TRENDnet 54Mbps Wireless G PCI Adapter TEW-423PI Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have multiple PCs linked to a wireless router and have used 54Mbps network card from Dlink, Netgear, Belkin, Microsoft and now TRENDnet. All of the cards were about $20, though the TRENDnet card is the only one that didn't require submitting a rebate form (and with my Dlink purchase, I missed the submission date on a $30 rebate so that one cost me $50).
The Netgear and Belkin cards were terrible (weak signal, dropped connections) and I ended up returning them. The Dlink and Microsoft cards on the other hand worked fine, though the initial install wasn't without some aggravation.
I was planning to get another Dlink card for my latest purchase simply because I have a Dlink router but I couldn't find the card for less than $30 (after rebate) which is why I decided to give TRENDnet a try. I'd never heard of the company before, but the reviews from users were mostly positive and the price was great. Well, I installed the card 2 days ago and it's been working flawlessly. Some reviewers had install issues and many mentioned problems with the drivers on the disk, but I didn't experience any issues at all - NONE! I loaded the connection management software, turned off the PC, popped in the card, turned on the PC, loaded the drivers from the disk, restarted the PC and I was done. It took less than 10 minutes and has been working perfectly.
As soon as I restarted the PC it connected to my network. All I had to do was enter the security code using the connection software. It now connects automatically every time and hasn't lost or dropped the signal once. This PC is in a finished basement office with the wireless access point on the 1st floor about 30 feet (2 walls and a floor) away, and the signal strength has been very good to excellent. I was planning to update the drivers, but everything is working so smoothly right now I don't think I'll bother (why mess with a good thing?).
Based on my experience, I would highly recommend this card. I'm fixing up an old PC for my daughter and will definitely be ordering another TRENDnet card. It works well and it's cheap which is a great (and rare) combination.

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TRENDnet's TEW-423PI 54Mbps Wireless PCI Card cuts the wires to your desktop and provides 54Mbps speed to handle bandwidth-intensive applications. It complies with the IEEE 802.11g standard, making it backward compatible with 802.11b networks for assured compatibility. Advanced 128-bit WEP encryption is supported to provide secure access for your data. Cut the wires and move your desktop where you need it with TRENDnet s 802.11g wireless PCI Card.

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TRENDnet 200 Mbps Powerline AV Wireless N Access Point TPL-310AP (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want to use the advanced features of the AP, the documentation is very light. The average user would be lost. My AP is installed about 85 feet from the Powerline Ethernet connect to the router and the maximum speed is only of the wireless is only 60mb and has a red light indicating good connection. I only get a green light, best connection, when the AP is less than 25 feet. I suspect the problem is that the circuit the AP is on is located on the opposite side of the buss in the power pannel then the Powerline Ethernet is connected to.

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Cisco Wireless-N VPN Firewall - Router Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Ok, after waiting for this to come back in stock for a few weeks, I finally got it. I've had Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear network hardware, and wasn't satisfied by them. Yes, I know Linksys is owned by Cisco, but let's face it, if you know networking, you know they AREN'T the same.
Now before I get flack for my title, the setup being easy is relative to your savvy. If you've never heard of VPN, don't know what QOS or SPI stand for and actually mean, this probably isn't the route to take. There are TONS of decent home user level routers that do what you want, and are probably a bit easier to determine what features you want to use or don't want to use. Now, for the rest, this is a decent buy.
Not that I'm a CCNA or above, but I know when I don't get what I want out of a router. I also know that I love to tinker with my tech toys, and this gives me the freedom to giggle like a fool while I fiddle with the features. All in all, thumbs up.
Pros:
* Price. Let's face it; the Cisco Small Business line is a smashing deal. Cisco gear at a decent price? That's not to say that Linksys or Netgear doesn't make their "Professional Series" gear with the same functionality, but I trust Cisco. At ~150 bucks, you can't beat it.
* All the nitty gritty features that everyone wants, but no one wants to setup via the CLI, can be done through the web setup interface. In fact, you have no choice (that being said, don't go nuts on this point until you see Cons).
* Logging. Yes, logging. Basic, but necessary. The routers I've known didn't have logs available.
* Status reports. View how your router's doing. Things going slowly and suspect an attack? You can check your router's logs and the reports to see if things indicate an attack. How many home users can say that?!
Cons:
* No command line option. At least not that I've read about or seen. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure how viable this is for a business as this is the case.
* Setup can be a bit touchy, though overall it isn't bad. The detecting router portion of it was a bit flaky, but again, not something that was a deal breaker.
Conclusion:
This is a power users router, or an extremely small business router that doesn't have a network administrator/NOC. Not something I'd implement if you have those things and if you need completely customized configurations. It just won't have all the flexibility or power of a higher scale solution.
I'll update this after I use the router more, but thus far, it's neat. We'll see if the Cisco quality came along with the branding on the small business series.

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The Cisco RV120W Wireless-N VPN Firewall combines highly secure connectivity - to the Internet as well as from other locations and remote workers - with a high-speed, 802.11n wireless access point, a 4-port switch, an intuitive, browser-based device manager, and support for the Cisco FindIT Network Discovery Utility, all at a very affordable price. The Cisco RV120W Wireless-N VPN Firewall's combination of high performance, business-class features and top-quality user experience takes basic connectivity to a new level.

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