Customer Reviews

TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless N Broadband Router TEW-631BRP

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I've tried dozens of different routers over the last 12-18 months (think of it as a weird hobby). This one has the best range and throughput of any I've tried, even with standard 802.11g client cards. It also has fantastic features, including QoS, dynamic dns, WDS, port forwarding/triggering, static DHCP assignments, etc. etc. The only somewhat negative things I can say are: It has a stupid-looking backlit "wireless router" sign on top (though not as bad as the netgear rotating LEDs); also, the router runs kind of warm. All in all, this was a highly worthwhile upgrade, even from my previous MIMO router. BTW, I get an full 802.11n connection using my dlink wireless card, so interoperability seems good.

Edit: There are now THREE different versions of this. Make sure you have the latest version of the firmware.

New Edit: As of the 11/2007 (v1.0.3.x) I have been having problems maintaining a steady connection. This seems to be a function of some changes from Atheros (I had the same problem with a Zyxel). I disabled both WISH ("wireless intelligent stream handling") and Wi-Fi protected setup and the problem went away, though this might just be coincidence.

Pros: Excellent firmware and interface, excellent signal strength, excellent stability, possibly good range (haven't tested the range).

Cons: 100 Mbps switch instead of gigabit switch, color of the case? :)

In my experience of owning several routers now (Linksys, US Robotics), the software (firmware) that goes with the hardware is of equal importance. For instance, I had to run my previous US Robotics 8054 router with a DLink firmware (they have the same exact hardware and chipsets inside, just branded differently) only to achieve some level of stability with that product. The engineers behind this product seem to have done an excellent job with their (at least the latest 1.0.3.5) firmware coding, because even within extremely RF noisy silicon valley apartment I live in, the Wifi performance and stability (both in G and N modes) is nearly flawless. No drops or reboots for over 2 months of use. Given what it sells for, the cost/benefit ratio is excellent.

Update: Enabling Wireless Intelligent Stream Handling (WISH) seems to cause instability with the wireless connection. Since this is a second order problem I think I'll stick to the 631BRP by disabling WISH and hoping for a fix in later firmware.

Update: As of F/w 1.0.3.7, wireless disconnects occur because if "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" in "Advanced Settings" is on. Unfortunately, the default setting of this IS on. So in my experience, for wireless stability, this should be turned OFF by the user.

I had a setup with Linksys WRT54G and Airport Express to get wireless signal everywhere at home. I just replaced it with this router, and the coverage is superior than the past! I am also getting 114mbps data rate on my MacBook Pro. The price for this item was also quite low when compared to other Draft N routers. The only concern I have is if TRENDNet will release a firmware to make it compatible with the 802.11 N spec when that goes final.

This is a great router with rock solid performance. Unbelieveable price/performance for a Draft 2.0N wireless router. I was deciding between this router and the D-Link DIR-655 and am glad I picked this one up because it has similar capabilities for a lot less (after the MIR).

I was intrigued by the polarity in ratings on this router - many 5 stars as well as several 1 star. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive and I felt compelled to review it. My conclusion - don't touch this router if you have limited experience setting up and configuring computer networks. You are better off with one of the Linksys WRT54G series in this case.

As someone else has pointed out there are 3 versions of this router (with the same name). Amazon.com shipped me the latest (V3.0) version a few days ago. The first thing that you want to do is to update the firmware - I updated from 1.0.3.0 to 1.0.3.5 from the Trendnet website. There is no password for the admin acct initially (though the documentation says that it is "admin"). The router interface is also a bit confusing e.g. port forwarding is called "games" under Advanced Features. You can run an emulator available on the Trendnet site if you want to get a better feel for the interface.

If you are looking for advanced capabilities such as QoS, Port Triggering and Forwarding, WPA2-PSK security, Draft 2.0N wireless, DHCP static assignments, Dynamic DNS etc. at a reasonable price (<$50 after MIR) then this could be the router for you.

I have a lot of complexity for a home network (includes this Trendnet router, my old Dell Truemobile 2300 running as access point - with WEP & MAC access control for Nintendo DS Lite access, 2 wired Ethernet switches as well as 2 Homeplug AV powerline Ethernet devices working as a network bridge). I did not use any of the wizards in the interface so can't comment on those, but was able to get up to 100% within a couple of hours with manual configuration.

The QOS feature works very well with VOIP. (My home phone line is VOIP). Wireless performance is also very good (I am currently running 54G with WPA because of legacy devices on the network) - a definite improvement in terms of range as well as robustness as compared to my older Dell Truemobile 2300.

