TRENDnet TEW-812DRU AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Router - 4 Gigabit port, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (draft 2.0) TRENDnet TEW-812DRU AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Router - 4 Gigabit port, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (draft 2.0)

Pros: Using the TEW-812DRU at 80-feet through multiple walls, I achieved the following rates:
13.5 Mbps with fall off to 6.5 Mbps. using a Linksys AE1000 USB adapter and a wireless-n connection. This was consistent with my Cisco E4200 rates using WPA2-PSK AES encryption. However, Windows reporting showed only one bar of signal quality where that had been two bars with the Cisco router. Overall performance with the TRENDnet router was better with more consistent data transfer.

Wireless-a could be seen and connected to at this distance, but the rate was too low for any data transfer. The Cisco router wireless-a could not be seen or connected to at this distance. Another computer in a different room, using a Linksys WMP300N PCI card adapter, saw and connected to the wireless-n at 27.5 Mbps. with fall off to 13.5 Mbps. This was again consistent with the Cisco router, and again the TRENDnet actual data transfers were slightly better, despite Windows showing lower signal quality. Conclusion, the TRENDnet router maintains a better signal lock with more consistent transfer rates.

Performance using the TRENDnet TEW812DRU with an AC1750 capable dual-band wireless card:
Seeing the TRENDnet wireless router makes use of 80 Mhz. of bandwidth to reach stated ratings, I knew the only way to give a fair analysis of the unit would require adapters rated for such. Having already seen some improvement over the Cisco E4200 I had been using, I purchased the ASUS PCE-AC66 just to see the further improvement I knew should be present. I kept encryption the same at WPA2-PSK AES.
@15-feet, the connection rate was 866.5 Mbps in Windows with all bars lit using wireless-ac and 144 Mbps. in wireless-n
@40-feet, through multiple walls, the wireless-a connection was 351 Mbps. with occasional fall off to 263 Mbps. - 4 bars of signal quality in Windows. Wireless-n was 175.5 with fall off to 144 Mbps. with four bars showing in Windows. Using the Cisco E4200, I had 300 Mbps., four bars of signal, and I could not see wireless-a from it.
@80-feet, through multiple walls, the wireless-ac connection was more or less constant at 263 Mbps. and 117 Mbps in wireless-n.

Of course, all of these rates are relative to what exists in my home, and do not reflect what others may find in their environments.. My findings do represent a major improvement in Wi-Fi at my home using the TRENDnet TEW812DRU. The ASUS adapter card also provided significant gains using either router, but use with the TRENDnet router gave exceptional gains.

Cons: Out of habit, due to having seen new routers arrive in the past with garbled software, I visited the TRENDnet site and downloaded the router software - it was the same that came installed on my router. The re-install was easy but did not cure a menu problem I had already found with the TEW812DRU. It appears the processor has some problem switching between menu screens, which prevents quickly navigating them - even when no changes have been made. Hang-ups in the menu can be circumvented by closing the browser and opening a new one - annoying, but workable.

While the TEW812DRU includes six PSK options, it does not include Enterprise level encryption. For most home users, that shouldn't present any problem, but providing Enterprise encryption shouldn't be much of a problem for TRENDnet - most other manufacturers are including it. True, stronger encryption lowers data transfer reliability over distances - but I feel it should be offered.

I've used Cisco and other wireless products in my home since the first wireless-B equipment was offered to consumers. The wireless a/b/g/n Draft 2.0 E4200 system has been operating here since 2011 - acceptably but not always well, due to the constantly changing interference patterns. The interference also adversely affects cell phone reception and transmission here more often than not. My computers use a mix of a/b/g/n and b/g/n USB and PCI card wireless adapters. Adapters in use have been two Linksys WMP300N PCI cards capable of 270 Mbps in wireless-N, and two Linksys AE1000 USB adapters capable of 300 Mbps.. Since the new TRENDnet TEW-812DRU has 80 Mhz. of bandwidth in wireless-AC, and the AE1000 adapters are only capable of utilizing 40 Mhz. 300 Mbps., I had to add an ASUS PCE-AC66 rated 450/1300Mbps. to reach the higher data speeds. The OS used in each computer was Windows 8 Pro with Media Center x64 and Windows 7 Ultimate x64. The modem is a WindStream DSL wireless router model, and I keep it's Wi-Fi turned off as it has little range and I don't need the added electrical pollution. The new AC1750 wireless card was $93, and all of the few cards in this class are priced in the same neighborhood.

