TRENDnet Wireless Line

TRENDware‘s TRENDnet
line of 802.11b Wireless LAN products has been around for almost a year, with
an update of their access point arriving last summer, and based on our tests
they still hold up against their fellow Wi-Fi certified competition. The adapters
provide perfectly reasonable performance and the setup of the AP100plus access
point, while not fancy, was straightforward and (almost) easy enough for the
layman. The only thing preventing this suite from earning a complete seal of
approval is the touchy print server software.

Models reviewed:

• TRENDnet
  TEW-AP100plus access point– $199 MSRP
• TRENDnet
  TEW-PS3 print server– $249 MSRP
• TRENDnet
  TEW-USB USB adapter – $99 MSRP
• TRENDnet
  TEW-PC16 PC Card adapter– $99 MSRP

Click links above to view product stats and to leave your opinion on the products.

Pros:
– Easy setup/installation of adapters
– Trendy design

Cons:
– Print server setup

Basic Features

The TRENDnet external products all share a similar design a la the Apple iMac,
with translucent blue plastic sheathing visible innards. All seem sturdily constructed.
The PC Card is the typical all metal with a black plastic end that widens for
the antenna (which could block other PC Cards, so place it accordingly). TRENDware
also makes a PCMCIA Card Reader for PCI Bus (TEW-PCIA, $49 MSRP, not reviewed)
for use with the TEW-PC16 card and a full PCI Card adapter (TEW-PCI, $129 MSRP,
not reviewed). Both can be installed internally to take a desktop into the world
of wireless.

The TEW-AP100plus access point features two external antennas that rotate so
you can mount the unit on the wall or keep it on a shelf. There are connectors
for Ethernet to link to hub/switch, the power cord, and a tiny reset button
that takes you back to the factory settings.

All of the products come with pamphlet-sited manuals that do a good job of
getting you started. The included CDs have expanded documentation in Adobe Acrobat
PDF format so you can get to the details.

Install and Setup

The Intersil-based TEW-PC16 PC Card wireless adapter, like most of its brethren,
doesn’t get much simpler. Slide it into the PCMCIA port on any laptop and the
Windows Add New Hardware wizard takes over. Insert the CD-ROM and follow the
prompts. Same goes for the USB adapter, which requires no separate power source.
All the TRENDnet products have drivers on CD that were up to date with those
available on the TRENDware.com site.

The installed drivers bring up the adapters’ respective configuration utilities
in the System Tray (red when no signal, green when connected, but signal strength
is not indicated). Double click the icon to change settings – it’s easier than
going though the Network properties. However, the PC Card uses the Neesus Datacom
Configuration Utility that’s used by many OEMs. It’s been complained
about before for good reason – for example, in tests with the PC card, a
switch to Ad-Hoc mode had the utility saying it couldn’t recognize any other
Ad-hoc cards, even though it was still connected.

The TEW-AP100plus plugs into any port on your switch with a standard Ethernet
Cat5 patch cord and can be configured using the included APManager software
from any PC on the wired network. It automatically found the access point without
problem. Double clicking the listing opens a Web browser interface to the IP
address of the access point, where you can change the name, password, set WEP,
or DHCP server or client settings. The DHCP server settings worked flawlessly
even s with non-TRENDware 802.11b adapters (in this case, an Intel PRO/Wireless
II PC Card). Each area of the Web interface must be saved separately before
moving to another, which requires a lot of back and forth to finish.

Print Serving

Using the included PS Admin program to get the TEW-PS3 print server up and
running is what separates the wireless networking men from the boys (so to speak),
as there are a number of complicated steps.

You must first install the software on one of the client machines and make
sure that the IPX protocol and Netware client services are enabled. Once you’ve
got the needed extras and installed PS Admin, set that client to Ad-Hoc mode
and channel 11. The TEW-PS3 has a DIP switch to set it to Ad-Hoc. You reset
the print server using the recessed Reset button to force it to the default
of Channel 11. Then, via the PS Admin program set the print server’s SSID to
that of the access point. Flip the DIP switch back to infrastructure mode and
you should be all set to connect the printers to the three available parallel
ports (no USB printers here).

The first three times I tried to print a test page from the PS Admin software,
I got nothing. I left things alone for a few days, shut everything in the office
down, including the print server, clients, and printer, but left the access
point powered on. Upon my return and power up of all systems, the test page
popped out of the printer with no problem.

From there, setting a name and password for the print server are necessary
and relatively easy if you follow the directions. PS Admin is nowhere near as
intuitive as software you’ll find in a wireless product geared to consumers.

For any client system to use the print server, it must have the NetBEUI protocol
installed. This might be a hassle for some, but it’s a good security function
at least, as outside users hacking into the system will be prevented from using
up your paper. Clients then setup printing through the TEW-PS3 as they normally
would for any network printer. Make sure you have the printer’s drivers on hand.

Wireless Performance

Our tests with Qcheck
showed adequate performance, about what we’ve come to expect from Intersil-based
802.11b products.

Note on conditions:

• Condition #1: AP and wireless client in same room,
  approximately 10 feet apart.
  
• Condition #2: Client in upper floor room directly
  above AP, approximately 15 feet apart. No metal ductwork between AP and
  client.
  
• Condition #3: Client on same floor as AP but in
  another room approximately 50 feet away. Walls, but no metal ductwork between
  the client and AP antennas.
  
• Condition #4: Client on upper floor at opposite
  end of residence, approximately 55 feet away. Walls, floor, and probable
  metal ductwork between AP and client.
  

Summary

The suggested retail prices provided to me are in line with most street prices
I found and in some cases lower than online prices, giving the feeling that
TRENDware is ready to get these products out the door. I would recommend them
to anyone with wireless experience, but skip the print server unless absolutely
necessary.

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