Cons: no GigE ports, confusing user interface and documentation, cheap blue plastic look.

Once again, highly recommended for users with intermediate to advanced networking knowledge who are looking for value in their purchase.

I've read the reviews on all the current wireless routers and decided to go with the 631 since newer versions really did not offer much more of an upgrade other than looks. It comes with software cd (ignor it) and load it manually. Use the 192.168.10.1 browser address to use the router wizard. I disabled the WISH feature in advanced settings (due to drops)and otherwise had a fast install. Works well, Zero drops .Last router was Belkin pre-N ,which lasted two years than had constant drops than died. This has even better range and no problems with plaster walls and heavy electrical interferance from multipal electric wirings(house built in 1925).so with this in mind,ignor the ugly body and buy it , non of the others are perfect eather. Just don't use the cd wizard and you'll be fine. Update(1-11-2009) 4 months working without a drop or problem.OK , it has been 10 months now and this unit has been stable throughout.No drops,no reboots, just works.I even added T-mobile at Home(VoIP)in front of it and still no difference. Great unit.

I have owned this several months. Before I give my review I want to give you a point of reference.

My previous router was a Linksys WRTGL which I bought because my first WRT (not GL) did not have a strong enough signal. I got the GL version because you can easily use hacked firmware to increase signal power by 100%. Still not happy with the performance I bought extended range antenna for the Linksys and finally I had good wireless performance throughout the house. After 13 months it started dying and finally worked no more. Warranty is for 12 months. Nice.

So I get the TRENDnet and the first thing I did was upgrade the firmware which I had to do three times. Upgrading firmware is always a little scary but it went down without a hitch. I couldn't find any hacked firmware so I just used the standard firware.

Without any modification the signal strength is 8-10% higher than my modified GL Linksys was! To say I am happy is a vast understatement. Other reviewers here are making my head spin with all the fancy lingo of what this router can do but here is the bottom line.

This router works great. It is very easy to set up. It has a three year warranty. SOLD!

A possible downside of this router is I have heard their tech support is not that great and the reviews I read said the automatic software setup is poor. Since I have used neither of those things I cannot comment but I felt it was something that might be important to a prospective buyer.

Installed this on a Monday with little effort. Immediately updated firmware, also with no problems. Great performance until Friday night and Saturday. It could not sustain wireless connections on any of three computers using wireless in my home or the wireless print server/bridge. I attempted to go through setup again but this router could not find my Motorola cable modem (model 5101). As recommended by the setup GUI, I disconnected the cable modem for longer than 2 minutes -- still no luck. After doing this several times, the router still could not "see" the cable modem. I reconnected my Netgear WGR614 and its setup also asked me to power off my cable modem for 2 minutes. I did and it found my cable modem right away and began working. I checked all three of my computers using wireless adapters in the house and all were working fine. My Netgear wireless print server/bridge (WGPS606) worked also. This indicates that my existing hardware is not defective. I am very disappointed because the wired portion of the router really does outperform the Netgear model it is replacing. This is the only reason I got it as I am not ready to replace all the "g" adapters in my home.

The setup was a little difficult but once we connected everything and fiddled with the settings everything was fine. We haven't experienced any sudden shutdowns and the speed is consistently fast. I would recommend it.

I read many evaluations of similar routers from other brands. Choose this one.
- Solved the problem of weak signal in my house.
- Solved the problem I had with other brands about Wake-on-lan.
Excellent product. I'm looking forward to see if Trendnet will make the software upgrade to turn this equipment a full N-specification (when the specification get's published - in 2008, I think).

Very briefly, my apartment has metal studs in the walls. My laptop (Intel NIC) is two rooms from the router (D-Link) but the signal goes through the two walls at 90 degrees and I get 5 out of 5 on the meter. The problem had been my second desktop (D-Link NIC) is diagnally on the opposite side of the apartment and the signal goes through 4 walls at various extreme angles. I averaged 1 of 5 bars in that room. I installed this router and immediately got 4 out of 5 bars. WOW! Now why only 4 stars-the configuration wasn't quite as friendly at the D-Link's and my first attempt at TrendNet's tech support wasn't good. After 20 minutes on the phone, the tech (with an attitude) gave up and told me to dwnld some firmware & call back (more wait time). When I got to the firmware page, there were several options that he didn't warn me about. So I dwnld'd all of them. I called back & y'know when you get a tech that has it all together-this was that guy. First he told me to trash the firmware updates. Then in ten minutes he had me up and running. Now me happy.