TRENDnet TEW-637AP Wireless N Access Point

If you’ve visited Techgage lately you might have read through the pair of reviews covering TRENDnet’s offering to the wireless N crowd. In looking at both the TEW-631BRP and the TEW-633GR, we liked each router for completely different reasons. We were impressed with the pricing and wireless N performance of the 631BRP while the gigabit LAN ports and unmatched wireless performance earned the 633GR an editor’s choice award. While impressed, we walked away from our testing with a sobering thought that not everyone needs this new wireless format, 802.11n.

For those of you out there using your wireless connection to surf the ‘net or check your email, your existing setup of more than likely wireless G is more than likely more than enough to keep your digital experience up to speed. Those that could use the added bandwidth that N brings are those who stream media, high definition media to be precise, from a PC or a media server to a set top player. Even gamers don’t really need the extra performance that wireless N brings to the table.

While the actual need for the additional speed that N brings might not be for everyone, the longer reach of the wireless protocol is something that practically everyone can appreciate. With a significantly larger range of service, wireless N allows us to venture further away from our home router than ever before.

With all of the benefits of wireless N, and the examples of what it can provide clearly listed above, one of the pitfalls of replacing a home router with a shiny new one has nothing at all to do with which wireless protocol it uses. So many of us use our routers as a first line of defense from external threats that mean to do us digital harm.

For those with children, many routers today allow filters to be setup, effectively eliminating the sites that your child can get to that you would rather they stay away from. Regardless of what you use your router for; there are certainly settings that you would rather not have to setup again and for those of you whom this might apply, TRENDnet might have something that can help you out.

Back at CES, we stopped by the TRENDnet booth for many of the same reasons we stop in at any display. Not only did we want to meet with the representatives from each respective company and put faces to names, we also wanted to see what was in the pipes as far as future products are concerned.

When we arrived at the TRENDnet display, they were quick to show off the newest member in their wireless N stable, the TEW-637AP. Having not mastered the creative naming skill that only a handful of companies in this industry have, the 637AP falls directly into line with the other products offered by TRENDnet. Instead of BRP (no idea what that stands for) or GR, TRENDnet has branded this new device with an AP which we will come to find out is rather fitting.