobile Communication 
Technology – A Period of Rapid Change
Since the advent of mobile communication 
technology in 1980, new versions of protocols 
have been continually leapfrogging their older 
counterparts. In the 90s, the maximum data transfer 
rate was only 427 Kbps. The 21st century brought 3G 
WCDMA, achieving rates of up to 42 Mbps. This, in 
turn, was overtaken by the 150 Mbps of 4G LTE. The 
current record holder is 4G LTE-Advanced, able to 
shift packets at a surprisingly nifty 1 Gbps.
The most popular mobile communication technology 
on the market now is actually a transitional one. 
Cat 4 Standard (150 Mbps downstream, 50 Mbps 
upstream) is 4G LTE, while Cat 6 (downstream 300 
Mbps, upstream 50 Mbps) and Cat 11 (downstream 
600 Mbps, upstream 50 Mbps) are usually referred to 
as 4G LTE-Advanced.
Technical Prole – Dierent Modes, 
Dierent Standards
There are two major modes in mobile communication 
technology: TDD (Time Division Duplex) and FDD 
(Frequency Division Duplex).
TDD uses the same channel for both uplink and 
downlink, but allocates dierent time slots for each. 
This might mean that for every three seconds, two 
will be allocated for downlink and one will be allocated 
for uplink. The frequently-used B38 band works in the 
range 2570 MHz – 2620 MHz. TDD uses channels 
very eciently, with up to 112 Mbps downstream and 
up to 10 Mbps upstream.
FDD, on the other hand, uses separate channels 
for uplink and downlink. For instance, the B3 band 
works in the 1710 MHz – 1785 MHz range for uplink, 
and the 1805 MHz – 1880 MHz range for downlink. 
FDD provides speed at the expense of occupying 
a greater number of channels, with up to 150 Mbps 
downstream and up to 50 Mbps upstream.
The previously mentioned Cat 4, Cat 6 and Cat 11 
are dierent technical standards for current 4G 
technology, which are distinguishable by the number 
of aggregated channels.
Cat 4 uses only one channel for data transmission. 
Theoretically, a FDD channel can download data at a 
maximum speed of 150 Mbps and upload data at a 

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maximum speed of 50 Mbps.
Cat 6 uses two aggregated channels to achieve 
higher downstream rates. Two aggregated FDD 
channels can download data at a maximum speed of 
300 Mbps. Upload speeds are unchanged.
Cat 11 uses three aggregated channels and 256QAM 
technology. Theoretically, three aggregated FDD 
channels can download data at a maximum speed of 
600 Mbps, while the maximum upload speed is still 50 
Mbps.
MiFi Products — 
Better Portal Hotspots
This brings us to a major beneciary of all of these 
technologies: MiFi (mobile Wi-Fi) products, which 
are portable access points that accept SIM cards. 
Some may doubt the need for MiFi products with the 
availability of the hotspot function on smartphones, 
but the advantages of MiFi are plain for those who 
understand the tech. 
A professional chip solution not only guarantees LTE 
downstream rates, but also provides a stable Wi-Fi 
network for a greater number of devices. From both a 
stability and coverage point of view, MiFi represents a 
massive step up on smartphone hotspots. Moreover, 
due to low power consumption and the absence of 
other functions, a fully-charged MiFi product has 
enough juice to keep on going for a whole day.
TP-Link has released ve 4G MiFi products. Here’s 
what they have in common:
• Embedded Qualcomm chips to provide a wireless 
network for up to 32 devices.
• Embedded 2000 mAh/3000 mAh battery that works 
for 8/15 hours.
• Supports SD cards to expand storage by up to 
32 GB, enabling convenient storage and sharing of 
photos, music, videos and other les.
• Easy to use with plug-and-play functionality. The 
tpMiFi app means congurations can be changed 
with the tap of a button.
M7350 is our superstar product, and is currently 
selling well at a high ASP (average selling price). 
The average monthly sales are over 10K worldwide, 
reaching 25K in some months. Although it only 
supports FDD, its exibility more than makes up for 
this, as it can be used in many regions of the world. 
(The Americas, Japan, Korea, and some parts of the 
Middle East and Africa are the only exceptions.)
Our agship product, M7650, supports Cat 11 (up to 
600Mbps downstream). Its AC1200 dual-band Wi-Fi 
can connect to up to 32 devices at the same time. A 
3000 mAh battery enables M7650 to work for up to 
15 hours. These advantages mean M7650 dominates 
current market, with only one competitor, Netgear’s 
AC810. According to data by the esteemed Singtel 
Laboratory, M7650 provides 352 Mbps downstream, 
while for AC810 it’s only 289 Mbps. One might say 
M7650 is still the undisputed the king of MiFi.
Looking Ahead — 
Faster Speeds, Similar Prices
The global map of highest LTE-Advanced commercial 
trac speeds is shown below, constructed according 
to data collected in April 2017. Speeds exceed 300 
Mbps in most countries, which is faster than the 
speed of VDSL networks and comes amazingly 
close to that provided on ber networks. It’s no 
exaggeration to say that a wireless network is faster 

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than a wired one today.
Although mobile communication technology is highly 
developed now, there’s still room for improvement in 
two aspects: speed and cost.
First, the speed – 5G technology is coming, able to 
reach an incredible pace of dozens of Gbps, as shown 
by Huawei’s laboratory test data below.
Then there’s the cost – the need is growing for IoT 
technology that’s low-cost, low-energy consumption 
and compact. IoT devices don’t actually require 
great speeds (no more than 1 Mbps), but energy 
eciency is paramount. Cat M or Cat 1 technology, 
overtaken years ago, suddenly becomes relevant to 
the conversation again. Cat M or Cat 1 technology 
use energy at such a low rate, in fact, that two AA 
batteries could be run for up to 10 years.

Who
57
Strengthening the Foundation of Our 
Company 
Manufacturing Engineering Department, edited by Isaac Xin
The development of a company not only depends on 
the strategy and planning of executives, but also lies 
with the sta's dedication and commitment. For TP-
Link, the factory is an essential part of operations; it 
has the largest number of employees and the largest 
density of personnel of any department. Thus, its 
development and improvement require the sta to 
devote their time, energy and intelligence to optimizing 
working methods and boosting eciency. In recent 
years, there have been a range of measures to 
reduce costs and promote micromanagement in the 
factory, which have signicantly enhanced production 
eciency. Complementing this, of course, are the 
continued contributions of exceptional employees.
Among these devoted and low-key sta, Peng 
Chuan, part of the Project Optimization Group in the 
Engineering Department deserves a mention. In 
the eyes of his colleagues, Peng is a shy and quiet 
character. When it comes to technical issues, however, 
he becomes someone else; his eyes light up with 
thought of a challenge and an opportunity to apply his 
impressive logical thinking and technical skills. 
Of course, such excellence is not intrinsic; instead, 
it is gradually acquired through experience. After 
joining the group in 2013, Peng developed a program 
comparison system and an anti-error scanning system 
for SMT segments, reducing human input and the 
possibility of errors. In 2016, he was commissioned 
to develop an SMT line-side stock scanning and 
tracing system and warehouse scanning reconciliation 
system, as well as integrating the subsystems into 
a unied MES (manufacturing execution system) 
to enhance the overall informatization level and 
production eciency of the factory. These projects 
save more than a million RMB per year. 
It’s normal to experience teething issues when 
implementing new systems, so Peng often works 
overtime to deal with anomalies. His commitment to 
his work never seems to wane; he even rushed to the 

