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Which routers are worth buying?
Routers are one of those devices you probably don't think about very much. As long as it gets you online and gives you the content you need, there's no reason to. But with bandwidth demands increasing and new wireless standards emerging, the limits of your router start to become a little more apparent and a lot more frustrating. If it's time for a new one, there's a lot to consider beyond how fast it is -- though that's pretty important, too. Which routers can handle the traffic you throw at them, and which will support all your devices for years to come? While we don't review routers here at Engadget, we've taken a look at some sources we trust to find a few devices that might fit your needs.
TrendNet outs first 450 Mbps dual-band WiFi adapter
If you're reading this, we're going to go ahead and assume you've got a computer endowed with its own wireless radio, but that doesn't mean it's powerful enough to handle your non-stop streaming these days. For folks craving more oomph, TrendNet has just announced the first USB adapter that promises to boost your throughput to speeds as high as 450 Mbps (thanks to MIMO technology) -- a mighty boost over the 54Mbps or 150Mbps rates you might be used to. As a dual-band adapter, it'll connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks and -- bonus -- its design is relatively discreet, too. Feel the need for speed? It's on sale now for $80.
TRENDnet TEW-692GR 450Mbps concurrent dual band router, yet another first
We told you to keep an eye out for TRENDnet at CES this year, and guess what? They delivered. The kings of first-to-market WiFi devices will demo another first this week: the first 450Mbps concurrent dual band wireless router, or TEW-692GR. TRENDnet will be the first to tell you that their new router is the first to offer full 450Mbps on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless bands, simultaneously. As with the company's TEW-690AP, the TEW-692GR delivers a max theoretical throughput of 450Mbps, with three spatial streams per antenna, and can hit a whole gigabit via wired ethernet port. The TEW-692GR goes to market in April and will retail for about $250. If you want to be the first on your block to see the power router in action, check out the TRENDnet booth at CES.
TRENDnet TEW-690AP wireless access point has a theoretical 450Mbps top speed, a real $200 price
It's a sad fact of our digital lives that no matter how stylish we make our daily-used devices, we'll still need some antenna-riddled ogre in the corner of the room to blast out the WiFi goodness. Enter TRENDnet's latest contender, the TEW-690AP (even its name betrays an absolute lack of charisma), which has three spatial streams per antenna to deliver a max theoretical throughput of 450Mbps. It goes up to a full gigabit should you find any reason to connect via its wired Ethernet port, while a few extra bells and whistles -- like a repeater mode, WiFi Protected Setup with compatible devices, and up to four unique, encrypted SSIDs per wireless band -- complete the $200 value proposition. Whether you say yay or nay, look out for more from these guys at CES, they're promising to announce some more "first to market" wireless innovations.
TRENDnet 'world's smallest' Wireless N travel router now on sale
Looking to take 802.11n to places you never thought possible? You know -- like your studio apartment on the Upper East Side? TRENDnet's Wireless N Travel Router (which was announced way back at CES) is tailor made for cramped spaces, fitting within the palm of your hand and offering up a single WAN port, a carrying case and a USB socket. Unfortunately there's no internal battery to keep this puppy alive in the wild, but for $79.99 we can't kvetch too much.
TRENDnet claims 'world's smallest' Wireless N USB adapter crown
We know, you get it -- companies are making extremely small peripherals lately. If it ain't thumb drives it's microSD card readers. Now the kids at TRENDnet want to make sure that all you newly-minted 802.11n users aren't left in the dust, so they've proudly announced TEW-648UB. Billed as the world's smallest Wireless N USB adapter (take that, Mvix!), this guy features one-touch WPS technology and Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) Quality of Service prioritization of video, audio and gaming traffic. Available soon with an MSRP of US $24.99. Show full PR text World's Smallest Wireless N USB Adapter Now Available from TRENDnet TORRANCE, Calif. –September 22, 2009–TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the world's smallest 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter, model TEW-648UB. The ultra compact form factor is slightly larger than a U.S. quarter, measuring a remarkable 1.3 inches (3.3 cm) from end to end. The 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter connects a laptop or desktop computer to a wireless n network at up to 6x the speed and 3x the coverage of a wireless g connection. One-touch Wi-Fi Protected Setup or WPS technology eliminates the hassle of entering complicated codes in order to connect to a wireless network. Simply press the WPS button on a compatible router (most TRENDnet routers feature a WPS button), then press the WPS button on TRENDnet's 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter, confirm that you want to connect, and you're connected! Advanced wireless encryption protects your valuable data. Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) Quality of Service prioritizes important video, audio and gaming traffic to create a premium wireless experience. "We have looked high and low and are confident in our claim that the TEW-648UB is the smallest adapter on the market today. In fact t it is half the size of the average wireless N USB adapter." stated Zak Wood, Director of Global Marketing for TRENDnet. "Despite its' diminutive size, it performs well. We welcome all independent tests against any other 150Mbps (or 1x1) adapter on the market today. The adapter features an equally small price tag. With a predicted street price in the low $20 range, this adapter sets a new price-to-performance standard." The 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter, model TEW-648UB, has an MSRP of US $24.99. This product will be available from all of TRENDnet's online, retail, DMR, and distribution partners.
TRENDnet unloads one more at CES: TEW-673GR Wireless N gigabit router
If you haven't seen enough of TRENDnet here at CES, you haven't been looking, but for those in need of a new wireless router, these choices are certainly sights for sore eyes. The latest entry from the company here in Vegas is the TEW-673GR 300Mbps Concurrent Dual-Band Wireless N Gigabit Router. Constructed with a dual-band Atheros chipset, the device can handle both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks simultaneously; essentially, this enables low-bandwidth clients to be assigned to the more congested 2.4GHz band while high-bandwidth, latency-sensitive applications (such as HD streaming and online gaming) head to the uncongested 5GHz band. Can't help you out on a price, but it should be filtering out in short order.
