| TRENDnet 54Mbps 802.11G Wireless Access Point |
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Model: TEW-430APB
Brand: TRENDnet
Manufacturer: TRENDnet
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 15
Operating system: Apple MacOS
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Network Interface - Fast Ethernet, Ethernet
Build-in Switch Interface - Ethernet
Dimensions - 124 x 86 x 40 mm |
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| Description: |
| TRENDnet's TEW-430APB Wireless Access Point is today's link to Wireless Technology. Compliant with the IEEE Wireless Networking Standard 802.11g, it provides Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) operation for transparent bridging and roaming capabilities for wireless nodes. The TEW-430APB also provides WDS bridging functions, allowing users to connect two or more Access Points together, wirelessly. With TRENDnet's Wireless Access Point and Wireless Network Adapters, users can connect to Ethernet/Fast Ethernet LAN at home or office to access network resources such as hard drives, CD-ROM/DVD drives, network printers, and Internet connection - with coverage up to 300 meters. |
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| User Reviews (15 total): |
Page 1 of Total 1 Pages
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Enough for what I needed, July 31, 2008
By user (USA)
Very economic. Just needed to have wireless in my small apt. I bought it over 3 months ago and until now has worked without any problems. Is not the bets in the world but does the work that's needed for.
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Good Inexpensive Option among Wireless APs, June 25, 2008
By user (Ohio)
When my miserly boss assigned me the the project of connecting two buildings at opposite ends of our compound, as well as to blanket the entire campus with wireless, he gave me pittance of a budget. After buying the high-gain antennas, low-loss cables and a router, I had precious little cash left, so I gambled and purchased a bunch of these units.
As others have noted, this unit is rather unimpressive in appearance and flimsy-feeling, but it works well in both client mode and AP mode. Very easy to configure and stays connected. The firmware is also refreshingly simple and easy to navigate.
As a negative, the range is only about 1/3 of the range of the ZyXEL wireless router that does the DHCP duties on the network. Still, all in all, the price is right and, so far, they have performed admirably.
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Great Product, Awful Customer Service, May 27, 2008
By user (Lodi, CA)
This product arrived timely and in good shape. The Customer Service group, however, did not assist in setting up the product and is only limited to reading the same limited materials that come with the product. I was told on 3 occassions that they had to escalate my issues and that they would be calling me back.....I am still waiting. Luckily I figured out how to handle my issue via another means
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TRENDnet WPA, April 29, 2008
By user (San Jose, CA)
I do like this product, for it has all the useful features (Disabling SSID broadcast, Security - WEP, WAP, WAP2, MAC Filter, among others) that I need, and its Interface is so simplified that you don't need the manual at all to try to understand it.
This product works on my D-Link AirPlus XtremeG (DWL-G650) with no problem at all.
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Excellent for wireless when devices require ethernet connections, April 16, 2008
By user
Very simple setup and flexibility in settings. I'm using it as a wireless adapter for a DVR that doesn't allow a USB wireless card now and it's been flawless since setup.
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Worked for Its Purpose and great price, April 13, 2008
By user (Farmington,CT)
A little tricky but works great for Direct TV access for beta OnDemand program downloads
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Works as I wanted it to, after difficult setup, April 5, 2008
By user (Athens, Georgia, USA)
I have a couple of computers in one room, connected via LAN to a Linksys Wireless G router/access point, which is connected to a DSL modem. I wanted to put another computer an an Ethernet-attached printer on the floor above. The standard way to do this would be to run a Cat-5 cable from the Linksys router to a small hub on the upper floor, and connect the new computer and printer to it. It would be a long and complicated run, though, and would involve drilling through the floor. Not impossible, but I didn't really look forward to doing it.
This device seemed to be just what I was looking for: a way to replace a long run of Cat-5 cable with a wireless link. Put the TRENDnet Access Point on the upper floor along with a small hub (the Access Point has only one Ethernet jack), and plug the computer and printer into the hub.
The Access Point offers five modes of operation. The one I expected to use is called "WDS", for Wireless Distribution System. From the user manual, it appears as if this is the mode for just extending a LAN as I wanted to do. I was never able to get this mode of operation to communicate with the Linksys router. The manual is not well written, and the help windows from the Access Point's built in web server are even worse. Using browsers to look at the settings of both the Linksys and the TRENDnet, I verified that everything that I can set was entered correctly: Channel number, SSID, passphrases, MAC addresses, everything. No connection was ever made, in WDS mode.
