TP-Link Archer BE550 Wi-Fi 7 router guest network cannot reach devices, cast or print

The checks in more detail

If the toggle is missing, update the router's firmware first, since the guest options were extended in later builds, and check that the router is running in router mode and not as an access point. The features that matter are limits and visibility. You can allow the guest network to reach local devices or keep it walled off, and the safe default keeps it walled off, which also hides your printer and speakers from guests. You can set the guest network to switch off at a certain time or after a set number of hours,

useful for a weekend stay, and you can cap its speed so that a guest's streaming cannot starve your video calls. If the guest network vanishes by itself, the time limit has probably expired, so check it. Phones that connect to the guest network but cannot cast to a TV on the main network are behaving correctly, and the fix is to connect the TV to the guest network too or turn the visibility option on. TP-Link's HomeShield tools add a further layer on this router.

Where your model offers an IoT network, it is a better home for smart plugs and cameras than the guest network, because it is meant to live permanently and keeps those devices apart from your computers. If guests report slow Wi-Fi, check that they have joined the 5 GHz guest network, not 2.4, and that the guest bandwidth limit is not too low. Change the guest password after visitors leave, and turn the network off when not needed. If the router will not save a guest setting, restart it, apply the setting again and check the firmware. Back up the router's configuration from the system tools before a reset. Contact TP-Link with the serial number if the option stays missing.