Who
58
factory at 3 a.m. one night after receiving an urgent 
call. Peng harbored dreams at one point of moving to 
the city center to experience the delights of an urban 
existence, but in the end it was convenience that won 
out; he ended up moving to a place a leisurely 10 
minute stroll from the factory.
Most of the projects here have no hard deadlines, 
and the completion of work largely depends on your 
own drive and organization; Peng could have given 
himself a little slack. On the contrary, he has become 
a workaholic. If he can work overtime for 10 hours 
to make a process more ecient and put in place 
automation to reduce human input, he will feel great 
satisfaction, comparable to the happiness he feels 
when he overcomes a tricky technical challenge. 
Peng has a few hobbies, but delving into technical 
issues remains his greatest passion. When he’s not 
taking part in software development, Peng also nds 
time to self-develop hardware. A furnace temperature 
tester is his proudest creation. Starting from the 
analysis of the internal structure, he grasped the 
engineering principles and then procured the materials 
to assemble it by himself. It’s not just a great personal 
achievement either; the company saves 500 000 RMB 
per year thanks to this piece of ingenuity. 
Speaking of workaholics, it would be a glaring omission 
not to mention senior technician Pang Bangqi. The 
factory is his second home and is where he spends 
the majority of his working time. He may look ordinary, 
without any distinctive features, but his experience is 
anything but average. Having joined TP-Link in 2007, 
he served initially as an employee in the assembly line. 
He quickly ascended to squad leader of his group, and 
then successfully transitioned to a technician role in 
the Engineering Department successively. Eventually, 
he was promoted to the level of Senior Technician, of 
which there are only a few in the factory. 
Always occupied with the next challenge, Pang 
feels his 10-year stay at TP-Link has gone by in a 
ash. He focuses on capably dealing with things at 
hand every day, making him a trusted and reliable 
colleague to others, and seldom gets irritated about 
the trivial things. His attitude can be summed up in 
one word: stability. For example, when responsible for 
transferring units from the saddle stitch cartons to 
cementing cartons, he drove the program forward at 
a steady, sustainable pace. From the smallest network 
adapter to our most complex products, each device 
was tested individually and only after conrming there 
were no defects were they given the OK. Products of 
every kind were successfully packaged by cementing 
cartons at high accuracy. Due to the massive lot 
size and complexity of the process, the methods 
implemented had to be mature and sustainable to 
ensure the quality of the products.
Stability is not his only characteristic. Equally important 
is Pang’s ability to keep calm under pressure. It was a 
big step up for Pang when he was promoted to squad 
leader in 2008 and then again when he switched to 
being a technician two years later. When his ability 
was questioned, Pang’s reply was simple: ‘’Give me a 
month, and I’ll get it right.’’ Over the following days and 
weeks, he gradually became familiar with the tasks and 
ultimately achieved satisfactory results, proving his 
point. 
Stability also refers to exploring problems and 
proposing measures for improvement, rather than 
just being satised with the status quo. In 2006, Pang 
began to implement a project to reduce the defect 
rate of 11AC products by changing the process of 
assembling the protecting foam of the indicator lights, 
which 100% avoided the problem of them getting 

Who
59
damaged. This excellent work earned him the recognition and respect of his peers.  
Cost optimization and improved eciency within the factory stems from the joint eorts of all those who devote 
themselves to their work. In addition to the projects mentioned above, engineers and technicians have innovated, 
among other things, an automatic MAC address writing device, a rotating shielding box and an automatic cutting 
machine for tins. Measures have also been taken to cut out redundant work in order to reduce labor costs. A 
sense of responsibility and willingness to put in the hard work ensures there’s a nice rhythm to the processes and 
the quality of production stays consistent. If the factory was a machine, the dedicated technical sta would be 
the engine, driving it relentlessly forward. They are the foundation of the factory’s continued evolution, and of TP-
Link’s.

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60
Keep Calm and Call HR 
Queenie Tse and Samina Fung, TP-Link Canada
TP-Link Canada’s team has grown from a ve-
man organization wearing multiple hats to a mature 
company with separate departments consisting of 
over 30 people. As our business continues to grow in 
the land of the maple trees, there’s one department 
that tends to get overlooked but is no less vital for the 
daily workings of the oce. I am, of course, referring 
to Human Resources. 
Take out infrastructure, systems and inventory; 
people are the backbone of all we do. They are the 
engine that operates, controls and manages it all. 
As we commemorate seven years of presence 
in the Canadian market, we sat down and had a 
candid conversation with Samina Fung, human 
resources manager. Samina has worked with 
several multinational corporations, with experience 
in expatriate sta relocation and changes of 
management due to mergers and acquisitions. She 
continues to invest in her professional development 
by taking part-time human resources management 
and policy studies. On the weekends, she enjoys 
spending time with her family and trying out new 
recipes in the kitchen. 
Although Samina arrived with a wealth of experience, 
establishing a new department and implementing 
structure into a historically unstructured team still 
comes with its challenges. Here, Samina gives an 
insight into what she’s experienced since establishing 
the Human Resources Department in 2015.  
Queenie Tse, Marketing Manager: What were your 
goals when you founded the Human Resources 
Department back in 2015?
Samina Fung, Human Resources Manager: Since 
To ro n t o   i s   o n e   o f   t h e   m o s t   d i v e r s e   c i t i e s   i n   t h e   wo r l d ,  
we rst needed to [as an organization] promote core 
values, diversity and inclusion while implementing 
structure. Since 2015, we have developed and 
implemented new policies, streamlined and improved 
HR services and made organizational information more 
accessible to employees. Ultimately, my goal was to 
ensure a positive work environment while continuing 
to attract, recruit and retain quality employees from 
the market. In the HR department, we have a set of 
best practices we refer to regularly and will provide 
recommendations to management when it comes to 
conict management, employee motivation and hiring. 
Queenie Tse: That is a big task. Can you tell me more 
about your approach to conict management? 
Samina Fung, Human Resources Manager of TP-Link Canada

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Samina Fung: Conicts can be avoided if we set 
reasonable expectations and communicate goals 
and objectives clearly to our employees. The result 
of facing a challenging problem is resolution and we 
encourage employees to learn by taking ownership of 
their conicts. Developing our employees’ problem-
solving skills leads to greater job satisfaction and 
makes them more equipped to work with vendors, 
partners and suppliers. 
Queenie Tse: What are some of the ways to motivate 
employees?
Samina Fung: Sometimes we see our colleagues 
more than our families and we try our best to 
create an inclusive environment where we support 
everyone’s professional and personal goals. We 
encourage feedback and suggestions and celebrate 
milestones like birthdays, work anniversaries and 
holidays like you would with your own family. I nd 
team sports and activities outside of our core work 
responsibilities to improve communication and 
promote teamwork. We have weekly badminton 
meet-ups and do fun activities like a pumpkin carving 
contest at Halloween where employees can team up 
with colleagues outside of their own departments and 
make new friends.
Queenie Tse: What are some of the criteria you use 
to hire employees, or should I say, select your family 
members?
Samina Fung: Attitude and enthusiasm are very 
important. Both of these qualities are contagious 
and rub o on other employees and customers. 
Employees who demonstrate all the qualities of 
an entrepreneur are often highly successful in any 
organization they enter; they are proactive, willing 
to learn, help others, go the extra mile and take 
ownership of their work. At TP-Link Canada, we 
believe everyone makes a dierence and contributes 
to the growth of the business. 
Queenie Tse: Thank you for your time and insight into 
the HR department. Before we end, can you provide 
one nal piece of advice to our global 
TP-Link employees?
Samina Fung: My advice would be: don’t confuse 
movement with progress. We must continue to 
progress and improve. Continuing to work hard and 
plan [as a team] are small progressions towards a 
larger organizational goal.