Other Thoughts: My home is a 4500 square foot ranch style with 1/2-inch sheet rock walls separating rooms and a brick exterior. Two massive brick fireplaces also block signal inside the home. No other structures are within 300 feet of my home. That suggests a near perfect Wi-Fi environment inside, but it's far from the case. I have two Panasonic phone systems, one running at 5.8 GHz. and the other at 2.4 GHz.. There is a microwave oven, and fluorescent overhead lighting in two rooms with a mix of LED and incandescent in the rest of the house. An advanced video security system, four DirecTv HD units, and large monitors also reside here. UHF remotes are all around along with cell phones. I also have all the other large metal electrical appliances many other folks have. The area is home to numerous TV, radio, and public safety transmitters (digital and analog) within a three mile radius - and they often produce harmonic frequency generations outside their allocated frequencies. There are also public Wi-Fi utilities. At my computers, I can see no less than six residential wireless routers in addition to mine - not to mention the "hidden" ones. This all means any Wi-Fi system in my home has a lot of interference to deal with, and over the years this has required added measures to stabilize my wireless Wi-Fi equipment operation - such as a high gain professional 1 meter dipole antenna in my attic that has been unused since my purchase of a Cisco E4200 in 2011. I haven't bothered to use the antenna or its repeater anymore as all my computers will connect to my Cisco wireless router network averaging between 13.5 Mbps and 300 Mbps - depending on the proximity to the router and any varying electrical pollution.

What I found was an easily set up router in the TEW812DRU. The router actually appears to provide better performance if you create a network using it, and this is very easy to do in Windows without using the router menus. You will need the PIN found in the router menus. Not to worry, the PIN is not static after a router reset - it changes each time you use the factory reset button accessed through the bottom of the router. The network connection also appears much more solid than using wireless-n or wireless-ac alone.
I was provided this TEW812DRU free of charge for an honest review - and I'm happy to say, after a week of testing and use, it is a product I can and will recommend to others. I'm also pleased to have been chosen to review what I have found to be a good product. I will continue using it in preference to my Cisco E4200 - and I'll be upgrading the adapters in the future. I'll also be interested in seeing what TRENDnet has to offer when they release their own AC1750 dual band adapters.

Pros: Comes with a CAT 5E cable and an actual CD which seems pretty rare these days.
I transferred 4.02gigs & timed it against my existing ASUS RT-N16 while streaming Netflix between the host Pc and the other devices. The hard wired test were pretty equal, however the wifi speeds doubled. I did it at a 2 foot distance and again at 20 feet with no drop in the transfer rates.
Plug it in and it works out of the box. However you need to set it up to your needs. A total newb could set this up.

Cons: No external antennas
USB 2.0 is slow for a network connected storage drive.

Other Thoughts: This would be a great a device if it had USB 3.0 or Firewire if you wish to have all of your media files always connected on a network. The USB 2.0 is just way to slow.
I didn't verify the latest firmware version but it was definitely of a recent date.

Pros: - Easy setup. Connect to web page, click first wizard button, click second wizard button, internets.
- Even inexperienced users can set up dual-band quickly.
- Good signal strength, decent penetration
- GigE wired ports; not everyone will have a gig switch lying around, so this is nice.
- Ridiculously configurable for a SOHO router, from NAT and access controls to radio fine-tuning.
- Can potentially future-proof your WLAN for a while.
- Comes with a non-silly SSID pre-configged, with a passphrase enabled - no open <ROUTERBRAND> default here!

