TRENDnet TEW-827DRU AC2600 v2 StreamBoost MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router

Pros: Now has OpenWRT support that is rock-solid stable. I changed my review to 5 eggs based on the lede firmware available as of 10/1/2016. I installed and configured lede, and have not rebooted since. Absolutely a good buy now. Unit is preconfigured with security turned on, and custom configuration is relatively novice-friendly*. On first power-up a browser pops up and displays a web config wizard that is pretty effective at presenting options, and this makes it possible for Uncle Homer to just take it and plug it in and have it securely configured in 15 minutes. Qualcomm StreamBoost automatically prioritizes streaming clients, and manual configuration can be used to custom-tweak prioritization. Very decent QOS in factory firmware, with a full set of tools to configure and manage more than an average number of client systems. 5Ghz band is 4-stream, using all 4 of the very large antennae for 2x dedicated rx/tx signal. Supports OPENVPN out of the box! Finally, a small net router that gives a professional level of functionality without resorting to custom firmware. A wizard -driven config creates certificates and configures OPENVPN for you, and gives you simple instructions for setting up clients. Naturally, with a 'wizard' you are limited in options, but not many average users are willing or capable of setting up a VPN from scratch. I have tested this feature extensively over the last few weeks, and can recommend using the preconfigured .ovpn file with these changes: persist-key <- add ;persist-tun <- comment out ;auth-nocache <- comment out I saturated the network with 5 streaming clients, and nobody suffered. 2 Roku showing TWCtv, a local Kodi playing blu-ray rip, a Netflix instance, and an amazing other vendor video instance.

Cons: The stock firmware is carp. That is putting it nicely. It has a significant memory leak that makes it stable only for short periods based on connections and usage. Be prepared to reboot every 5-7 days if you stick with the stock firmware. No updates have been posted by Trendnet to the original firmware. I did eventually contact Trendnet and requested an RMA, which they were kind enough to issue despite this being a review unit. I had gotten wind of an OpenWRT firmware, so I held off a week and sure enough, the working firmware appeared 10/1, so I flashed that and never returned the unit. This has to do with the asterisk in the 'Pros' section. I used the wizard on first run since I expect that the target market is going to need a wizard. After the wizard ran, I had no intranet access. My internal shares and RDP clients simply did not allow connections. I did what a good consumer should do - I contacted Trendnet support and briefly described the issue. I received a response via email, with an 18-hour lag. Most of the help I received was along the lines of "it can't do that", specifically referring to blocking intranet connections. Of course, I know that "it can't do that" except that it did. After 4 days, I decided to do a full reset and manually configure the router from scratch. It has worked great since. Edit: Trendnet support did become very responsive and helpful, so the following no longer applies: I can't really recommend Trendnet support for two reasons - the lag time in response, and the lack of actual assistance.

Overall Review: It's good hardware that performs well, and has a great feature set for a reasonable price. I would recommend this for anyone needing a VPN router that is simple and effective. If you get the lede OpenWRT firmware and work through the installation and configuration, you will have a stellar piece of hardware for a reasonable price.

Pros: 4 antennas 4 gigabyte ports Unit Power Button Wifi power button LED on/off switch Two USB 3.0 ports I general it seems well built and I was hopeful it would work well. The interface is easy to use and the security settings are enabled by default. It took very minimal effort to get this up and running

Cons: Power cable is way too short Applying changed and rebooting takes too long After using this for a few week sit has started to require a reboot. I have been unable to figure out the specific cause, but the internet just slows to a crawl and sometimes the 5gh wireless just stops working and SSID disappears. Slowness was seen on wired and wireless devices even when I was the only one home using it. Maybe I just got a bad unit, but based on how this one is performing I can not recommend it.

Overall Review: there are much better devices out there, pick something else.

Pros: + The router comes with both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wireless networks preconfigured with wireless name and password. + Performance and range for both 2.4 / 5Ghz networks is very good and in line with other AC2600 class router offerings. + Excellent energy efficiency for cooler operation. Unlike some other extreme performance routers that run very hot even during idle times, this TRENDnet router idles with low CPU usage and cool to the touch. + Detachable high gain RP-SMA antennas which can be swapped out for more directional or even higher gain ones. + Per TRENDnet’s website and product box, the router comes with a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. + The rear LED on/off switch can turn off all of the router’s LEDs off, including the power LED. The button needs to be pressed and held in place for a few seconds in order for the LEDs to turn off or on. + Wall mounting option for better positioning of the router.

Cons: - Lack of more extensive FTP server configuration options found on other routers. - Unlike competitors’ routers, there’s no option do have the router check, download, and install firmware updates automatically. The end user would need to navigate to TRENDnet’s website and download the firmware manually and then run the update from the configuration menu. - On the configuration menu, Basic and Advanced buttons are available for configuration. The configuration options which are shown within the Basic menu are not also in the Advanced menu. As an example, if a user wants to change the Wireless SSID and password settings, he would have to go through the Basic menu first, and then if there any additional settings such as adding additional SSIDs or tweaking additional settings, then he would have to navigate to the Advanced menu. In competitors’ products, all of the settings available in the Basic menu are also integrated in the Advanced area. - Router’s configuration menu times out relatively quickly at 3 minutes; requiring to log back in. - Relatively short power cord at around 4’ in length.