Who
62
A Mother’s Story
Tatianna Vasconcelos, TP-Link Brazil
Today I want to introduce Danielle Souza da Silva. For us, her colleagues at TP-Link Brazil, she’s our trusted call 
center analyst, but outside of work she’s so much more — a remarkable woman ghting to save a 
child‘ s life. This is the story of Danielle and a baby named Sandra.
When an Angel Found Home
As a “Dinda” to the Angel
Two years ago, one evening after Danielle arrivied 
home from work, her mother showed her a newborn 
baby that a neighbor had left with her. Danielle 
carefully picked up the baby, cradling her in her arms. 
The baby was so small and fragile. As she held the 
baby close to her chest, bright eyes looked back at 
her. “What an angel!”, Danielle said to herself. In that 
moment, Danielle felt completely attached to the 
baby. It was the beginning of a beautiful story.
That baby’s name is Sandra, now a two-year-old 
infant. Sandra‘ s biological mother suers from drug 
addiction, and did not stop using drugs during the 
pregnancy. Tragically, this meant that Sandra was 
born premature at just seven months, with nine 
dierent deseases including drug addiction in a public 
hospital in San Paulo. With almost no blood in her 
veins, she received a blood transfusion immediately 
after birth. Her mother left the hospital after recovery, 
abandoning the baby in the intensive care unit. 
Sandra’s grandfather went looking for her. He’d heard 
about his daughter going to the emergency room 
and wanted to take responsibility. He appeared just in 
time; the baby would have been given to the state for 
adoption if he hadn’t arrived before a set date. Sandra‘ 
s grandfather was given temporary custody, while 
Sandra stayed in intensive care for 30 days.
Danielle volunteered to take care of little Sandra 
from the day they met. After a while, Sandra’s 
grandfather asked Danielle if she would like to be 
Sandra’s godmother. Danielle’s reply was an emphatic 
“yes!”. Since then, Sandra spends half her days 
with her grandfather and half with Danielle. Sandra’s 
grandfather doesn’t have much in the way of nances, 

Who
63
A Mother’s Seless Love
Tracing Roots for Her Daughter
One day, Sandra began vomiting. The doctor 
suspected pneumonia initially, but when looking at 
the X-ray scan found something very dierent. One 
side of Sandra’s lungs was paralyzed, working at only 
at 20% of its capacity. The doctor explained that 
the capacity would lower further as she grows up. It 
was heartbreaking news for Danielle. What’s worse, 
Sandra‘ s grandfather lost his job around the same 
time and had no choice but to live in another city 
three hours away by car from San Paulo. He brought 
Sandra with him in the hope that the superior air 
quality would be good for Sandra’s health.  
During this period, Danielle went to see Sandra every 
other week, making a six-hour round trip each time. 
Meanwhile, Danielle bagan saving up money for 
Sandra’s surgery. She worked harder, putting aside 
most of the money for Sandra. For Danielle, Sandra 
is her own daughter. A mother will do everything she 
can for her baby.
On December 14th 2017, Sandra had the surgery. It 
was  a complex operation, taking a full eight hours, 
during which Sandra’s left lung was taken out. Danielle 
is looking after her, waiting for her baby to become 
strong enough to leave the hospital. When that day 
comes, Sandra will go home and stay with Danielle 
for eight months, enough time for her to make a full 
recovery. 
Danielle has searched for Sandra‘ s biological mother, 
in order to know where she comes from. She tracked 
down the mother’s house and was crushed by what 
she found. The girl, now 22 years old, the same age 
as Danielle, has 1-year old twins. Both have the same 
problem Sandra has. Their living conditions are very 
poor; one baby sleeps in a crib and the other in a car 
seat. They receive food via donations from a neighbor. 
She refuses to accept Sandra as her daughter and 
still uses drugs even after giving birth to the twins. 
Danielle is a commited TP-Link worker and serves 
as an inspiration for all of us. Each day she displays 
a heart of purest gold, oers encouragement and 
guidance to others, shows bravery in her decision 
making and is a credit to the company as our bubbly 
hero.
so Danielle provided food, clothing and medicines for 
Sandra. She fed her, played with her, spoke to her in 
soft tones, watched her as she began crawling on the 
bed and made her soapy bubble baths at bath time. 
She watched her take her rst steps and begin to call 
her “dinda”, which is godmother in Portuguese. 

Who
64
Hail to the Bus Driver
Interviewee: Wu Tao, HQ General Aairs Department, edited by Layla Cai 
and Karen Luo, HQ Oce
Night is closing in, the last remnants of sunlight on 
the horizon having been eclipsed by the regular 
illumination of the streetlights. Mr. Wu still holds a rm 
grip on the steering wheel, expertly pulling it to the 
left, guiding his bus in a tight U-turn, back towards the 
factory after the last shuttle. He switches o the lights, 
cuts the engine and hands the keys to the guard in 
the security booth. Another day over. On weekdays, 
Mr. Wu accompanies his vehicle from dawn till dusk. 
A forty kilometer route, traversed back and forth what 
must be approaching ten thousand times.
“I've crossed the mountains and the seas, and I've 
crossed many lives.” The lyrics to the song “Ordinary 
Road”, a big hit in the Chinese pop charts, feel like 
they were written just for Mr. Wu.  Before this job, Mr. 
Wu was in the haulage business for several years. 
From Shanghai to Xinjiang, a man and his truck shared 
the road for four thousand kilometers. In 2009, Mr. Wu 
left his hometown of Wushan in Anhui province and 
began working in Shenzhen. Introduced by his friends, 
he joined TP-link as a company shuttle bus driver, his 
occupation for the last seven years. 
Every working day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Mr. Wu 
transports employees and items between ve stops: 
Building 24, Building 5, Hongfa Factory, Export Factory 
and Domestic Factory. Mr. Wu even clocks up miles 
at the weekends, shuttling workers doing overtime 
between factories. He’s proud of his reliability, barely 
asking for leave over the 365 days of the year. 
Statutory holidays are the only time he hangs up his 
driving gloves. 
After nishing a day on the road, instead of sitting in 
front of the TV and becoming a “couch potato” like 
some oce workers, Mr. Wu puts on his tness gear 
and heads to the gym.
Introduced by our mutual colleagues in general aairs, 
we caught up with Mr. Wu to nd out more about 
his attitude to work, the universe and everything in 
between. His relaxed, fun attitude to life is immediately 
apparent; “Do what you want to and be happy doing 
it”, he tells me. We ask some questions to delve a little 
deeper.
Editor: Why did you leave your hometown of 
Dangshan in Anhui province and take a job in 
Shenzhen?
Wu: I used to drive long-distance trucks, and it was 
risky, to be honest. My family worried when I was out 

