Trendnet TEW-673GRU Hands-on Video Reviews

[tipstir]

I've ordered and received today the top of the line Trendnet dual band / 680MHz TEW-673GRU to see how well it would perform on my network. Along the way I wanted to share my experiences with it. This time around I gone bit more in this review. 5 videos have been shot and completed. Just waiting on Youtube to post them.

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 1 (Box Intro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmCrDZh05bo

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 2 (Unboxing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Slt5J--hs

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 3 (Configuring Web Admin for Static IP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQRibLi7AU

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 3b (Configuring Web Admin for Static IP Continues)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7TzQKpbhB4

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 4 (Connected hardware to Network)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reOUdQCk4sA

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 5 (P2P Downloading Initial Test)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HCIV5a7Bs8

 

[altdel]

Can't wait to see your resuts

Finally we'll have a detailed review from someone who's knowledgeable in wireless networking.

What's the firmware version of your unit? I noticed that Trendnet's website has Firmware Version:v1.00.24 posted on 5/13/2010. It looks like they went through quite a few revisions before releasing the product (the 24 in the version).

 

[tipstir]

Finally we'll have a detailed review from someone who's knowledgeable in wireless networking.

What's the firmware version of your unit? I noticed that Trendnet's website has Firmware Version:v1.00.24 posted on 5/13/2010. It looks like they went through quite a few revisions before releasing the product (the 24 in the version).

Thanks! But your correct that's the same firmware that came with 2010 unit. I am still integration mode. I can tell you one thing that is not in the videos the unit is quick on LAN to LAN and WAN to LAN and LAN to WAN. Speedtest although that just to let you know what the ISP and your modem and router should be doing in routing speed. That's about a tad above the ESR-9850, Beklin N+ had reported which is good. The last video was to show you P2P but Youtube was in ready only mode. I'll post that soon and that was the initial trial run prior changes QoS which I was done afterwards.

 

[tipstir]

Last file is posted. I'll be doing another trial run on Monday with new settings. I going to work on the wireless today and move the router location too.

 

[Machan1888]

FINALLY !

i've been waiting for someone to review this !
thanks tipster !

 

[tipstir]

FINALLY !

i've been waiting for someone to review this !
thanks tipster !

No problem! More to come it wouldn't be the "tipstir" way!

 

[tipstir]

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 6 - P2P 1GB HD Test

Trendnet TEW-673GRU Review Part 6 - P2P 1GB HD Test
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpTCaZp-J38

After doing some more tweaks to the QoS finally got over 3.41mb/s this time around the file was HD 1.08GB instead of 300MB. My finally thoughts are the router as really paid off. I was worried about heat, but that not a issue they have rubber feet that lifts the unit off the table but I am keeping like you seen it in the video. I found old 3.5 HD stand that fits perfect. Keeps the ANT standing up and you can read the LCD display.

Got the Wireless were I want it to be. I going to get those miniUSB 5GHz dongles to test that band out. My goal was to move the cable modem and TEW-673GRU out of the basement family room closet to my SOHO/HO location. So I can see how the LCD readings on TEW-673GRU go how it performs. Right now the two Belkin's are on that stand you see in Review Part 3 (right 802.11n / left 802.11g) signal on both are very high.

 

[Machan1888]

thats fast !

slightly offtopic but ever since glancing at these forums, i've seen you make a few posts in regards to torrents etc.

i've only ever used them as a basic , install and start downloading a torrent. never done any tweaks to QoS or ever seen the speeds that your getting

can you point me in the right direction where i can read up more about this stuff? like tutorials on how to get fast torrent download speeds etc via either hardware or software

i might be wrong but i think i remember reading about someone using an older pc with linux on it just as a torrent downloader or something. some sort of torrent specific box.

i'd like to fool around with that and another item i've read about is PFSense firewall computers ?

these forums have opened up a whole can of worms for me lol !

 

[tipstir]

Actually faster than the video shows peak to 3.84/mb/s.

 

[altdel]

Great torrents performance

That's great torrents performance! I presume you have cable or FiOS and not DSL service, right? I wonder if you can see how many connections (tcp/udp) were opened to get that download speed.

 

[tipstir]

That's great torrents performance! I presume you have cable or FiOS and not DSL service, right? I wonder if you can see how many connections (tcp/udp) were opened to get that download speed.

Well yes I use a program to monitor those connections. A faster router does help and that can handle so many connections otherwise it will choke, lockup or just bog down or worst yet overheat!

The Limit on TCP.sys under Windows XP SP2, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, and 7 has to be lifted from the default 10. I have that box you see in the video set to 100 and the P2P software set to 100. Tweak the connection buffer. Better to show by images. I could do a video on it to show and tell. Might be better to do that.

The TEW-673GRU can keep the flow at a steady 3.xxmb/s unlike the prior routers seem to dip downward more then upward. DIR-655 even-though prior firmware 1.11 wasn't as nearly good as the TEW-673GRU and ESR-9850 nor then Belkin N+.

Using the Netsh command under your OS for Windows like for example 7.
Type:

netsh int tcp show global

Under that system shown in the video (note below output is not the default under 7 OS)

TCP Global Parameters
------------------------
Receive-Side Scaling State: enabled
Chimney Offload State :enabled
NetDMA State :enabled
Direct Cache Acess (DCA): disabled
Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level: normal
Add-On Congestion Control Provider: ctcp
ECN Capability: disabled
RFC 1323 Timestamps: disabled


Note: Some of the settings are in Vista but this is 7 viewing. If you have higher than dual core or higher some features require that. The Chimney Offload State is set to: auto in 7, I forced it to enabled. This features requires that the NIC Offload settings are also set to enabled. So that the Processor Controller is used instead of the system CPU. XP is was called Offload the Processor and was done in the registry.

If you're on Cable make sure the MTU=1500 and DSL MTU=1492. By default under Windows OS the number is lower.

P2P two popular ones work differently. One uses Java Client to me it better to use faster after you tweak it though. The other one well slower.

 

[tipstir]

This is the way I have it fixed
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._396232167948_579882948_4249859_5976526_n.jpg

Close-up
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs261.snc3/27735_396233152948_579882948_4249867_6284045_n.jpg

 

[Machan1888]

what torrent program do you use ?

 

[tipstir]

what torrent program do you use ?

Same for years until they change the name to Vuze but I use that in the classic view and shutdown the bloat crap. Use along with that PeerBlock.

 

[tipstir]

Wireless Report

Getting back on topic..

The wireless signal on this router is in feet is only slightly over 300 feet. They have it at 365 feet on one twain site since the parent company is from twain. Max outside is almost 1,000. Comparing this router with the ESR-9850 and Belkin N+ when it comes to 2.4GHz wireless 802.11n if it wasn't for the signal strength it's on-par with the Belkin N+ on the side of the house where the router is it's able to reach 2 floors up -61dBm on RSSi chart on iSSIDer program.

Unlike the ESR-9850 where it would start to bottom out and drop like a mad dog or it turns off the wireless radio all together. TEW-673GRU doesn't do that. Again to let you know there is no Auto Channel mode it's all manual 1 thru 11 based. The 5GHz band starts at 36 and goes up to 161 channel (only 8 channels to choose from) Anyway I only get 4 bars out of 5 throughout the house. The Belkin N+ running AP 802.11n in Auto Dual Channel and when the TEW-673GRU both are on the Belkin + drops from 5 out of 5 bars to 4 out of 5 bars. So that pretty interesting.

Now if I disable the Belkin N+ in 802.11n Auto mode and enable the 802.11n on the TEW-673GRU and see the results 3 bars out of 5. If I go about 25 feet over where the router is in the basement family then it's 5 out of 5. No lag quick access to web sites where as the ESR-9850 and Belkin N+ would have slight lag to access the same web sites on the same wireless laptop. I kind of like the TEW-673GRU wireless routing over those two. Looks like another TEW-673GRU as a 802.11n AP in going to be needed for those dead spots?

Now your signal strength may vary and you can get alway with just the one wireless AP.
Even though only 3 bars out 5 showing good not bad for loading my IIS 7 web server, but better to have the 5 bars out of 5 as then it really quick to load it.
I guess this router can't cut though solid oak wood floors, cement blocks and cast iron steam pipes or reach to my SOHO area right now I am showing:

TEW-673GRU
802.11n only
Manual mode for Channel 1
20/40Hz
RSSi: -72
Signal Strength: Good (3 out of 5 bars)
Location: Basement
Distance: 50 feet

Belkin N+
AP
802.11n
Manual mode for Channel 6 (I see that the Belkin N+ tends to set both AP to same channel under Auto 11)
20/40Hz
RSSi: -58
Signal Strength: Excellent (5 out of 5 bars)
Location: Upstairs (second floor)
Distance: 25 feet

Belkin N+
AP
802.11g
Manual mode for Channel 9 (I see that the Belkin N+ tends to set both AP to same channel under Auto 11)
20Hz
RSSi: -58
Signal Strength: Excellent (5 out of 5 bars)
Location: Upstairs (second floor)
Distance: 25 feet

When the TEW-673GRU Radio is switched off the two above show less than -5 for RSSi. each.

Anyway better radio is in the Trendnet though. You can tell on the performance side. I am on a brand new laptop I am using for testing.

 

[tipstir]

I had lost my wireless on Belkin N+ both of them were knocked out by the TEW-673GRU signal. How you ask? Well I was only 50FT about the it and in a test I was conducting both Belkin N+ shutdown on me. I going to stick in the two ESR-9850 and see how they do as AP with TEW-673GRU since I don't have another TEW-673GRU to test. The trendnet works great on the same floor where it is located for wireless and the floor above it. When we get to the 3rd floor then the signal strength goes down to good only.

 

[tipstir]

Results today

Tested this combination with TEW-673GRU with wireless enabled
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs281.snc3/27735_396682777948_579882948_4262727_7385464_n.jpg

Worked then issues with the ESR-9850 again, can't work with TEW-673GRU well two of them can't. One almost did if I put the TEW-673GRU in 802.11g mode but the signal is weak. Not good enough.

Gone back to this with TEW-673GRU with wireless disable
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._396683252948_579882948_4262771_5328757_n.jpg

I would be best to get another TEW-673GRU and use that either in the mix or the mode I need to run. But then 802.11g not going to be useful unless I use the dual channel features were 802.11g be on 2.4GHz and 802.11n be on 5GHz. The only issue doing so would cost additional to buy 5GHz adapters.

Don't get me wrong the TEW-673GRU is a very good performer on wired gig side and even the Fast 100mbps too. Just the wireless is not as strong as I would like to reach the main and second floor. Unless I move things to the main floor then it should work? That would have to be tested. The second link shows the Belkin N+ as they're daisy chained works great signal is very strong.

FaceBook Fans I am putting all my tips, videos, tweaks an etc in a Group called: Windows TCP/IP Networking Tweaks, Reviews & Talk
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124821307542472&v=photos#!/group.php?gid=124821307542472

 

[tipstir]

Model testing (scope wireless)

I got the TEW-673GRU wireless working but in mix mode on a manual channel since there is not auto channel option. Second one ESR-9850 also operating in mix mode but in auto channel option. Both SSID names are the same. I am on the second floor signal strength showing both TEW-673GRU -63dBm and ESR-9850 putting out -60dBm (on the same floor) in the RSSi with a steady stream.

Going to verse roles see how they put out?
Test MSC on the TEW-673GRU also ESR-9850.

 

[tipstir]

Weak signal again on the main floor far right side. You would think if one was weak the other AP would take over. No such case! For the ESR-9850 to take over the TEW-673GRU radio had to be disabled. True I could create another SSID and have two floating around the network. Match hardware would have to come into play for that to correct itself. Oh well just the one TEW-673GRU with 4 chipsets making it very smooth routing. Still need to test the AR9220/AR9223 wireless see what happens when it's on the first floor?

 

[Machan1888]

You using WDS ?