TRENDnet (http://www.trendnet.com) has released the 450Mbps Dual Band Wireless N HD Media Bridge (model TEW-680MB), which purportedly the highest wireless connection speeds available for up to four media center devices such as media players, gaming consoles, Internet televisions, and NVRs.
The US$169.99 device helps ensure that the wireless component of an overall network does not produce lag or jitter when wirelessly streaming HD movies and more to a media center, according to Zak Wood, director of Global Marketing for TRENDnet. Dual Band technology provides the option of connecting either over the common 2.4GHz wireless network or over the low interference 5GHz network.
A popular network configuration when connecting to a Dual Band router is to dedicate the router’s 5GHz band to the TEW-680MB and the 2.4GHz band to laptops and mobile devices, according to Wood. The TEW-680MB needs to be connected to a 450Mbps router, such as TRENDnet’s TEW-692GR, in order to maintain 450Mbps wireless speeds. If the TEW-680MB is connected to a 300Mbps router, the router will bottleneck wireless speeds at 300Mbps.
An external Wi-Fi Protected Setup or WPS button connects the TEW-680MB to a router at the touch of a button; simply press the WPS button on your router (such as TRENDnet’s TEW-692GR) and then press the WPS button on the TEW-680MB. The devices will automatically exchange information and connect over a secure encrypted wireless signal. WMM Quality of Service (QoS) technology further prioritizes streaming video, gaming, and Internet calls. You can connect up to four devices to the four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back of the TEW-680MB. LEDs on the front of the wireless bridge convey device status.