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TRENDnet TEW-687GA 450Mbps Wireless N Gaming Adapter Review

Others/Networking Gear by stefan @ 2011-02-27

The new Wireless 450Mbps TEW-687GA from TRENDnet is not USB anymore like the previously released products, but offers a Gigabit network interface between itself and the computer we are connecting the adapter to; this way, we don't have to install drivers anymore and is compatible with any platform (we can even configure it through the Playstation3 Internet Browser). We will perform some data transfer speeds to see if it is really better in terms of performance.

A Closer Look Continued

The Wireless N adapter from TRENDnet is protected with a transparent plastic film, to avoid surface scratches during transport (the shiny plastic surface picks very easy fingerprints):

On the sides, we can see the TRENDnet logo embossed, along with the code name of the product:

Also on the lateral we can find a nice Wireless N 450 logo, which is also present on the TEW-691GR router:

In the back of the device, we can find a RJ45 connector, a power button and the DC-IN connector; it would have been nicer to see the power button elsewhere, since it is a little difficult to operate it when the power and LAN cables are connected:

On the top of the device we can see some ventilation holes, along with the WPS button:

The frontal side of the adapter has 3 LEDs that represent power, LAN and Wireless activity:

On the bottom side we can see a small sticker with the device serial number and MAC, along with the Reset hole:

Here is how the front LED interface does look when the product is operating:

Comment from jmke @ 2011/02/27

What use exactly would you give this product? Add highspeed wireless to a system at $100 ( http://www.google.com/search?q=TEW-6...874725 dc45b7 ) which doesn't have wireless network card? A PCI wireless network card is about $50 for high end one, how does this stack up? How many times do you switch around network between devices?

PS3 and XBOX 360 have wireless network integrated, so maybe for other devices like Popcorn Hour? That one only has LAN, with this you can give it a fast wireless access? It does come at a premium price though, to be honest

Comment from Stefan Mileschin @ 2011/02/27

These devices with the new speed are still at the beginning and I am sure that a lot of speed improvements will be made with firmware upgrades to both router and adapter.

I see this product as a great device to add Wireless LAN and Internet access to any device in our homes with a RJ45 connector, without the need to configure anything else after the main setup wizard has been completed.

The PS3 comes with Wireless B/G so this adapter is a great upgrade to the internal wireless solution.

Comment from jmke @ 2011/02/27

Would this setup be possible?

In a room where you don't have wired connection to your network
- PC1
- PC2
connected with RJ45 to a switch in that room
switch connected to TEW-687GA.
Does the 687GA provide DHCP to more than one client?

Comment from Stefan Mileschin @ 2011/02/27

That would be an interesting test to perform, but I do not have currently a switch handy.

Comment from jmke @ 2011/02/27

a router with 4 UTP ports and its internal DHCP disabled should work too

Comment from Stefan Mileschin @ 2011/02/27

Yes, that is a solution too, but with a regular switch it would have been much more simpler

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