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Hands-on: Tenda W150M Portable Router and Ethernet Switch

Peter Chubb — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:44:12 +0000

We live in a world where having access to the Internet is essential, but in some cases this is often difficult to do. The reason for this is because our laptops can only gain access by using it’s built-in Wi-Fi card and connecting to a wireless network. So what happens when there is no wireless network? Well one such suggestion is to use the Tenda W150M 150Mbps Portable Wireless AP/Router.

What this device does is allows you to use the Internet by making use of your USB Dongle that you have with your mobile service provider. We were a little apprehensive about the product at first, as it seemed far too light to be of quality. However, we have noticed time and again that technology moves at an alarming rate – hence why these things get so much lighter.

Looking at the top of the Tenda W150M there are a series of words that say 3G Router, AP, WSSP Router, Wireless Router, 3G, WPS/Reset and finally LAN/WAN. Once you connect power to the device you will see blue lights below all come on and then go off, all that is left on is 3G Router. Do not make the mistake that I made though, make certain that you install the disc first – it helps if you want to use your USB Modem card as a means to get on the Internet.

Doing this was an easy task; once the software is installed just select your ISP and then you are ready to go. Just remember to set up a password, so no one else can steal your Internet.

Now that things were done in the order that it was meant to I was ready to go, I chose to use Wi-Fi mode, but you do have a choice to use the Ethernet cable. I do not care about using more battery power, rather that than an extra lead to carry around.

The Tenda W150M Portable Router offers up to 150Mbps Wireless-N, so if you have to have the device a distance away from your laptop, you will be happy to know that you will still be able to get a signal. We were very pleased with how the device performed; well I have uploaded this review – hope I have not gone over my data limit?

Some of the main specs and features include:

Double the transmission range of 802.11g products
WPS (PBC and PIN) enabled device
Setup wizard for fast and easy configurations
Supports wireless SSID stealth mode and a MAC address access control
Powered by either over USB port or power adapter

For more details visit Tenda

Next up we have the Tenda S105 5-Port Fast Ethernet Switch, and is considered to be the ideal network solution for those who have a small office, or even a number of devices that need to get on the Internet via LAN. The S105 has 5 ports, which means that you can connect an additional five devices on top of those that are already connected to your router.

There is not much to the device, once you have connected it to the mains you will see a power light appear, and for each device that you connect to the rear, another light will show up on the top of the Ethernet Switch.

You will notice that most of the Tenda devices come in white, so if you have a number of them at home or in the office, it is nice to know that they will all match – nothing worse than having odd devices. If you do not have a router, then maybe you should choose one of these two that we recently reviewed.

Specs Include:

Supports auto MDI/MDIX
Mini design
Integrated 1,000 (S108)/2,000 (S105) MAC address table
NMA auto-negotiation
10/100M Auto-Negotiation Ethernet LAN ports

For more details visit Tenda’s UK website.

More Images Below

Hands-on: Tenda W306R / W307R Router Review

Peter Chubb — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:08:10 +0000

A few weeks back we were sent the Tenda W306R and W307R Wireless-N broadband Router – so no modem in these then. To some that is a better option, as they believe that they get a much faster and stable connection to the Internet with two separate devices. There are those who must be thinking who Tenda are, and how do they compare to the likes of Belkin and Netgear? Put it this way, this is a Chinese company, and a number of components in top-branded networking gear is also made in that region.

In this hands-on we thought that we would do the two devices together, as the only differences that we could see was that the W306R has detachable antennas. The box contains the router, a power adapter, install guide, and a CD to help set the device up.

Both the W306R and W307R are identical in dimensions, but are different in color. The former is white and grey and the latter is white and black; it was that and the threads on the back of the W306R that allowed me to tell the difference between the two.

The wireless routers feel a little lighter than my Belkin; that has nothing to do with the Belkin being a better quality product- its just there is less components due to the lack of a modem built-in. Both devices have a solid if not plastic feel, but it is the weight that has surprised me the most – my iPhone feels much heavier.

Looking at the rear we can see that you will be able to connect four devices through LAN, and up to 30 devices wirelessly at a speed of 300Mbps. What we did notice on the back was a reset switch, this is a missing feature on my Belkin – I have to pull the power or go to the settings to do a reset.

How many times have you had to add a network bridge to help extend your home or office network? Well the Tenda W306R and W307R has an easy solution for you WDS (Wireless Distribution System), this allows you to bridge other routers to extend that wireless network.

The setup wizard makes life much easier, and it did not take long before we were up and running (make certain that you have your modem connected before you start), and found it much easier than some other routers that I have setup in the past. We have seen over the years that Chinese branded devices have confusing instructions, but working together with Target Components in the UK has made this a non-issue. More on this partnership deal can be found in a recent article wrote by Daniel.

