TRENDNET 300MBPS WIRELESS and GIGABIT ROUTER
Good Features, Low Cost, Rotten Install
For a very reasonable price, the Trendnet 300Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router (model TEW-633GR) has almost all the features you could want. But although the company went to the trouble of providing four Gigabit Ethernet wired ports, the router doesn’t support operation in the 5-GHz band, which would let the wire­less perform optimally. Still, if you’re not in an area crowded with other 2.4-GHz wireless devices and you have no wireless “g” or “b” clients, the TEW-633GR is a competitive choice.
The installation procedure needs help, though. Among other annoyances, the wizard gave incorrect instructions and hung. Still, setting up the wireless network wasn’t hard. Trendnet’s standard Web-based management screens were clear and intuitive.
Like the SMC SMCWGBR14 Barricade N, the TEW-633GR sup­ports virtual servers, letting you host multiple Web servers. You’ll also find support for a standard QoS rules page, StreamEngine technology for prioritizing gaming traffic, and Wireless Intelligent Stream Handling, which prioritizes wireless traffic. Security fea­tures include an SPI firewall, traffic filtering, and content filtering.
Throughput at 20 feet using the Trendnet 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter averaged 186 Mbps—very quick for a 2.4-GHz con­nection. At 80 feet, that dropped to a still-respectable 36 Mbps.
The Trendnet 300Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router gives you decent throughput and a lot of high-end functionality for the price. But for installation, scan the docs and bypass the wizard.—OR