Cons: - No mounting options visible - "book" form factor, no external antennae, limited positioning
- Light, and no stand or feet - cable tension will move this thing around
- Don't get this for Uncle Jeb unless he knows not to fiddle with advanced settings.
- Advanced menu items are not intuitive - for example, setting up Scheduling is the bottom option in a list, below everything that would use it.
- Menus and info are badly written; poor English is not a good choice for precise information.
- The password for the router's Admin account does not accept special characters, which is boggling
- The pre-configged SSID and passphrase is documented only on a sticker on the plastic wrap around the router - not on the casing itself.
- Every config change, no matter how minor, results in a router bounce and 20+ seconds of loading bar. I tested in IE, Chrome and Firefox (latest versions), seemed to make no difference.
- Guest network on by default. Sigh...

Other Thoughts: Overall, the Cons are more general design and QoL issues. Even though it seems like the larger list, many of the cons are issues you'll find in most other consumer-grade routers, and so while the TRENDNet gets to points for them, it doesn't lose many either.

Signal penetration on both 2.4 and 5Ghz was decent: 2.4 was fainter but steady and full speed even going through several ancient walls and two closed, metal fire doors. The 5Ghz network did not survive that journey, but was fine and at good strength when minus the fire doors. Distance was less of a problem; 40 feet with few obstructions had both at good strength.

Most home users won't need the array of NAT, radio tuning, and QoS features this router offers. Despite that, this might be good for your non-technical friend if they just got an ac-capable device and don't mind the price. The only caveat is the uneven mix of "good for newbie" and "bad for newbie" features: for example, the security info it starts with, and will factory reset to, is on a sticker that was applied to the throwaway plastic wrap around the router. I'm not sure why it isn't a low-adhesive sticker on the bottom; this seems like it's just asking to get thrown out.

Still, once you've plugged in the router and pointed your browser at it, it's a matter of 2-3 button clicks to get up and running. Setup is aimed at the novice user, while the feature set is pretty solid for a hobbyist, tinkerer, small business or home office user. I'm not sure exactly who this device is intended for, but ultimately, I don't think it matters. The bottom line is, while they have included multiple features for vastly different endusers, they seem to have done so mostly successfully. For a low-tech-level home user, it is probably overkill, especially for the price; but for any sort of power or SOHO user, it seems like a solid choice.

Pros: Right out of the box, there was a default SSID and password stuck to the casing so it is simpler to start using and impossible to accidentally run an unencrypted wireless network. It also uses the most secure option, WPA2 with AES, by default.

The router configured itself to have a gateway IP of 192.168.10.1 and start assigning IP ranges at 192.168.10.100 to avoid conflicts with many ISP-provided modems that start at 192.168.1.1. That's very impressive and takes a lot of headache out of setting it up, especially for people who aren't networking professionals.

The login to the control panel was the industry standard admin/admin username and password, which saved time not having to search the manual. The control panel interface for the router was extremely responsive and changes made were applied quickly without rebooting.

For wireless, this router by default broadcasts two SSIDs but labels the AC protocol one at 5GHz with “ac” in the SSID title. That was a very smart step so you know which to connect to. It can also add 3 more SSIDs to both the 2.4GHz network and 5GHz so you can basically create wireless VLANs with different security permissions and filtering, making this a good choice for a business and public mixed router.

I ran over 1000 concurrent connections for a long time with a bit torrent client and the router did not freeze up. Even the control panel remained responsive. The fast hardware inside the router definitely makes it worth the cost because it seems virtually impossible to freeze up.

A ping test directly connected to my modem then through the router showed an average increase of less than 1 millisecond to external ping times. A bandwidth test revealed I was running around 98% of my max ISP speed in both tests so clearly the router was not adding much if any overhead to my network performance.

Other various pro’s were huge tables for filters, mac address, etc. It’s unlikely you will run out of space on any configuration page containing them. Being able to view all connected mac addresses and DHCP leases by device name was VERY nice and makes this perfect for a business environment. You can also export all settings to a file in case of accidental modification or factory resetting, etc.

Cons: The “auto” setting for channel selection resulted in the router choosing channel 1, which was pretty crowded. 3 and everything above 9 were all much more open with other networks at lower broadcast levels so it made an incorrect choice. A 100 ping test resulted in zero dropped packets but I switched it to channel 3 manually instead, which was quite easy.

Out of the box, this router thought it was December 31, 2011. I had to adjust the clock manually, which was surprisingly confusing and complicated. It asked me the exact start and end dates of daylight savings time, which of course I had to look up.