If you want a router for a fraction of the cost of the big brands then you could do much worse than Tenda. However, convincing people that they need a separate modem and router has always been a tough sell. For more details visit either the official Tenda website or Target Components, who are the UK reseller for the W306R and W307R.

Some of the main features include:

300Mbps transmission rates
IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.3, and IEEE 802.3u standards
MIMO technology
64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2 encryption Support
Up to 30 entries of MAC addresses
And much more.

More images for the Tenda W306R / W307R Wireless Router below

Tenda W541U V2.0: Mini Wireless USB Adapter Review

Jamie Pert — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:05:25 +0000

Recently Tenda sent us some of their product’s to review following their partnership with the UK PC component distributor Target, today I have been trying out the Tenda W541U V2.0, this is a USB wireless adapter which connects to WiFi b and g networks (IEEE 802.11bg and IEEE 802.11g.).

When you open up the product’s packaging you may be quite shocked to see how little there is inside, in fact you get a CD-ROM and the USB adapter, if you want to read the product’s manual it can be found on the disc.

The adapter itself has a very solid plastic housing and there is an LED which blinks when there is activity, also on the underside of the dongle there are details such as its model number and MAC address.

When I plugged it into my Windows 7-based computer it automatically installed itself and was ready to go in roughly 2 minutes, on my XP-based computer installation required the CD-ROM and took roughly 5 minutes.

The standard installation installs the Tenda wireless utility, this is useful on older computers which run Windows 2000, however I prefer to allow Windows to manage my connections, the Tenda software can be useful if you want to see full details regarding connections speeds or perhaps set it up as an access point.

In terms of signal strength and connection speed there are no real surprises, using the USB adapter I got roughly the same connections speed as my DLink PCI WiFi card, I used the USB adapter for 8 hours with no connection loss which proves the hardware and drivers are both stable.

There is not much else you can say about this USB adapter, it is cheap, easy to install, well-made and has pretty strong signal, you will be able to buy yours from Target soon, a retail price is unknown at present, you can find out more about the W541U V2.0 here.

Here is a full list of specifications and features:

Omni-directional internal antenna
Supports WMM for improved audio and video signals
Supports wireless roaming technology for highly efficient connections
Provides easy to use configuration and monitoring interface
WPS (PBC and PIN) enabled device
Supports Soft AP to establish a quick wireless LAN network
Detects wireless network and changes transmission rate automatically
Supports 802.1x security authentication standard
Meets 64/128-bit WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security standards
Provides 54Mbps transmission rate
Provides two working modes: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc
Complies with IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11b standards

Target and Tenda Partner: Wireless Router, Modem and Networking

Daniel Chubb — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:45:14 +0000

If you have not heard much about Target Components or Tenda, then you soon will if you’re looking for networking products. Over the next few weeks we will test a few of Tenda’s networking products, including MiFi type devices and routers to see if the China-based networking manufacturer lives up to it’s reputation for signal strength and ease-of-use.

Please see the press release below for full details on the exclusive distribution deal between Target Components and Tenda.

Yorkshire distributor Target Components has added networking manufacturer Tenda to its roster of exclusive distribution deals.

Long established in the Far East, Tenda is a recognised leader in domestic and small-business networking solutions. Well-known for its innovative, simple-to-use and cost effective solutions, it boasts providing the world’s first installation CD among its achievements, allowing out-of-the-box connectivity within minutes.

Impressed with Target’s channel penetration and the close relationships it develops with its customers, Tenda sees Target as the distributor of choice. Target also has an excellent track record in launching and re-establishing brands in the UK market, benefiting from its nationwide network of independent retailers, e-tailers and systems integrators.

Target’s Purchasing Manager, Kelly Coxon, says, “We are delighted to have Tenda on board. Not only do they produce some of the most innovative and user-friendly networking solutions available, their universal 3-year product warranty proves their commitment to quality in such a competitive market. I am sure that Tenda will become as synonymous with excellent value networking in the UK as it has done in the Far East.”

Marvin Luo, Tenda’s Account Manager, said “Tenda has been looking for an appropriate distributor in the UK for a while now, and we have been impressed with Target’s excellent track record in launching new brands. But, beyond that even, it is the customer-focussed ethics and determination of Target to provide an unparalleled quality of service that, we believe, will launch Tenda directly into the marketplace.”

In adding Tenda to its catalogue of brands, Target further reinforces its presence in the channel, seeing the distributor grow by 70% in the past two years alone.

Bookmark our main news page, and come back soon to see a hands-on review with some of Tenda’s products.