TRENDnet churns out TEW-647GA Wireless N gaming adapter
Not quite sure what makes this "gaming router" so suitable for you "gamers" out there, but TRENDnet's a firm believer that its CES-announced TEW-647GA is ready and willing to handle those online deathmatches. Though not nearly as minuscule as the TEW-654TR, this 300Mbps 802.11b/g/n router promises a lag-free connection (provided that your broadband connection is worth a darn) and simple setup with PCs and all manners of game consoles. Check it someday after today for some price greater than a penny.
TRENDnet produces world's smallest Wireless N travel router
Looking to drag that 802.11n connectivity with you to even the zaniest of places? Those newly implemented baggage rules totally cramping your style? Enter TRENDnet's TEW-654TR, a 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router kit which is supposedly small enough to slip completely away into the average front pocket. The device only has a LED indicator, 10/100Mbps Ethernet port, a MIMO antenna and an AC socket. No price is mentioned, but don't count on the sticker being proportionally small.
TRENDnet rolls out 7-inch digital photo frame / camera monitor
Well, it looks like the ol' softies and TRENDnet have finally found a way to liven up the family photo slideshow a bit: 'round the clock security camera footage! To make that possible, the company's new 7-inch TV-M7 photo frame connects to your home network and is able to detect any wireless TRENDnet security cameras also connected to the network, which can be displayed on their own or four at a time on the screen. Otherwise, the device looks to be a fairly standard photo frame, with it packing 512MB of built-in storage and a memory card slot for further expansion, along with a remote control, a built-in speaker, and all the usual media playback functionality. As you might expect, however, you won't get this one for the price of your usual 7-inch photo frame, with it running a somewhat hefty $262.99.[Via Chip Chick]
TRENDnet's 300Mbps Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader won't put your router out of a job
If you've been at it long, you're probably tired of forking over $100 or so every year for the latest and greatest in wireless networking. The TEW-637AP, thankfully, takes a different approach. Instead of chucking your current router, the 300Mbps Wireless "Easy-N-Upgrader" just jacks into an extra Ethernet port on your existing router, and relies on that old box to do the "routing" part. The TRENDnet unit deals with blasting the 802.11n with MIMO, for theoretical speeds up to 300Mbps. Seems a bit silly, but the $64 pricetag certainly bests your average 802.11n router, so it might work out for you if you've got a good thing going with your existing setup, and just need a little extra push in the bandwidth department.
TRENDnet announces 300Mbps Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader
It looks like those wanting to get in on some of that 802.11n action on the (relative) cheap could soon be getting the fix they're looking for from TRENDnet, which has just announced its new 300Mbps Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader device. That, as you might have guessed, will let you upgrade your existing router (wired or wireless) to 802.11n, giving you twelve times the speed and six times the coverage of a standard wireless g network "at the touch of a button," according to the company. Given that description, we're guessing the device effectively replaces your old router more than it "upgrades" it, but TRENDnet says it'll come in at a price 15-20% below that of standalone wireless n routers, so we can't complain too much. Still no word on a release though, but TRENDnet promises it'll be the first device of its kind to market, so we'd expect it relatively soon if they want to hold on to that claim.
TRENDnet's 108Mbps TEW-445UB USB 2.0 WiFi adapter
What's better than TRENDnet's pre-802.11n gear? How about an 802.11b/g-compliant device that you can actually rest assured works with basically every other piece of WiFi kit out there? The TEW-445UB is a 108Mbps-capable wireless USB 2.0 / 1.1 adapter which sports a fairly small 2.8- x 2.1- x 0.7-inch enclosure and plays nice with Windows only. Aside from supporting "Super G" technology and WEP / WPA encryption, it boasts a high power output for up to 23dBm of range, a detachable 2dBi antenna, and claims to cover "50 to 100" meters indoors while blanketing "150 to 300" meters outside. While nothing here is particularly revolutionary, the respectable $72 pricetag fits the package quite well, and it should be showing up in stores real soon.
TRENDnet's TS-1300W and TS-1300 NAS enclosures
It's been a little while since we last saw a WiFi hard drive enclosure, and honestly, we wonder why these haven't caught on more, given that you can just hide 'em on a bookshelf without a second thought. At the very least, the latest device from TRENDnet will certainly best D-Link in the style department. The new TS-1300W ($170) comes in a warm pastel blue body with a black stripe that wraps around the whole case and includes two USB 2.0 ports for that one friggin' file that you forgot on your thumb drive. TRENDnet also announced a wired version of this same network attached storage device, the TS-1300, which looks the same as the W, except it's missing the little WiFi antenna on the back, and has a price cut by $40.
TRENDnet announces upcoming pre-n gear
All of the controversy, delays, and performance concerns surrounding the IEEE's notorious pre-802.11n wireless networking spec haven't deterred TRENDnet from being the latest to announce a new family of products based on the non-final version of the MIMO-powered, next-gen WiFi standard. As you'll recall, there's been no small amount of concern that pre-n gear won't play nicely with legacy 802.11a/b/g equipment, which is why TRENDnet goes it out of its way to stress the "good neighbor behavior" exhibited by its WPA and SPI-protected TEW-631BRP router and TEW-621PC PC card -- both of which use Atheros' XSPAN technology to supposedly ensure interoperability in mixed-network environments. TRENDnet promises real-world speeds of between 150Mbps and 180Mbps , which in theory should be enough to stream around a little HD content and download some torrents while you're chatting on your wireless VoIP handset about that great post you're reading on Engadget. Both new products, along with a $150 access point and a $100 PCI adapter, are scheduled to ship on July 25th, with the router priced at $130 and the card going for an even $100.