The FTP server function’s default language was Traditional Chinese and somehow American English or any variation wasn’t an option. I had to set it on Western European.

UPnP was enabled by default and yet none of my Windows 7 machines could find the device on the network for some reason.

Other Thoughts: At 15 feet away, my laptop picked up the network at 2 to 9dBi lower than my other router which specializes in long range and has 12” external antennae.

At 100 feet though, and through 2 walls and 2 glass doors, the Trendnet router was beating mine by 4 – 14dbi, sticking around -60 with 0% packet loss in a ping test but about 1/3 slightly delayed packets. That’s extremely impressive. It clearly has good error correction.

Anyone claiming that this router has poor wireless connectivity obviously has an overcrowded spectrum like at an apartment or a very low quality wireless adapter in their device because my tablet, laptop, and wireless desktop all had no problem connecting and staying connected.

This would be a great router for a large house or smaller environment. It could even cover multiple floors to a certain extent at a large business, though there are (more expensive) products that reach a lot farther.

Overall, this is the type of router you can plug in at a home or small business, configure it extensively to do exactly what you want, and leave it without having to check up on it, reboot it, or alter settings. Considering the cost of most corporate-level networking gear, I think this router performs just the same or better for a lot less money.

Pros: - Dual Band
- Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- Multiple Networks on each Band
- Haven't had any Problems with it

Cons: - Feels Hollow and Cheap
- No Physical on/off button
- Mild Wireless Range

Other Thoughts: I pulled the router out of the box, plugged a computer into it, set it up to my liking, and it has been running fine ever since. The user interface for the router is nice, it offers the settings that advanced users can handle, and the simplistic setup wizards that new users will be able to use. This router took the place of an Ubiquiti airRouter in my network. I have noticed an improvement in wireless transfer rates, but a decrease in wireless range. The ability to have multiple networks on each band is a nice feature, one for you, one for your guests. My only complaints are that there is no physical on/off button, the mild wireless range from a relatively expensive router, and the fact that the router feels light and hollow.

Overall, it has been a good solid router for me. I would recommend this router if it was a little cheaper, but at the current $150, I would say it is a little on the expensive side.

Pros: *Easy to setup
*Great Signal Strength: Read below for more details
*Easy navigation around user interface.

Now in details the router was easy to set up. It came with a predefined password but I changed mine to my preference. I read a few reviews here and disappointed that one reviewer thought it was hard to set up. If you want it up and running it is very easy to set up. If you have a cable connection all you have to do is restart your modem and everything is ready to go.

I am also in possession of a Netgear AC router, model R6250. In fact I have two, one set up in bridge mode so keep on reading the performance results in AC mode.

Now on to signal strength. It is excellent. I got very equivalent results to the R6250.

Location Wireless Band Signal Strength
A: 10 feet no walls 5ghz/2.4ghz -44dbm/-42dbm
B: 20 feet, 3 walls 5ghz/2.4ghz -63dbm/-60dbm
C: 25 feet in garage 5ghz/2.4ghz -69dbm/-64dbm

Stability is superb with the router. I have wireless G, N, AC bridge, and everything worked without any problems. In one week of testing the router, I never had a single disconnection. You could not go wrong with this router if you are looking for stability. Now moving on to cons.

Cons: Since I have had experience with R6250 by Netgear and I have one set up in bridge mode on the 5Ghz band to take advantage of the AC speed. So I was able to actually test the wireless AC speeds. I cam out with a big disappointment.

First the router was only allowing 152 megabits/s on the AC band when I checked the connection rate on my bridge. To overcome you have to follow the following steps.

Click on 5Ghz settings in the left pane, and scroll down all the way to HT physical mode, and select 80hz and select 157 from the channel list.

Doing the above allowed me to connect my AC bridge at 526.5 megabits/s. This is the best rate I could get on AC band with the AC bridge. However using the R6250 as my router I was able to sustain above 700 megabits/s all the time.

One might assume that is not big difference but the real difference is transfer rates I got from my NAS drive.

