TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-638APB (Black)
by TRENDnet
List Price:
Our Price: $39.99
You Save: $50.00 (56%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: CE
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: TRENDnetAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows XP
Model: TEW-638APB
Product features:
- Compact high performance wireless n access point
- Wireless Bridge mode for Ethernet-to-wireless bridging function
- Works as an access point and a wireless adapter
- Compliant with IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0), IEEE 802.11g and 802.11b standards
- Compatible with 802.11b/g/n networks
- AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable (14 Feet/4.2 Meters)
- AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable (50 Feet/15.2 Meters)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-638APB (Black)
Customer Review: Works well, configuration could be clearer
Summary: 3 Stars
Sometimes you can use a wireless adapter to get your device on your network. Sometimes your TV or Blu-ray player leaves you with no option other than a wired connection. This device allows you to put a switch or hub anywhere in a typical home or plug any network cable directly into it for a network connection.
Alternatively, two of these can tie remote areas of a network together wirelessly without having this emulate a wireless adapter. You can also use this by plugging it into your network in locations where wireless devices, such as laptops get weak signals. You could even have an individual laptop use this instead of its built in adapter if it has trouble picking up on your network from remote areas of your home.
You start off by connecting this device to a single computer so you can configure it. You can bring it up with a web browser, and bypass the need to install the configuration software on your PC. However, if its default IP address is out of the range of your subnet mask, you would have to manually assign an IP address and subnet mask to your computer, and set them back after configuration.
That method is a common way to configure similar devices. It can make things easy, or it might seem confusing enough to drive you away. If so, you merely use the software on the CD, which finds the device and walks you through the configuration without the problems above.
The way the modes of operations work could be explained better in the manuals, and there is an assumption that you already understand the related network concepts and types of wireless security. The method of configuration is not what you might be typically used to. There is some ambiguity in certain areas where it is not clear whether a field applies to the device or to the router you are connecting to.
It's pretty clear that they were not willing to hire the native English speakings consultant to maintenance of wording the screens. If you understood that last sentence, you should understand their configuration screens too.
In order to work with my network, I needed to set up a profile for the wireless network name used by my router. Once I got the security information in there, things worked like a charm. It also did a good job of finding other networks within range.
One day I found that my connection speed was not only fast, but far exceeded what my Internet provider gives me. After a little investigation, I found that at some point, this device connected to the network with the strongest signal, which was an unsecured router belonging to a neighbor. That left my network vulnerable since it had a non encrypted connection, plus security and firewalls assumed I had a secure wired connection. Their support group told me there is no way around that.
Since your devices plug into this (or a hub or switch that's plugged into this) they act as if they were any other wired devices. You do not see a WiFi icon in your system tray nor do you see a signal strength indicator. So there's no way of seeing what network you get a wireless connection to unless you look at what network this independent device got connected to. This would not be an issue if you use two of these devices to bridge wirelessly, but that should not have been necessary.
At some later point, I found that it tried to give a warning message before attempting to connect to a non-secure network, which is something their tech support group told me would not happen. I wish there were an explanation for why it connected to one on its own before without such a warning. You would never see the aforementioned warning unless you went to the device to try to figure out why you had no network connection. It would have been nice if they had something similar to what you have with a bi-directional printer where a status icon in your PC tray shows the state of the remote device.
If you have things set up, your router stays on and connected, and the device stays powered on, you can get excellent performance. If you lose the connection while you are updating your router's firmware, or for any other reason, I can't tell you what this device will do on its own in the interim. It still works well enough that I use it and it's the best practical alternative for me.
Description of TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-638APB (Black)
TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-638APB Wireless Access PointsDigital Cameras & Photo Categories
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
TRENDnet TE100-S5 5-Port Ethernet Switch (5 x 10/ 100Mbps Auto-MDIX RJ-45 Ports)TRENDnet; Release date: 2011-11-28; Windows 2000; CE
Best price: $12.97
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 450 Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-690AP (Black)TRENDnet; CE
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet Duo 7dBi Indoor Omni Directional Antenna with Mounting Base TEW-AI77OB (Black)TRENDnet; Windows; CE
Best price: $26.99
Price in other shops:
Western Digital 160 GB Caviar Blue 100 Mb/ s 7200 RPM 8 MB Cache Bulk/ OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD1600AAJBWestern Digital; CE
Best price: $65.00
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 16-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch with 32 Gbps Switching Capacity TEG-S16Dg (Black)TRENDnet; CE
Best price: $108.99
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit GREENnet Standard Switch (8 x 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps)TRENDnet; Windows; CE
Best price: $34.80
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 300 Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router TEW-639GR (Black)TRENDnet; Windows; CE
Best price: $50.95
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 5-Port Unmanaged Gigabit GREENnet Switch (5 x 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps Auto-Negotiation, Auto-MDIX Gigabit Ethernet Ports) TEG-S50g (Black Metal)TRENDnet; Release date: 2012-02-15; Windows; CE
Best price: $27.41
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 300 Mbps Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader (TEW-637AP)TRENDnet; Windows; CE
Best price: $35.00
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 150 Mbps Wireless N Access Point TEW-650AP (Black)TRENDnet; CE
Best price: $33.00
Price in other shops: