TrendNet TEW-639GR vs TEW-633GR: identical??

[zjohnr]

I've been considering getting a gigabit wireless router recently. One of the routers I am looking at is the TEW-633GR. But I also noticed the TEW-639GR which appears to be identical to the 633 and is only a few bucks difference in current market prices.

So far I have been unable to find any useful info about the 639GR. The only "review" I found was 90% an echo of the marketing stuff on the TrendNet web site and product box with little to no analysis.

So I am wondering what ... if anything ... is different between these two routers? Does the TEW-639GR maybe have a faster internal processor? Better radio? Or is it maybe just the same as the 633GR?

Anyone out there got any info about this? Or a suggestion of how to find out more?

-irrational john

 

[jdabbs]

For hardware questions, I rely on the FCC OET Equipment Authorization Search.

The 633GR is a U-Media design (FCC ID: SI5WRT390U). It uses an Ubicom IP5160U CPU and a Vitesse gigabit switch. I could not get a clear picture of the radio chipset, but based on the antenna layout and specs it is likely a Atheros AR2133+AR5416 combo.
The 639GR is a rebadged SI5WRT390L: Ralink RT2880F CPU, 2T3R RT2820L radio, and a Realtek gigabit switch.

Performance is more speculative, but a rough idea can be gleaned from comparing the performance of similar devices.

The 633GR's Ubicom IP5160U is in the DIR-655, while the RT2880F is in the F5D8235-4. According to the router charts, the Ubicom processor manages double the total simultaneous bandwidth.

For the radio, the 633GR/DIR-625 AR2133+AR5416 also outperforms the F5D8233-4/639GR RT2820L.

 

[thiggins]

The TEW-633GR is a clone of the D-Link DIR-655:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30287/187/1/11/

The TEW-639GR looks like it has the same feature set as the TEW-633GR, but uses a Realtek RTL8366SR switch and Ralink RT2880F / RT2820L radio. Download the PDF of the FCC internal photos if you like.
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=1022737&native_or_pdf=pdf

Both are OEM'd from U-Media in Taiwan.

Don't ask me which you should buy. I haven't tested the 639GR.

 

[zjohnr]

response from an email to Trendnet

Before posting here I had also sent off an email to ask Trendnet what was the difference between the TEW-639GR and the TEW-633GR. It's one of those things you ... or at least I ... do thinking "I probably will never hear back from them but what the heck?"

So part of the reason I'm posting the response from Trendnet is to just give them credit for actually responding to my email. That in itself put them in a better light in my eyes.

I'm not sure what the response actually says though. I think it says that the TEW-633GR supports StreamEngine but the TEW-639GR does not. In other words I think he is essentially saying that the only difference is that the TEW-639GR uses a different CPU than the Ubicom in the TEW-633GR.

But read it for yourself and see what you think.

-irrational john

Note: I deleted some of the more personal data from the email such as his and my email addresses ... call me paranoid.

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Trendnet. We appreciate your support.

TEW-633GR comes with StreamEngine technology which automatically prioritizes VoIP and online gaming data to/from the Internet.

If you are looking for a great Wireless N router, TEW-639GR, is also a terrific choice.

Besides StreamEngine, both TEW-633GR and TEW-639GR are functionally identical.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.


Brian Chu
IT Director

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 1:43 PM
To: info@trendnet.com
Subject: Is there ANY difference between TRENDnet TEW-639GR and TEW-633GR ???

I have been considering purchasing a wireless router for my home. I
have been looking at the specifications for both the TRENDnet
TEW-639GR and the TRENDnet TEW-633GR wireless routers. They appear to
me to be identical.

Is there ANY difference between the TEW-639GR and the TEW-633GR? Or
when considering them should I consider them to be essentially
identical products? At the moment I cannot see any way to
differentiate one from the other except the purchase price.

 

[jdabbs]

I'm not sure what the response actually says though. I think it says that the TEW-633GR supports StreamEngine but the TEW-639GR does not. In other words I think he is essentially saying that the only difference is that the TEW-639GR uses a different CPU than the Ubicom in the TEW-633GR.

The rep was referring to the capabilities of the device and not necessarily the internal hardware. The routers' switch, radio, and CPU differ, but are functionally equivalent with the exception of the Ubicom CPU's QoS support.

 

[sdeleeuw]

I know this is super old, but the wireless advice sticky says to add to the thread vs making a new when reviewing products...

I had the Trendnet TEW-639GR for about 3 days until I realized the 4 LAN ports were a hub and not a switch. That's something TrendNet doesn't like to emphasize since it's not even on their spec sheet anymore.

I couldn't understand why my wired throughput on gigabit ports was actually worse than my old Linksys 100BT. Fired up Wireshark and what do you know... Started looking online and confirmed it.

I don't know if the hardware has changed since the pics you saw or what happened, but the one I had was most definitely a hub and not a switch.

 

[thiggins]

I had the Trendnet TEW-639GR for about 3 days until I realized the 4 LAN ports were a hub and not a switch. That's something TrendNet doesn't like to emphasize since it's not even on their spec sheet anymore.

I seriously doubt that. I don't even know if hub chips are made anymore.
All you need to do is use the FCC ID to look it up and get the internal pix, which should show you the switch chip used.

If you're getting bad throughput, there has to be another reason.

 

[sdeleeuw]

Could be that it's not the case as the FCC pictures definitely show the RTL8366SR switch chip, lots of reviews out there on multiple sites that say people found out later it's a hub though... could be all hysteria...

On a switch, you shouldn't be able to see TCP traffic destined for another host just by running WireShark should you? Or should all LAN ports blink every time any non-broadcast traffic goes to a single host? If you notice in TrendNet's user guide and spec sheet, they never specifically say "switch" and I'm pretty sure back when I had it I actually found where it said "hub". Something doesn't add up....

 

[thiggins]

The TEW-639GR is a rebranded U-Media WRT390L. FCC Exhibits are here. Internal photos show a Realtek RTL8366SR SINGLE-CHIP 5+1-PORT 10/100/1000 MBPS SWITCH CONTROLLER WITH DUAL MAC INTERFACES. Datasheet is here.
This device actually supports "smart" switch features.

I'm not saying you didn't see what you saw with WireShark. But the explanation isn't that the router is using a hub.

 

[sdeleeuw]

Agreed, saw those... Can I throw in a review request? I do see that there is a v2.0R now vs the v1.0R that I had, not clear what was changed or if the v2.0R was simply the change in FCC ID which their updated letter says are electronically identical.

 

[sdeleeuw]

Just so you don't think I'm insane, I contacted TrendNet support about it, and got this response:

"When that unit first came out a long time ago there may have been an issue with the switch. If there was it was most likely addressed in a firmware update."