NAS: Readynas Ultra 2 using 2 x 2TB 7200 drive drives.
Setup Mode
Bridge: Netgear R6250 5ghz AC mode.
Router: Trendnet AC/VS R6250
File: Avatar 12GB MKV
Router Bridge TransferRate TransferRate
Nas to Computer Computer to Nas
Trendnet R6250 26.6MB/s 13.0MB/s
R6250 R6250 39.0MB/s 17.0MB/s

As you can see, the results speak for themselves.

Other thing I didn't like much is the interface is slow on this router. Sometimes you have to wait a few seconds after clicking on a tab and the page to load. It could get annoying sometime, but not a big issue. However the router almost reboots all the time it seems when you apply change to a setting. It should not be necessary to wait 30 seconds to a minute for settings to change all the time.

Other Thoughts: Now to the ultimate question, will I be keeping this router as my man router? The answer to that question is no! I simply can't deal with slow transfer speed to my NAS drive. That is my main reason. If you are not dependent on a heavy transfer of file and want a stable router that otherwise performs well, go for it. By no means this is a bad router, but I had to take one star off as Trendnet has taken their time to release their first AC router to market and while being stable, and having excellent range, it still fails to compete with other AC routers when it comes to throughput.

Now to the bottom line: Looking for stable product, good performance for streaming services, and excellent signal, BUY IT!

If you have a high performance NAS and you constantly transfer large files from and to it, I could not recommend this for purchase as it doesn't have the same throughput as some of the other routers.

Pros: In this review, I will focus on two areas, mainly from a general user point of view, and two, online gaming performance. The Trendnet TEW-812DRU router performed very well during the time I tested the device before posting the final review. TRENDnet did a great job with this device and the average user should not have any major problems setting up this router. Upon inspection of the contents you’ll find the router, power cord, Ethernet cable, CD and manual. Please be advised that the CD doesn’t contain any other software other than the USB control center utility and in order to set up the router itself you will have the use the web page interface. This is accomplished by simply typing 192.168.10.1 in your browser and then type the username and password provided in the manual. In my case, I had to view the page in compatibility mode or it wasn’t showing up under the internet explorer 9 on Windows 7. The web interface is simple and easy to understand, just follow the easy instructions and you will be up and running in no time.
Once you set up your wireless security or SSID and your internet service provider info you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that any settings that require you to restart the router are applied really fast. In other words, the router is very fast to reboot. I used the following devices for testing: two Windows 7 computers, a Windows 8 tablet, Xbox 360, PS3, Samsung HDTV, an Android Phone and a Windows phone. All the devices connected right away and the ones that support the 5GHz range had no problems connecting to the device as well as those that use the regular 2.4GHz range.
A pleasant surprise for me was also the fact that the 5GHz range appears to have a larger area of coverage as opposed to other routers I have tested in the past, and I have tested quite a few on my quest for the perfect router for gaming as I play games such as Call of Duty Black Ops II, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield among others. Having a good router for gaming is essential and this Trendnet TEW-812DRU router did not disappoint me at all.
Online gaming went smooth; I didn’t have any noticeable lag and did not experience any disconnection issues. I played several sections of online multiplayer using primarily Black Ops II. My NAT was showing as open and any gamer knows how painful it can be to deal with routers that have “limited” NAT issues. From a gamer point of view, I have no problems recommending this router as it won’t disappoint. If you still want to set up a DMZ, port triggering or port forwarding, all these options are available and easy to configure in the web page interface.
When it comes to media streaming using Netflix, the router performed very well, I didn’t noticed any disconnection issues or interruptions while watching my favorite shows and movies in my Western Digital TV Live Plus multimedia device.
The USB control center utility performed very well once I connected the printer on the back USB port. I was able to use

Cons: I have no real cons, just a few notes. The lack of a power switch on the back (you have to plug the device to power up) might bother some people but I don’t think it will be an issue for most. Please be aware that there is no set up software included on the CD other than the USB control center utility for the printer, this shouldn’t be a major issue neither.

Other Thoughts: Once again, to have the router set up in no time just type the router’s web page address; 192.168.10.1 on your browser and follow the instructions to have it up and running in no time. The router is also very light and non-glossy, so no more finger prints and marks on your device. As the router is set in a standing position you will have more space available and less clutter in your area. TRENDnet did a great job with this product, highly recommended.

