Customer Reviews

TRENDnet 54Mbps Wireless G Access Point TEW-430APB (Blue)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have a couple of computers in one room, connected via LAN to a Linksys Wireless G router/access point, which is connected to a DSL modem. I wanted to put another computer an an Ethernet-attached printer on the floor above. The standard way to do this would be to run a Cat-5 cable from the Linksys router to a small hub on the upper floor, and connect the new computer and printer to it. It would be a long and complicated run, though, and would involve drilling through the floor. Not impossible, but I didn't really look forward to doing it.

This device seemed to be just what I was looking for: a way to replace a long run of Cat-5 cable with a wireless link. Put the TRENDnet Access Point on the upper floor along with a small hub (the Access Point has only one Ethernet jack), and plug the computer and printer into the hub.

The Access Point offers five modes of operation. The one I expected to use is called "WDS", for Wireless Distribution System. From the user manual, it appears as if this is the mode for just extending a LAN as I wanted to do. I was never able to get this mode of operation to communicate with the Linksys router. The manual is not well written, and the help windows from the Access Point's built in web server are even worse. Using browsers to look at the settings of both the Linksys and the TRENDnet, I verified that everything that I can set was entered correctly: Channel number, SSID, passphrases, MAC addresses, everything. No connection was ever made, in WDS mode.

So I tried "AP + WDS" mode; still nothing worked.

Finally I tried "AP Client" mode, in which (quoting now) "the AP will be a wireless Ethernet adapter transforms any Ethernet-enabled devices to have the wireless function." From the diagram, it would seem that only one device (computer, printer) could be attached. I tried connecting the switch with both computer and printer to the Access Point in this mode, and finally it all works.

Now that it's working, it is doing just what I wanted it to. The new computer can access the internet and share files with the ones downstairs, the downstairs computers can print on the upstairs printer, and so on.

The poor manual and even worse help text really drags this product down. I would have rated it much higher if it hadn't required so much experimentation to get it going.

If you need this device to work as a wireless access point, then it will serve you quite well. The headaches begin when you try to go beyond this default setup, as the instructions lack in clarity. The paper instructions that come in the box give NO instructions beyond the basic setup, which I found mildly annoying. To get more detailed instructions you must either download the full pdf from the TrendNet website or get it from the included cd (which has little else - no drivers, no real software).

And here's your tip of the day: ENTER YOUR IP SETTINGS BEFORE CHANGING THE MODE FROM WAP TO AP CLIENT. I ran into a problem where after setting the device as an AP Client, when I muddled around with other settings it outright refused to work. The only cure was to press the reset button and enter my settings from scratch. After I figured this out, I am able to use it as an AP Client using DHCP with zero problems two stories below my wireless router, and on the other side of the building. No problems yet.

Conclusion: It may take some tinkering if you are doing something beyond the default settings, but this device is very capable and a good value.

PS: As another reviewer stated, the product you receive may look nothing like the one pictured. I like the one I received better anyway - no big deal.

I never knew that this was a possibility for extending my wireless network until I read about it on a DirecTV chat room. Basically, I have DirecTV with HD DVR and wanted to use the newly enabled on-demand functionality that allows me to download television shows and movies so I can play them when and as often as I want. Unfortunately, my wireless router is too far away from my DirecTV receiver (cable box) to allow me to plug the two together. This product allows me to 'create' a new wired connection that is near enough to enjoy this DirecTV service. It is both low cost and low maintenance, a perfect combination for mankind.

Wow, great device and super easy to set up...but you won't find the steps in the instructions. This device is not for beginners due to the useless instructions, but if you're using it to add a non-wireless device like a PC or a Netflix on demand box such as the Samsung Blue Ray player (BDP-1600) to your wireless network, it works great. After studying the instructions both hard copy, CD doc, [...], and having to reset the device 5 times, I finally got it. It was all trial and error.

To make it a wireless bridge, here are the simple steps:
1. Make sure that IP 192.168.1.100 isn't already being used on your network.
2. Hard wire the device to your network router
3. Connect to the device via 192.168.1.100 in a web browser.
4. Go through the simple four-step wizard to give it a name...etc. (I chose all the defaults.)
5. Go to "Basic Setup"
6. Choose "AP Client"
7. Click the "Site Survey" button and choose your home wireless network. (Make sure your wireless network is broadcasting.)
8. If your home wireless network is secure, enter WEP key or whatever it is secured with.
9. Hit the "Apply" button and you're done...at least I was. It is super simple...once you know how to do it.

Good luck.

I bought this for my sister, so she could access my wireless network from her house next door. Before she got this, the only way she could get enough of a signal to use her netbook was to open a window facing my house and put the netbook on the window sill. Our houses are only about 50 feet apart, but my Rosewill router sits behind a thick concrete wall. This has proved the perfect solution to the problem. Set-up was not that difficult, I just connected it via ethernet to my PC, set up my PC to use a static IP address, used a web browser to access the device, set it to repeater mode, found my network and put in the network and security settings, and, after changing my PC's network settings back to dynamic IP, was done. If you've set up wireless networks before, there's nothing to it, if not, look on it as a learning experience! All we had to do after that was to put it in a room in her house that was near to mine, and plug it in. I also replaced the antennas on my router and this AP with ones that are a bit more robust. Now she can get a good signal on her netbook anywhere in her house, and her desktops equipped with PCI wireless adapters also get good signal. This is probably the cheapest, easiest way to solve a similar problem you're likely to find, if you have, or are willing to acquire, the know-how.

A single wireless router couldn't cover my house. Instead, I use two access points and a (wired) router. Most access points are overly expensive. The TRENDnet WAP not only works flawlessly, it is quite reasonably priced. Highly recommended -- it's really easy to just set it and forget it.

It feels a little flimsy but it works, can't complain with that. The software is easy to use. I like the ability to use this as a client device that allows you to transparently bridge any wired ethernet enabled device to your wireless network via an existing Access Point or Router.

I purchased this to act as a wireless adapter for my DirecTV HD DVR so I could get the On Demand channels. There are great tips on setting it up in the DirecTV customer forums. I found CFO214's tips especially useful. He/she had set up several different systems using the Trendnet WAP, so knew all of the possible problems you might run into. The tips that helped me the most were to change the basic settings to AP Client instead of Access Point, and to change the SSID to match my network name. After reading his tips, I had this working in about 5-10 minutes. The thread can be found here:

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Overall, a great product & setup was easy after correcting all of my rookie mistakes.

A nice simple/generic router for the money. Setup was very standard and I had it working in repeater mode in about 10 minutes. Firmware is Linux based so tweaking should be possible. Atenna is removable so you could replace with larger mast for more gain.

This unit works well but the instructions left a little bit to be desired. I've used it as a WAP (router in office upstairs has poor coverage in one of the downstairs rooms) and then as a client to hook up my wired-only DVR box to the internet (no CAT-5 there... silly me although great to see wiring the house with CAT-5 is no longer needed).

This is one of the lowest cost units out there and it can do a ton. I'd like to give it 5* but the instructions aren't overly clear for stuff besides WAP. I temporarily hosed my wireless network when I was switching this thing from access point to client. Having to choose between 4 and 5 stars, I'm rounding up my 4.5* score to 5* since who knows if the issue was the instructions or just me being impatient or both.

I'll definitely buy another TEW-430APB if I need it. It costs less than the other brands and does more.