Who
65
at work each day. My parents asked me to quit the job, 
which I did and then sold my car for some additional 
cash. My sister lives in Shenzhen, so I thought I could 
come over and we could take care of each other.
Editor: Was your rst job in Shenzhen as a bus driver?
Wu: I drove a concrete mixer for over a year when I 
rst arrived here. Although the wages were high, it was 
messy work shifting the cement. I’m the kind of guy 
who prefers to be clean and I don’t like mucky work 
too much. In 2010, my colleagues recommended me 
to TP-Link and I thought this job would suit me. At that 
time, the factory was in Honghualing Industrial Park, 
and the HQ oce was in the R1-B building. Only two 
buses ran between the HQ oce and the factory. 
Editor: What’s your current job like?
Wu: I get out the door at 7:00 a.m. and follow my 
morning route, going from Jiazitang Community to 
Pingshan Village before reaching Building 24 in the Hi-
Tech Park at 8:10 a.m. I have breakfast there then set 
out for the factories (Hongfa, Export and Domestic) at 
8:50, arriving at almost 10:00 a.m. After a short break, 
I drive back to Building 24. I get there at 11:50 a.m., 
take lunch and then have a rest until 13:30 p.m. When 
it hits 13:30 p.m. it’s time to pay a visit to Building 5, 
before making a run back out to the factories. I need 
to run a trip every hour from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 
The last bus to the factory is at 7:30 p.m. After that, I’m 
o work. I make eight runs per day from Building 24 to 
the factory. That’s almost 300 km covered every day 
from Monday to Friday.
Editor: What about your weekends?
Wu: Generally, I provide service to the Xili area on 
weekends for overtime workers at the factory, both in 
the morning and evening.
Editor: Is your accommodation arranged by the 
company?
Wu: Yes, I have been living in the factory dormitory 
since 2011. I have my own room because I drive the 
regular bus and my schedule is dierent from truck 
drivers. Their work starts at 8 a.m., but I must get up at 
6:00 a.m. every morning. Good sleep is very important 
since it’s dangerous to drive a bus full of sta if I 
haven’t slept well and feel tired.
Editor: It’s exhausting to work over 300 days every 
year. How do you keep yourself in such a good 
condition?
Wu: Happiness and motivation are the most important 
things for a worker. I have been working at TP-Link 
for many years, I am familiar with everything and I feel 
happy. I try my best at work and try to do things well. 
Sometimes I feel tired, but I have a good mentality, 
and never say things like “oh my god, I’m so tired”.
Editor: As a bus driver you come across many people. 
Do you have an interesting stories?
Wu: Every time I leave the bus, I’ll ask, “Is there 
anybody on the bus?” Usually there’s a few who’ve 
forgotten to get o because they’ve fallen asleep, 
were chatting or have been playing on their phones. 
One memory still stands out in my mind. At about 
8:00 p.m. one night, after I had already locked the bus, 
handed in the key and taken a shower in the dormitory, 
I suddenly got a call from the Administrative Section: 
“Hurry up Tao! Pick up your key and get to the bus. 
There’s still someone on board.” 
I answered, “How could that happen? It’s 10 o’clock 
now.” 
“He fell asleep and just woke up…” 
I burst into laughter at that point.
Editor: Does this job make you feel proud and 

Who
66
dierent from other people?
Wu: When someone asks me where I work and I say 
TP-Link, they’ll reply “Wow! TP-link is very nice. A huge 
company with a lot of people”. I feel so happy to hear 
that. 
Sometimes, I’ll say something good about TP-link in 
my WeChat circle. For example, I’ll post a short video 
to show our domestic and export factories or our 
world’s No.1 status in the shipment of routers. Other 
people will comment that I’m showing o again. So 
yes, I am very proud indeed.
Editor: Have you changed while working at TP-link for 
so many years?
Wu: I used to be mischievous and have a bit of a 
short temper when I was at home, and I liked hanging 
around outside. I had a lot of experience as a long-
distance driver, and not all of it was positive. It’s quite 
nice working here. I am a more rounded character 
now. I got mad easily when I met some troubles 
before, but now, I can make myself calm down.
Editor: What do you like to do after work?
Wu: The gym is my passion. After work I will go back 
to the dormitory, change clothes and then do exercise 
for an hour and a half. Later I will go home, take a bath 
and eat dinner. I hit punchbags every day in the gym 
instead of using exercise equipment. I’ve practiced 
martial arts and “san da” [a military martial arts style 
developed for use by the Chinese military] since I 
was a child. I love to keep active and will feel sluggish 
without exercise every day. My weight has remained 
at 55-60 kg from 16 years old until now. Sometimes 
I also like to drink and chat with my colleagues and 
friends, but I never drink a lot. I won’t drink a single 
drop if I’ll drive either. I have strict self-control.
Editor: How do you nd time for your family? What are 
your expectations for your children?
Wu: My wife lives in Bao’an District. Because I only 
have to make two journeys during weekends I will 
be free during the day. We usually have our meals 
together. Both of my children were born post 95s. I 
don’t have any great expectations. It’s OK for them 
to do as they like and discover things for themselves. 
The post-90s children are often thought to be quite 
dependent on their parents in China and so are my 
children. They ask parents or others for help when 
they have troubles, which wasn’t the case in my day. I 
hope that they can be more independent and strong.
Editor: Do you have any big plans for the future?
Wu: Nothing special. My hometown is a so-called 
"Capital of Fruit" and my family has invested in 
cold storage while I also have two vehicles running 
logistics operations in Dongguan, so I don’t need to 
worry about the income. My family once said to me 
that this work might be too tiring for me and they 
wanted me to quit. My own experience is that there’s 
nothing to do back home and I’m happy to do a few 
more years here in Dongguan and Shenzhen because 
I’m familiar with the area and have a comfortable life 
here.
Though to the outsider his daily work may seem 
repetitive, Mr. Wu is satised with the way things have 
turned out and keeps his spirits high on the journey of 
life. A positive attitude means he’s able to travel every 
road with the same enthusiasm and self-discipline.
Editor's note:
For every TP-Linker in Shenzhen and Dongguan, 
each working day begins and ends with a ride on 
the company bus. These transport links make our 
commuting more comfortable, convenient and safe. 
The company has been providing shuttle services for 
over ten years now, and has been invested more than 

Who
67
10 million RMB every year into it. There are currently 43 drivers and four managers involved in the large-scale 
operation. The bus routes cover all 
TP-Link’s oce locations including those in Nanshan, Guangming and Dongguan. Bus routes for daily commutes 
cover almost every urban area in Shenzhen where employees reside. The easternmost stop is the Longgang 
Ailian Station, while to the west you can get all the way to Bao’an Sanwei Junction. The northernmost location 
you can reach is our factory in Dongguan.