Overall Review: The TRENDnet TEW-827DRU seems to be geared toward consumers with devices that are capable of AC2600 speeds this router can offer. When it comes to more advanced features that your everyday user may not need, this router is definitely lacking and power users may want to look elsewhere. The 3-year warranty definitely will offer a piece of mind when spending this kind of money on a wireless router, and due to overall energy efficient design, the router stays relatively cool which in turn will prolong its life.

Pros: - The hardware is exactly identical to other Netgear/Asus/Linksys AC3200 offerings, which are all based on Broadcom chips, same RAM and FLASH size, 2 USB ports. I quickly installed it, set up the router, and it was running within 5 min. - Make sure to update the firmware (1.0.4.0) - 5ghz Channel works splendidly. 2.4ghz is mediocre. - Able to setup multiple SSID's & unique security for each one is a really nice feature. - You can stream movies from a NAS (if you have one that is) and the speed is actually quite great.

Cons: - Price tag is very off putting to the average user. - The LED's are very bright. - It can run hot, make sure its in a place that gets plenty of airflow. - It's approximately the size of a dvd player. - Streamboost sucks. - Parental controls don't work (firmware is bugged it seems :/ ) - Wifi Range is kinda hit and miss depending on the material(s) of the building you are in. I tested it at a friends house, my house and at work. It was inconsistent, I know that's the nature of wireless but I've had better results with different routers honestly.

Overall Review: In terms of 'bang for your buck' I would say that there are better choices out there that will give the average end user what they are looking for (performance, working features, decent wireless range, etc.)

Pros: Looks like the game of Thrones of wifi routers Conveniently located Power ON/OFF, WPS activation, Wifi and LEDs ON/OFF buttons on rear (no more LED glare all night!) 2 USB 3.0 ports for media sharing work well and actually work for viewing media from Roku or smart device 2.4Ghz band strength is nothing less than phenomenal, 5Ghz is supperb for about 30ft or so then unexpectedly declines. No connection/disconnection problems that required reboot experienced in 3 weeks of use. Setup was very simple and intuitive, not sure how the one reviewer missed the apply button (which dramatically decreases setup time as you don't need to reboot to write every new commend or setting) which is useful for writing multiple changes in one reboot This router is compatible with my range extenders from Linksys and Zyxel without a problem The Streamboost functionality is very effective at decreasing gaming latency and lag while handling streaming and browsing traffic (I usually can't play online games over wifi due to latency issues) The packaging is very efficient and made almost entirely of paper which is environmentally friendly Everything just works as expected really. LED lights are not the brightest I have seen but still I would not recommend having this in a room you intend to sleep in unless you switch OFF the LEDs

Cons: This router is larger lump, think of the previous game of thrones reference

Overall Review: USB devices cannot be loaded with data while plugged in to the router, they have to be populated from main computer Overall the setup was very familiar and simple, advanced settings are intuitive to organize and actually work, no problems with connectivity to my devices and range extenders, router wasn't a heat pump as some of the fast full features routers can be.

Pros: -Setup was easy -Performance was great initially

Cons: -Unit constantly stops broadcasting 5 GHz signal within 15-20 min of reset -Eventually 2.4 GHz loses internet connection -Both come back on after reset but continually drop

Overall Review: -initial response from TRENDnet tech support was not very helpful -Will be returning as defective, hopefully better luck with the replacement unit

Pros: Looks good (blue lights) and when it works it works well. Firmware has a good selection of settings.

Cons: Internet slows to a crawl after 2 or 3 days just like reported in other reviews. The 5.0 band stops working after a day or 2. Reboot solves issues for another day or two.

Overall Review: Router will be on its way back to Newegg tomorrow. I really wanted to like this router but I need something dependable that doesn't need to be rebooted every two or three days.

Pros: Powerful WiFi - has better coverage than my old ASUS NT-R66U. Simple and inituitive admin UI. Works ok at stock settings.

Cons: I encountered a serious bug which makes this router useless to me. When I added a DHCP reservation (for a network printer) the router's DHCP server AND DNS quit working - nothing on the LAN will get a DHCP address and web browsing doesn't work. If I take out the DHCP reservation everything starts working again. Trendnet tech support could not reproduce the problem so they were thinking that I had a bad router. I returned it to Newegg for replacement. The replacement router I received had the SAME issue. The serial numbers between the two units differed by ONE. Trendnet tech support now thinks that there is a "bad batch" out there, and offered to send me one that they have already tested if I buy one off of their website. I'm going to pass on this offer and move on to another router. I don't want to possibly have to go through an RMA a third time. One thing that is disturbing to me is that there has only been ONE release of its firmware, the initial version, version 1.00b011 dated 11/2015. New firmware always has bugs. There should have been at least one patch by now.

Overall Review: Finding a good consumer router lately is like rolling the dice. The rush to market is clearly showing. What I need is a simple router with the networking basics that has a single but powerful 2.4GHz radio. What I don't need are all of these "fluff" features like "MIMO", "beam-forming" and multiple bands and a gazillion SSIDs that end up not working very well.