Installation and Setup

Getting up and running with the TrendNet TEW-637AP took only a matter of minutes. After unpacking everything from the box, I inserted the installation CD into one of the computers on the network. The setup program automatically started up and I was asked to accept the Terms and Conditions. Pretty standard fare. The prompts then told me to connect the TEW-637AP to the existing router and turn it on. After clicking on next, the software began to scan for an available TrendNet access point in the area. Naturally, it only found the one and I selected it. The next part of the configuration requested an SSID for the new access point, as well as any security settings that I wanted to have for the new wireless network. I could choose between WPA or WEP. And that’s it. I had the option to save the settings as a text file, but this step is completely optional. At this point, the new wireless access point was completely ready to go and all I had to do was choose it from the list of networks in Windows. The access point should also work for Macs.

Performance and Usability

I’m not so sure about the claims of getting 300Mbps out of this wireless access point, but that’s true of anything running on the draft-N standard. Most broadband Internet connections get nowhere near this kind of speed, so it’s unlikely that the average consumer is going to experience a huge improvement in connection when upgrading to wireless-N. Even so, you may see some improvement, assuming that your Internet connection can handle it, when you are streaming high-definition content, for example. In my brief experience with this product, I found that overall speeds were a little better than my old 802.11g setup, but easily the greater benefit to upgrading would be the increase in range. My laptop was able to achieve a sustained connection in areas where it was able to do so before. This was particularly pronounced when I tried to stay connected to the network while outside of my house. I was able to get to about the end of the block before the 802.11n access point dropped out of range. Because the setup process was so painless and so uncomplicated, I can see why TrendNet would want to market this device as a Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader. That’s got to appeal to the people out there who are a little more phobic about technology.