Who
68
Become Your Own Personal Lead
Georgiy Bessalov, TP-Link Russia
These days, when you see a headline mentioning Russia and its "lead" or "unsung hero", it will most likely be 
about Vladimir Putin or the anonymous hordes of Russian hackers accused of interfering with foreign election 
campaigns. This article, rest assured, has nothing to do with either. It’s a brief story about a localization specialist 
who, for several years now, has been expanding his horizons, following his interests in the eld of marketing.
Entering the IT Industry
In today’s Russia, people are crazy about technology. 
The internet is essential, and the IT industry is hip and 
vogue. In 2013, when a former colleague contacted 
me and asked if I would like to work for a company 
that makes Wi-Fi devices, I jumped at the chance. 
At that time, I had been working as an interpreter 
at the notary oce in the center of Moscow and 
played regularly in a band. I remembered how I had 
bought my rst Wi-Fi router back in 2007, and how 
I was fascinated by the technology that transferred 
hundreds of gigabytes of data over the air as if by 
magic. I thought I should join the trend and discover 
more.  
I started as a localization specialist, taking advantage 
of my major in linguistics. For the four years I’ve 
worked at TP-Link, I can recall numerous documents 
I have painstakingly translated; at rst it was mostly 
rmware and technical documentation, then later 
came website content and PR copy. When I count up 
how many pages I’ve written up till today – it would be 
the equivalent of all four volumes of War and Peace.
People might ask – how could you do such similar 
work for four years and not get bored? As far as I 
am concemed, I found the solution in professional 
development and the accumulation of knowledge in 
marketing and management. I decided to become 
"my own personal lead". It motivated me to take a 
postgraduate course in project management in 2014, 
a course in creative writing in 2016, and a course in 
digital marketing in 2017.  If I plan one for 2018, it will 
probably be web-design or a programming language. 
New knowledge and adding to my work experience 
have led me to two conclusions: one should never 
stop learning, and that entrepreneurial knowledge 
and soft skills are crucial. New knowledge allows 
you to nd settings for your ideas, which may grow 
into valuable projects  (especially if they focus on 
implementation of a new technology or business 
process optimization), and soft skills allow you to 
build stronger ties with colleagues and partners. In my 
opinions, well-established communication is the key 
to joint eciency. 
Never Stop Learning

Who
69
Not Only a Localization Specialist
Applying a proactive mindset allowed me to eventually 
turn my focus to digital marketing work in the 
company. For several years I have been responsible 
for updating content on the website : adding new 
models, updating product resources, changing 
banners and various other information. I got interested 
in searching and applying dierent internet marketing 
tools – I focused on e-news, web analytics, website 
usability, SEO and online reputation management. 
Within the last six months I’ve been able to get a good 
grip of Google Analytics to monitor the behavior of 
the website users. Besides ensuring that their number 
is increasing every year, it has also allowed me to 
monitor how many people visit the newly launched 
promo page  dedicated to the Archer series. To 
improve the process of sending e-news I was able 
to congure Mail Chimp – a free newsletter service 
which can track subscriber behavior and engagement, 
plan future mailing and produce easy-to-read yet 
informative reports. Several more features have been 
added in the areas of event registration and online 
reputation management. Equally valuable have been 
the suggestions I’ve received on how to improve the 
TP-Link Russia website and the local Partner 
Portal. Additionally, the website support from the 
team in the headquarters cannot be passed without 
mention (guys, you are great!). Most of the above was 
beyond my regular content localization duties – and 
this made it more challenging and captivating. 
So, what's the moral of this story? In Russia, there’s 
a proverb – live a century, learn a century. This is 
the fundamental principle for those who want to be 

Who
70
proactive and become a "lead" for him or herself. I 
once read an article in Scientic American,  explaining 
four habits that  improve performance and motivation: 
challenge yourself, think creatively, do things the hard 
way and network. This attitude has helped me for 
sure. I am coming to the end of my diploma in digital 
marketing, which focuses on website promotion 
strategies. I hope that the knowledge gained can 
nd fruitful application in my current work. And for all 
TP-Linkers, I wish you the same – nd your source 
of knowledge and inspiration and strive for the best 
results possible!

Who
71
It’s Not Just Santa’s Elves Working 
Overtime in Q4
While you’re picking the perfect gift for loved ones, 
the Warehouse Team are picking Black Friday and 
Christmas orders ready for the busiest shopping 
season of the year. With Amazon oering same-day 
deliveries and a general expectation that all online 
orders arrive next day, spare a thought for the people 
who make this shopping magic happen.
Under the watchful eye of Kenny Rice, a six-strong UK 
Warehouse Team receive, process, pick and dispatch 
between six and eight containers each week. With 
more than 200 SKUs (stock keeping units) to keep 
track of, often with similar SKU codes, the team is 
a well-oiled machine that processes lorry loads 
of products every day. At rst glance, it may seem 
straightforward to keep our four main distributors 
happy. However, Kenny and his crew have to think 
one step further down the supply chain to the 
requirements of the retailer or e-commerce platform. 
Take pallets, for example. Surprisingly, not all pallets 
are the same. Many of our e-commerce and retail 
customers have dierent and very specic pallet 
requirements that TP-Link has to accommodate. 
This results in a massive amount of manual picking, 
restickering and of course repacking before we 
can full each order. By reviewing and optimising 
processes, the Warehouse Team is carefully calibrated 
to ensure that each order is correct and reaches the 
distributor within the pre-agreed 1-hour delivery slot. 
“We are the nal piece of the puzzle. The sales teams 
generate the orders and it’s up to us to fulll them so 
Emma Lattimer, TP-Link UK

Lives
72
the Accounts Department can send the all-important 
invoice”, Kenny explains. “If we make mistakes, it has 
a knock-on eect throughout the supply chain which 
could result in empty shelves at Maplin, Tesco or one 
of the other high street stores. Ultimately, the job is 
about customer satisfaction.  Experience shows that 
keeping our processes simple and transparent can 
dramatically reduce errors and if there is a mistake, 
it can be easily rectied. At the end of the day we do 
what it takes to make sure the customers get their 
orders.” 
As testament to Kenny’s careful planning and 
attention to detail, in the last 12 months there have 
been just 5 mis-picks out of 3,261 shipments. 
Considering that there are multiple deliveries leaving 
the site in Reading each day, that represents a 
miniscule margin of error. It’s this level of service 
and commitment that builds strong and protable 
relationships with our customers. 
Regarding the Warehouse Team, Distribution Channel 
Manager, Kieran Vineer, said “Getting the right 
product mix to the right place, at the right time and 
on the right pallets is a logistical feat. And distributors 
recognise the complexity of the task, especially 
during the peak period in November and December 
when orders are at their highest.  They especially 
appreciate our exibility in oering direct customer 
shipments, a service that our UK competitors cannot 
oer at competitive prices.”
In his quest for continual improvement and cost 
savings, Kenny regularly reviews the service levels 
from suppliers and internal processes including 
health and safety procedures across the company. 
Through this review process he has negotiated an 
exclusive contract with a single hauler. Price was not 
the only driving factor; Palletways also provide 100% 
transparency, so that with a few key strokes Kenny 
and the team can accurately track the whereabouts of 
any given consignment. This level of visibility means 
that valuable stock can be located instantly and 
distributors given an accurate time of arrival in the 
event of a problem. 
To alleviate some of the pressures associated with 
the massive increase in order volume during the Q4 
peak, Kenny plans to implement a shift system which 
would a) increase the number of hours in the working 
day, b) provide exible working options and c) ensure 
the team remain fresh and motivated during this 
particularly demanding time of year. 
“There’s no doubt that Kenny and the team are on 
Santa’s nice list this year. They’ve done an amazing 
job processing hundreds-of-thousands of pounds 
worth of stock and making sure it gets to the right 
customer at the right time. Without their dedication 
and attention to detail, the knock-on eect would be 
massive, not least on timely invoicing. I’m sure they’ll 
get a visit from Santa this year”, commented Will Liu, 
Country Manager, TP-Link UK Ltd. 
Out of the Box: To build strong working relationships 
and encourage genuine friendships that smooth the 
cogs of a well-oiled machine, the team make a point 
of going out together once a month. Conversation 
may cover work issues in an informal setting but 
generally the talk always drifts back to one topic: 
football. The friendly rivalries between fans supporting 
teams as diverse as Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester 
United and Reading F.C. makes for lengthy animated 
conversations.

