Speed up your Wi-Fi router
802.11ac is the latest Wi-Fi standard, and potentially offers both higher speeds and better reception than its predecessor, 802.11n. If you have an 802.11ac router connected to your broadband, new devices with 802.11ac built in can take full advantage, while older 802.11n devices can still connect too. But what if you have an 802.11n router – whether one that you bought yourself or was supplied by your broadband provider – and no particular inclination to spend around £100 replacing it?
Trendnet’s answer is this ‘Easy Upgrader’ box. Plug it into the mains, connect it to your existing router with a standard Ethernet cable (which you’ll need to buy separately) and it creates a second Wi-Fi network for 802.11ac devices only. It’s simple to set up, with settings accessed from your web browser. Alternatively, the same box can be used to connect a device that has Ethernet, but not Wi-Fi to your 802.11n or 802.11ac router.
In our tests, 802.11ac devices, and more recent 802.11n devices with support for the 5GHz band, did get faster connections with the TEW-820AP, especially when further than a few metres away; the 802.11n 2.4GHz signal tends to drop off pretty quickly. But speed is capped by the 100Mbps Ethernet interface, while full-blown 802.11ac routers can easily exceed 200Mbps. 802.11n devices will still connect directly to your existing router, so you’ll have two networks. If your printer is on the old one, an iPad connected to the new one won’t be able to see it.
VERDICT
It’s good value, but the TEW-820AP may give you extra complications for only a little benefit.
SPECIFICATIONS
802.11ac • Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button • WPA2-PSK/WPA2-AES security • 21x65x67mm (HxWxD) • One-year warranty