So I tried "AP + WDS" mode; still nothing worked.
Finally I tried "AP Client" mode, in which (quoting now) "the AP will be a wireless Ethernet adapter transforms any Ethernet-enabled devices to have the wireless function." From the diagram, it would seem that only one device (computer, printer) could be attached. I tried connecting the switch with both computer and printer to the Access Point in this mode, and finally it all works.
Now that it's working, it is doing just what I wanted it to. The new computer can access the internet and share files with the ones downstairs, the downstairs computers can print on the upstairs printer, and so on.
The poor manual and even worse help text really drags this product down. I would have rated it much higher if it hadn't required so much experimentation to get it going.
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Didn't work with Airlink, March 30, 2008
By user (South Bay, CA)
I tried and tried to get this AP to work with my Airlink wireless router to no avail. Customer support was O.K.
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poor customer support, February 26, 2008
By user (Fall Branch, United States)
It did not work out of the box and technical support was of no help at all. It's a great price but doesn't save you anything if you can't get help.
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TRENDnet 54Mbps 802.11G Wireless Access Point, January 20, 2008
By user (Fort Worth, Texas)
A nice simple/generic router for the money. Setup was very standard and I had it working in repeater mode in about 10 minutes. Firmware is Linux based so tweaking should be possible. Atenna is removable so you could replace with larger mast for more gain.
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Good value, instructions and software interface lacking a bit, January 11, 2008
By user (poughkeepsie, ny)
If you need this device to work as a wireless access point, then it will serve you quite well. The headaches begin when you try to go beyond this default setup, as the instructions lack in clarity. The paper instructions that come in the box give NO instructions beyond the basic setup, which I found mildly annoying. To get more detailed instructions you must either download the full pdf from the TrendNet website or get it from the included cd (which has little else - no drivers, no real software).
And here's your tip of the day: ENTER YOUR IP SETTINGS BEFORE CHANGING THE MODE FROM WAP TO AP CLIENT. I ran into a problem where after setting the device as an AP Client, when I muddled around with other settings it outright refused to work. The only cure was to press the reset button and enter my settings from scratch. After I figured this out, I am able to use it as an AP Client using DHCP with zero problems two stories below my wireless router, and on the other side of the building. No problems yet.
Conclusion: It may take some tinkering if you are doing something beyond the default settings, but this device is very capable and a good value.
PS: As another reviewer stated, the product you receive may look nothing like the one pictured. I like the one I received better anyway - no big deal.
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4.5 stars: works great, instructions could use some work, December 1, 2007
By user (Valencia, CA United States)
This unit works well but the instructions left a little bit to be desired. I've used it as a WAP (router in office upstairs has poor coverage in one of the downstairs rooms) and then as a client to hook up my wired-only DVR box to the internet (no CAT-5 there... silly me although great to see wiring the house with CAT-5 is no longer needed).
This is one of the lowest cost units out there and it can do a ton. I'd like to give it 5* but the instructions aren't overly clear for stuff besides WAP. I temporarily hosed my wireless network when I was switching this thing from access point to client. Having to choose between 4 and 5 stars, I'm rounding up my 4.5* score to 5* since who knows if the issue was the instructions or just me being impatient or both.
I'll definitely buy another TEW-430APB if I need it. It costs less than the other brands and does more.
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I'm impressed..., November 30, 2007
By user (AL USA)
Unit is easy to configure and coverage is solid. Mine looked nothing like the unit in the photo except for color (which is a plus IMO). Can't beat it for the price.
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Well priced; just works, May 7, 2007
By user (San Diego CA USA)
A single wireless router couldn't cover my house. Instead, I use two access points and a (wired) router. Most access points are overly expensive. The TRENDnet WAP not only works flawlessly, it is quite reasonably priced. Highly recommended -- it's really easy to just set it and forget it.
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Works, April 10, 2007
By user
It feels a little flimsy but it works, can't complain with that. The software is easy to use. I like the ability to use this as a client device that allows you to transparently bridge any wired ethernet enabled device to your wireless network via an existing Access Point or Router.
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