Lives
73
For new employees, the dining hall of the Fifth 
Building in Shenzhen only exists in folklore. For more 
experienced sta such as myself, pangs of nostalgia 
are still common when we think back to those good 
old days. 
The Liu Qian restaurant is no more, but the tables 
and chairs remain, a constant reminder of the 
banter shared among the piping hot dishes. Like 
most colleagues, I loved having my breakfast there, 
catching up with the latest news and enjoying a 
pleasant chat before the start of a busy day. 
After the restaurant went, I assumed the area would 
remain undisturbed, with only the scuttle of a rat or 
cockroach breaking the silence occasionally. One 
otherwise unremarkable morning though, everything 
changed. Something was stirring in the dining hall, as 
three gures loomed into view. This is the story I want 
to tell. What was in the hall? Why were they making a 
commotion? And how did they capture my heart?
OK, so I exaggerated a bit when I said commotion, for 
they were actually very quiet. A louder noise source 
was me in my excitement to nd them - a mother cat 
with her two kittens. They were lying under a banana 
leaf at the staircase, enjoying the warmth of the 
sunshine.
Since my serendipitous discovery of their shelter, 
a precious haven in vagrant lives, I couldn’t help 
but observe the family through a window from the 
second oor in my quieter moments. After a week’s 
observation, I had their daily routine pretty well sussed 
out. Every morning, the mother would lead the two 
kittens to the corner of the staircase, then bask in the 
warmth of the concrete platform under the banana 
leaf. The two kittens would either play with each other 
or suck milk from their mother’s wizened breasts. The 
mother is a dragon li breed, with milky white, slender 
limbs that remind me of a ballet dancer. One kitten 
closely resembles the mother, while the other kitten 
has orange fur, perhaps taking after the father. The 
orange kitten was slightly stronger than the other. 
Considering their housing situation, neither had a 
chance of becoming plump. I read later that a female 
cat usually gives birth to a litter of ve to eight kittens, 
which made me wonder about the others. I couldn’t 
imagine what this mother had been through, but knew 
she must have had some distressing experiences.
Each day I found myself stopping by after breakfast, 
watching them with endless curiosity. Sometimes 
the mother’s eyes would dart around, meeting mine 
for an instant. I could see that a wondering life meant 
extra alertness. I didn’t dare to come closer, for fear 
of frightening them away. I could see perseverance in 
the mother’s gentle eyes. They could survive without 
my help, thanks to her dedication. 
What’s the biggest threat for vagrants in Shenzhen? 
It’s not food shortages, but typhoons, which regularly 
tear through the region in the summer months. The 
day arrived when typhoon Hato broke the peace. I was 
at the oce when it happened, and couldn’t help but 
worry about my feline friends. Were they OK? Did they 
have shelter? 
I knew better than anyone that the exposed staircase 
An Encounter with the Kitten Family
Zhu Haiming, R&D

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74
wouldn’t oer protection from a heavy storm. Wind 
hit the window like ping pong balls, and rain drops the 
size of beans were pelting the glass behind me, with 
a sound like a drummer striking his kit. I felt as if the 
rain drops were hitting the back of my head, again and 
again. 
I could wait no more. I dashed downstairs, just in 
time to see the mother dart through the fence, 
with the orange kitten dangling from her jaws. The 
other kitten was left behind. Poor thing! Without the 
mother’s protection, rain drops mercilessly beat its 
undeveloped body, as if trying to blow it down the 
stairs. It didn’t seem to notice what was going on, after 
all, it had only entered the world barely a month ago. It 
couldn’t have been more obvious that this poor kitten 
had been abandoned by its mother. In a time of grave 
danger, the mother was faced with a choice, and was 
experienced enough to rationally choose the stronger 
kitten and therefore the one with higher survival rate, 
escaping from danger without turning back.
Finally, the lingering kitten seemed to wake up to 
its situation. It was being battered by bitter winds, 
drenched with rain, and more importantly, was 
separated from its mother. Out of fear, it shivered, 
trembled, and hopelessly called out for its long-gone 
mother. A strong gust of wind blew through. The kitten 
was thrown down the stairs. On its way, a sharp piece 
of steel ripped its ear, which was instantly bleeding. 
It struggled to stand up, caught between two broken 
concrete slabs. Weak as it was, it couldn’t even open 
its eyes, but still its mouth opened, as if silently calling 
to its mother. It was heart wrenching stu. 
I’d watched this family for the past two weeks without 
ever interfering, not wanting to intrude on something 
so intimate and natural. Finally though, I knew the 
time for action had come. I could bear it no more! I 
bounded down the stairs and scooped up the kitten, 
lifting it from the depths of hell. I dried its body with 
tissues in the dining hall. To my surprise, the little 
kitten wasn’t afraid of me at all, or maybe just had no 
strength left to feel fear. I put it in a paper box hidden 
at the corner of the stairs, and decided to take it 
home after work.
The kitten’s ghting spirit surprised me. Later that 
night it seemed somewhat revived, and even started 
meowing shyly. The following morning, the mother 
and her orange kitten were nowhere to be seen.
Update: The kitten made a full recovery from its ordeal 
and now lives happily in the author’s home. It hasn’t 
been out in any more storms. 

Lives
75
Triumph in the Skies
“Hey Ralph?”
“What’s up?”
“I have an idea. I want to make TP-Link y.”
“Let’s do it!”
I am Yuriy Polishchuk, head of the Distribution 
Department at TP-link Ukraine since 2012. But that 
isn’t what I want to talk about today. Today I want 
to introduce you to the other me, the creator of 
unmanned aerial vehicles. These things aren’t just 
pretty models; the real deal is a complex piece of 
engineering, able to take o at any moment, reaching 
up to the skies.
As an experienced fanatic (I took up the hobby 
several years ago), I have built my own workshop, 
crammed with every component a vehicle could 
possibly need, and complete with 3D printers. In the 
early days I learnt by consulting specialist websites 
and forums, poring over the information I found there 
to discover how to realize my designs. Now, the vast 
majority of my aerial vehicles are designed and built 
by me alone. From the initial ideas, system design, 
component printing and assembly, to the nal coding 
and debugging, everything is done by me. They are 
complicated projects, which require a systematic 
approach. Each vehicle usually takes several months 
or longer from concept to ight. Others may think it’s 
boring and time-consuming, but for me it’s heaven. 
When I gaze up at one of my planes gliding with a 
backdrop of blue sky, the excitement I feel more than 
repays my eorts.
It’s no mean feat to y these contraptions. Crashes 
and wreckages are common. I still remember my rst 
Yuriy Polishchuk and Ralph Zhou, TP-Link Ukraine

