Networking Gear by stefan @ 2013-06-17
The latest TEW-805UB AC1200 Dual Band Wi-Fi USB adapter from TRENDnet comes in to join the available AC routers in order to provide high transfer speeds. The product has been updated to the USB 3.0 bus while maintaining the same chassis design as the older models.
At first I would like to thank TRENDnet for offering me one of their latest product for review, the AC1200 Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter (TEW-805UB).
"TRENDnet is a global provider of award winning networking solutions to small and medium size business and home users. Building networking solutions since 1990, TRENDnet enables users to share broadband access, multimedia content and networked peripherals for true anywhere connectivity. TRENDnet's diverse product line includes Wireless, Fiber, Switch, Gigabit, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM), Internet Camera, Print Server, Powerline, Bluetooth, Storage Server, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and Multimedia Accessories.
Based in Torrance, California, TRENDnet maintains branch offices in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia. TRENDnet’s management system is ISO 9001:2008 certified (click here to view certificate). TRENDnet emphasizes continual improvement as an essential component of its quality management system. This ensures rigorous process standards across the entire organization with respect product development, product quality and all other pertinent enterprise functions. TRENDnet's 250-plus product portfolio is distributed in over 125 countries. The TRENDnet brand is consistently recognized for high quality, exceptional performance and professional support.
At Home with TRENDnet
TRENDnet‘s award winning products bringing your digital home or small office to life. The broadband Internet is becoming the primary conduit for people to communicate and be entertained. With billions of devices to connect worldwide, everything from computers to phones to Internet cameras are becoming part of the network. Whether stored locally or streamed from the Internet, digital content now needs to be available anywhere in the home on any device at any time. TRENDnet networks allow you to seamlessly talk Online, share files, exchange photos, play games and communicate with other networked devices, all at the same time. Easy to use and reliable, TRENDnet allows you to stay connected and share what you value most.
Business with TRENDnet
TRENDnet offers a complete line of reliable award winning end-to-end networking solutions for the most demanding business and mobile environments. Businesses of all sizes are leveraging the power of TRENDnet networks to increase productivity, reach new customers and lower costs. From fiber at the core of the network to Internet cameras at the edge, TRENDnet offers scalable and secure enterprise class solutions.
With the introduction of networking innovations like seamless wireless connectivity, smart switching and Internet based management controls, small to medium business are building better ways to work. TRENDnet’s robust enterprise class portfolio allows small to medium business create a secure networked environment that can grow with their needs. Dedicated 24/7 technical support, low RMA and over 20 years experience collaborating with networking peers result in TRENDnet’s price-to-performance leadership for Networks People Trust™."
In the following review we will look upon the latest Wireless USB adapter from TRENDnet supporting the latest AC standard; as we have been accustomed with the TRENDnet packaging, the box comes fully sealed:
On the top side of the box we will see a photo of the actual product, along with a small performance meter, some product highlights and a QR code, which is widely used on many products nowadays:
One of the sides will come with the list of product Features and Package Contents:
If we want to learn more about the adapter, we should turn the box on the side; besides the small description we will also see an exemplification of a network solution:
Besides the adapter, we will get a disk with drivers and software utilities, but also a small guide:
The guide we mentioned earlier shows the hardware installation but how to work with the software application:
To avoid scratches during transit, TRENDnet has covered the adapter with a transparent plastic film:
Surprisingly, when looking at the adapter, we have to say that its chassis looks identical with many other similar products we have reviewed from them in the past, so no variation has been done in this direction. The top area comes with an activity LED, a WPS button but also a TRENDnet logo:
On the back side of the adapter we can see the MAC, the code name and hardware revision, but also the serial number:
The TEW-805UB adapter is the first USB 3.0 model which features an USB 3.0 interface:
Before using the product, we made sure to download the latest software version from the TRENDnet website. The driver package comes with a small intro screen, from where can select to install the drivers/utilities, view the Quick Installation Guide in electronic format or the Users’ Guide, but also access the Product Registration procedure:
After running the initial setup, we had some issues with the software, meaning that the drivers were not installing by themselves in Windows 8; to overcome this problem we had to disable driver signing by entering the recovery menu. The software interface is easy to use and the menus can be accessed from the top side. The General Tab shows us the currently connected Wi-Fi network status:
In order to connect to a network for the first time, we will have to search inside the Available Networks tab; the detected nearby networks will be shown here, along with the signal levels, channel and encryption type:
Upon selection of a certain network, we will be prompted to create a new profile, where we will have to enter the security details:
After the connection has been completed, we will see that the General tab has been populated with the network information:
The new profile will be added in the respective tab:
More detailed info on the adapter and connected network can be found in the Status tab:
The Statistics tab should have shown us the dropped/received packets but unfortunately the counters remained at 0 value no matter what we have tried:
The WPS system can be customized from the last tab:
CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional
RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 2x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)
Video: Sparkle X560 Calibre
Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200.10
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
For testing the TRENDnet AC1200 Dual Band Wi-Fi adapter, we have used a Dell 7520 laptop on which we have connected the product in question and two other different TRENDnet adapters. The throughput was measured both ways, first by setting the wired station as a server and uploading data from the laptop and then setting the laptop on wireless as a server and uploading data from the wired station.
The application used was PerformanceTest 8.0, fully compatible with Windows 8.
When the role of the server was set to the wired station, we will consider download, while when the server was the laptop, we will consider upload. Here are the results:
The TRENDnet AC1200 Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter comes with the same looking chassis as we have seen before at the older products from the same family, but this time we have an USB 3.0 bus. The initial drivers had some issues (were not signed) and on Windows 8 we had to disable driver signing enforcement, which is not an easy task for people which expect everything to go smoothly right out of the box. TRENDnet have updated the drivers and now this issue is gone and with them we were able to set a record speed, while using the AC band. If you guys are planning on using this product with regular non-AC routers, do not expect to achieve better speeds than the older models.
During the 50 second test, the speed is not consistent and the graph looks mostly like a saw tooth; we think that with further drive updates, this issue will be fixed; this was to be expected since the adapters arrived quite a bit late compared to the routers sporting the same technology.
The Wi-Fi USB adapter is available from TRENDnet for about 35 Euros. We will happily wait for the 1300Mbps AC adapters too, maybe with these we will break again another record.
We would like to thank again to TRENDnet for making this review possible!