Pros: The initial setup was simple and the instructions easy to follow. In addition, more complex setup was completed without difficulty, and the documentation on the CD was surprisingly clear and complete.

The router is about the same size as other devices, but I really like the vertical format. Since the unit resides on a shelf, it takes up very little space - a significant design improvement.

The router has a large number of features and can accommodate a number of applications including gaming setup, NAT and VPN. My testing thus far indicates these features work without difficulty.

The device itself appears sturdy and well designed.

Cons: The LEDs are a bit bright for my taste. (nit)

Although technically possible, the bandwidth channels on the 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies do not automatically adjust and have to be set to one of these (20 and 40 MHz on 2.4 and 20, 40 and 80 MHz on 5GHz)

There is no easy way to mount the mechanism on the wall if that is your preference.

Other Thoughts: I live in a 3 br two story house. The router is in the center of the house on the second floor as that is the location that works best.

While I will not do direct comparisons, I will say that the router does produce a stronger signal than my previous device and does not drop out anywhere on the property. The lot is small, however, and I have not tested the signal off the property.

There are three adults living in the house using Desktop PCs, one wireless printer, tablets and e-readers. All the devices connect and maintain a signal without any issue.

I have separate SSIDs for each band and have turned off the guest access. The lower band works fine on most of my devices with the wireless g. I have tested the upper band only on wireless n as I have not yet installed the compatible wireless ac card in my laptop.

Pros: At this point, I'm really disappointed, I can't find many pros. I did a lot of research and looked forward to receiving the TEW-812DRU. I've built a lot of computers and set up a lot of routers. The setup instructions were simple and straight forward.

Cons: I found the router to be highly unstable. After following the setup instructions, it took dozens of tries to even get to the first menu. Clicking the pointer on one of the control buttons would cause the router to freeze most of the time and require a reboot. If the button did open the next page, trying to choose anything would cause it to freeze requiring a reboot and on and on. After about 6 hours, I did get 2.4 GHz up and running and that did work. I thought maybe the instability might be caused by the firmware and there was an update. I downloaded the update and tried to install it. It installed to 100% and froze at that point.... I let it sit until it timed out, but the update wasn't installed. Tried it 3 times without success. It's in a box headed back to the seller, I'll try again, hope this was just a bad one, not a sign of the future....

Manufacturer Response:

Hello Viking,

We apologize deeply for this matter. I believe this was a hardware malfunction. We take great pride in our products and testing procedures. Viking, Please let me know directly if issues arise in the return process. My email is adrian@trendnet.com, please put "Newegg TEW-812DRU Product Review" in the subject line and I'll be able to assist you immediately to go through the RMA process. Thank you again for choosing TRENDnet.

Warm-Regards,
Adrian, TRENDnet Sales Team

Pros: AC 1750.
4 possible networks on each band.

Cons: Where to start.
Performance worse than my older 750mbps router.
Firmware full of bugs.
Unable to connect to matching TEW 805 adapter.

Other Thoughts: I stopped playing with this router quickly when I was unable to connect it to its matching adapter. When used with my internal n chipset on my router performance was worse than my old 750 router in 2.45ghz n performance. This is meant to be a 450mbps router on 2.45ghz n and using a 3x3 adapter that I have I was unable to achieve more than 31mbps. The firmware is bad, I am unable to set 40mhz bandwidth if I choose 802.11n mode to off. According to the manual, setting this mode to off should result in only N devices being able to connect, not b and g. I was not able to set bandwidth to 40 when n mode was set to off!!! Only 20mhz and this limits bandwidth obviously. Stupid.... I was able to set 40mhz when 802.11 n mode was set to auto but when g devices were connected my max network rate was limited to 54mbps according to Inssider. When only n devices were attached and mode set to 40mhz I should have observed a max rate of 450mbps in Inssider but again was disappointed to see 216mbps. Wow, not happy. I am unable to get decent performance out of this router. My last Trendnet product was an N300 and this gave better performance on 2.45ghz n. This is draft 2 AC. Not impressed. I have gone back to my N750 router and will consider returning this unless Trendnet respond.