Lives
76
plane. For a magnicent 45 seconds it soared like an 
eagle, and then, like a kite let loose, plummeted down, 
breaking itself into pieces along with my heart. But 
where there’s a will, there’s a way. With continuous 
learning and a little perseverance, I became more and 
more adept at designing and manufacturing. These 
days I can independently create aerial planes with 
up to 2 meter wingspans, and have even had a go at 
quadcopters. What’s more, I can write code to guide 
them to any destination through GPS and an autopilot 
cruising system. 
I’ve also worked out how to view a live HD video 
feed from the air. My rst thought was to simply buy 
a ready-made system. The low end o-the-shelf 
standard analog solutions are low quality though, 
while HD video equipment is crazily expensive. 
There had to be a better way. And that’s when it 
occurred to me to try Wi-Fi. After much research and 
experimentation I settled on a workable solution: 
-On the transmitter side (in the air), TP-Link’s very own 
TL-WN722N wireless adapter with a 9 dBi antenna 
is connected to precongured small portable Linux 
computer with a camera. 
-On the receiver side (on the ground), another TL-
WN722N wireless adapter is connected to a powerful 
homemade antenna, and linked to my notebook 
computer running Linux. TL-WN722N’s standard 
antenna just wasn’t going to cut it here for the kind of 
range I needed, so I set about constructing my own 
out of aluminum and copper. By taking into account 
the wavelength of the 
Wi-Fi signals, I was able to calculate the optimum 
dimensions for receiving the waves. I could now 
watch aerial footage from over 2 km away in beautiful 
denition.    
To check the eciency of the Wi-Fi solution, I did 
a trial in our oce before Ralph and I headed out. I 
linked a Linux micro-computer and precongured 
camera with our TP-Link network adapter system. 
We received real-time video signals through the 
new system after initializing it. So far so good. But 
after I moved around the corner, out of range of 
the antenna, some frames went missing and the 
feed became laggy, illustrating the limitations of a 
directional antenna. The poor performance in closed 
spaces shouldn’t be too big an issue though. In a wide 
outdoor space, a directional antenna can cover longer 
distances and gives wider coverage, which should let 
us receive real-time transmission of the video signals.
The Saturday after the trial, Ralph and I hit the road, 
ready to make our maiden ight. We drove out of Kyiv 
and headed to an open area. We got lucky with the 
weather - perfect ying conditions, with just the right 
amount of wind. We nished the assembly on the 
grassland, strapping our antenna to the right wing with 
rubber ties and glue. To receive the signal, we placed 
a directional antenna on the roof of my car where the 
coverage should be best.
After a double check of the body, our plane was ready 
for takeo. It took to the air gracefully and began its 
journey. Ralph placed a ag with the 
TP-Link logo on the grassland - we planned to take a 
picture of it from the air to put our Wi-Fi solution to the 
test. After stabilizing the vehicle, I started to steer it 
over the ag area via the remote controller. To catch a 
better angle for a photograph, I made several passes. 
Our computer started to receive signal from up above 
in real-time. As expected, the transmission distance 
of the directional antenna increased dramatically in 
this open area. Even out at a kilometer, we could still 
achieve a clear connection without delays. 
Lift o!
Our TP-Link eyes in the sky provided us with a 
spectacular view. A distant forest, some luxury 

Lives
77

Lives
78
housing, a swimming pool in someone’s yard — all 
was displayed in front of us.
After a while I set the plane to loiter in autopilot 
cruising mode, then passed the controller to Ralph.
“Try it! Try it!”
In this mode the plane can keep a steady course by 
itself, but the pilot can take over at any time with the 
remote controller by sending an overlapping signal. I 
wanted to give the fresh hand a chance to control it 
while still guaranteeing the safety of the plane.
Ralph was a little nervous at rst, making tentative 
movements with his thumbs. But after several minutes 
of observing the plane’s responses, he became a little 
braver and started to attempt some maneuvers. From 
the trees, to the eld, to the houses the plane went — 
his eyes xed on it, expressing nerves and excitement 
in equal measure. I could tell he loved it.
It’s a successful landing that really puts the icing on 
the cake for a ying session. Landing is by far the most 
dicult part, and most crashes happen during this 
critical stage. Even an experienced pilot can get nervous, 
their hands shaking as they grip the controller anxiously. 
I made some adjustments to the controls and then 
started the landing process, moving the aircraft in slow 
circles, spiraling downwards in the same way an eagle 
comes to ground. It took great patience. This time the 
plane landed on the grass without a speck of damage to 
the plane’s body. 
Perfect!
Our rst ight had gone well, but we still had to check 
the video footage to nd the picture we wanted. And 
that’s where we ran into a problem. The white part 
of the logo on the ag had become a blur because 
the light was too bright, making the TP-Link letters 
indecipherable.
As proud TP-Linkers, we couldn’t accept a blurry 
picture as our nal one. So we decided to y again. 
To avoid over-exposure, this time we would place the 
ag on the rooftop of my car. The higher contrast 
between the light ag color and a black car, instead of 
the green grass, may just do the trick we reasoned.
I also wanted to optimize the Linux camera for our 
particular environment. Unfortunately, a sequence of 
system bugs rendered the camera useless even for 
normal usage. I kept coding till the 3:00 in the morning 
to recover the system.
There were other dierences for the second ight too. 
We didn’t have the computer to check the footage 
this time and the sunshine was so dazzling that we 
weren’t able to check the camera’s status light either. 
We decided to push ahead anyway and see what we 
came out with.
To capture a clearer picture, I attempted to reduce 
the speed of the plane as much as possible, even 
hovering in the wind for a short time.
We drove back to my at immediately after the ight, 
eager to view the result. We were still anxious about 
the uncertain status of camera as we opened the 
video les on computer. We got lucky again.
And this time, we had pictures from a whole bunch of 
dierent angles.

Lives
79

Lives
80
The Spice of Life
heart”. When discussing the details of the play, we 
put ourselves in the shoes of a maid who wants 
to become the lady of the house by any means. In 
line with the principle "do not deviate away from the 
main story line", and that you should "do the horrible 
things", we composed a script so dark that it gave us 
the chills even as we put it down on paper. In order 
to create a creepy atmosphere, we xed the location 
Life Through a Lens
Anjol Zhou, Networking BU Marketing Department
There are moments in life that raise the corners of our mouths a little, as we break into a smile. I used to think 
about how to preserve these images, whether intentional or unintentional. Fortunately, as a photographer 
and image editing lover, I can put beauty in my pocket via a lens.
I have a group of like-minded friends with whom I 
make amusing video clips in our spare time. Intriguing 
ideas are regularly thrown around and duly recorded 
as they come up. The dialogues and plots emerge 
organically and are often very distinctive, tending to 
thrill and build suspense. After a brainstorm, we will 
promptly divide the script into scenarios, which will be 
presented through frames. 
We once made an adaption of the Cantonese classic 
Love off The Cuff, in which the actress Yu Chunjiao 
and the actor Zhang Zhiming pretend to be Japanese 
and Korean lovers to escape nes. In order to get 
closer to the original lm, we sourced costumes that 
were as authentic as possible, even dressing the 
female lead as Madonna in a golden corset for one 
part. The male actor looked convincing while sporting 
a police uniform; however, his strong northeast accent 
and less than uent Cantonese gave him away. In 
order to recreate the well-known police chase scene, 
we had some fun tearing through the empty streets 
in full costume, without a thought for how strange we 
must have looked. 
Last year, we attempted to lm a thriller, The Maid, 
which was written, directed and cast by ourselves. It 
was a brand new experience for us. There is a saying, 
“the only thing more terrible than ghosts is the human 
Photographer Anjol Zhou

Lives
81
at an abandoned factory in Guangzhou. The factory 
corridor is long, the wall is mottled, and the damp 
oor is dotted with moss. We entered in trepidation. 
Although the individuals cast as the main characters 
were chosen from our circle of friends and weren’t 
professionally trained, they performed admirably. For 
example, the maid was played by my friend’s sister, 
who wore long straight black hair. When fully made 
up and in costume, her glance made the hairs on our 
necks stand on end.
Whether imitating classics or creating short amusing 
videos, we can nd surprises and joy in ordinary life. 
Everyone is the director of his own life, and the fact 
that we can experience and record ours is the best 
thing in the world.
Let Photos Speak for You
I have an idea that I’d like to hold a photography 
exhibition in ten years’ time, so that I can convey my 
attitude to life and share my experiences through 
images. I'm currently working on taking portraits 
of everyone around me. Whenever the scene is 
interesting, I will press the shutter button to capture 
the moment without a second thought. Many 
photographers have a revered artist in their heart, and 
I’m no dierent. Xiao Quan, who is known as the best 
portrait photographer in China, is a master of life and 
a hunter who captures light and shadow, recording 
the beauty around him.
I am fond of traveling and taking in the scenery of the 
journey. My hobby has realized my ambition to go to 
Tibet, culminating in my shots of the “Snow Mountain 
of Sunrise”. There is a movie from my collection that 
still captures my imagination called One Mile Above, 

Lives
82
which tells the story of a young man named Zhang 
Shuhao. He suers the misfortune of his brother dying 
in his senior year. During this confused time, he come 
across his brother’s cycling diary. He learnt that his 
brother’s ambition was to ride the Yunnan-Tibet road 
and decides to realize his brother’s unfullled dream. 
Before that, he has never cycled.
Although the movie was released three years ago, the 
panorama of the snow-capped mountains still brings 
the movie to my mind. The lm One Mile Above gave 
me an idea to do that trip to Tibet and record the 
journey with snaps. I was a bit timid but wanted to 
prove myself, so I invited two friends to come along 
who had a sense of adventure. We started our Tibetan 
voyage on July 11, 2013.
National highway 210, better known as The Yunnan-
Tibet Line, stretches 2320 km from Kunming to Lhasa. 
The rst stop was Dali, Yunnan, followed by Lijiang 
after 145km → Zhongdian after another 152 km → 
Deqin 103 km → Yanjing 111 km → Mangkang 359 km 
→ Busu 450 km→ Nyingchi 406 km → and nally 
Lhasa. After a 13-day, 4,980-kilometer journey, we 
came to the mysterious Meili Snow Mountain, the 
Snow Mountain of Sunrise located in Deqin County. 
On the road to Tibet, I'd heard stories of a Meri Snow 
Mountain. Although not as lofty as Mount Everest and 
the Himalayas, no one has succeeded in reaching the 
peak. One mountaineering team disappeared without 
trace after attempting to conquer it. A few years later, 
their frozen corpses were nally found. We’d heard 
a tale about Meri on our way to the natural wonder; 
although all visitors to Tibet wish to see the Meri 
Snow Mountain with their own eyes, many never do. 
One who sees this majestic natural wonder covered 
by sunlight for himself will have good luck for a whole 
year.
When we arrived at Deqin County it was already 7 p.m. 
With the light dying, we knew we’d lost the chance 
to see it for today. Everyone was exhausted by the 
journey so we collapsed gratefully onto our hotel beds 
to recharge ourselves. Morning came, and with it an 
unbelievably dense fog. I was enveloped by it, feeling 
buried. We squeezed to the front of the crowd where 
a group of tourists were gathered, asking an old chap, 

Lives
83
"Is this Meri Snow Mountain really so magical? Is a 
glimpse of the Snow Mountain of Sunrise so rare?" He 
replied in a regretful tone. "I have been here twice. This 
is the third time, but I’m yet to see it." With this news I 
slinked back to the hotel feeling dejected.
We reluctantly made plans to leave for the next 
spot: Salt Village. However, with our bags packed 
and supplies ready, one of my fellow travelers 
began to develop a nasty headache caused by the 
altitude which refused to subside in a hurry. With our 
companion out of action for now, we decided to wait 
it out, spending one more night in the mystical Deqin 
County. 
On the morning of the third day, I was awoken by 
shouts. I had a vague recollection of hearing "Tashi 
delek, Tashi delek..." We got up to see what had 
happened. It turned out that the evasive Snow 
Mountain of Sunrise had decided to make an 
appearance at last. And what a sight it was. I roused 
my friends in excitement then went back to the 
scenery, capturing the dramatic moment with my 
camera. It was glorious, taking the breath away. A 
giant gold mine seemed to have been unveiled before 
us thanks to the color of the early morning light. I 
felt so privileged to encounter and photograph this 
elusive scenery at last. At that moment, I was the 
luckiest guy in the world, and I really believed that luck 
would continue for a whole year, just as we had been 
told. 
When I press the shutter, the camera lens can record 
every changing moment, all the pains and joys. There 
are stories behind every video and photo. Maybe it’s 
about a journey of the soul or a fantastic experience. 
Maybe it’s a feeling evoked when I walk down the 
street and nd an interesting shadow on the wall. The 
camera reminds me that I need to experience more, 
taste more, follow my heart and create and appreciate 
beauty in daily life. 

Editor-In-Chief:
Ann Zhou (ann.zhou@tp-link.com)
Deputy Editor-In-Chief:
Anthony Merrington (anthony.merrington@tp-link.com.cn)
Executive Eidtors:
Jianxiong He (hejianxiong@tp-link.com.cn) 
Isaac Xin (isaac.xin@tp-link.com) 
Huiling You (youhuiling@tp-link.com.cn) 
Mandy Sun (mandy.sun@tp-link.com) 
Karen Luo (karen.luo@tp-link.com) 
Estela Ji (estela.ji@tp-link.com) 
Layla Cai (layla.cai@tp-link.com) 
April Yang (april.yang@tp-link.com)
Designer:
Shangchen Zhang (chen.zhang@tp-link.com)
Website Engineer:
Jimmy Chen (jimmy.chen@tp-link.com)
Dear TP-Linkers,
If you would like to share your own writing, photography or suggestions for our next 
issue, please email us at pulse@tp-link.com. We look forward to working together 
on future articles, as we continue to tell the stories that matter most to TP-Linkers.                                                     
Sincerely,
The Pulse Editing Team