Designed for homes with multiple Wi-Fi clients, the $208.99 Trendnet AC2600 StreamBoost MU-MIMO WiFi Router (TEW-827DRU) is a full-featured midrange router that delivered blazing speeds in our throughput tests. It supports all of the latest 802.11ac technologies, including Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) streaming technology, beamforming, and Qualcomm's StreamBoost bandwidth-management technology. Its interface can be a little tricky to use, but it offers a generous array of management settings nonetheless. The TEW-827DRU costs a few dollars more than the Linksys EA7500 Max-Stream AC1900 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router ($125.00 at Amazon) , another top pick, but it outperformed the Linksys EA7500 in all but one test, and as such, is our new Editors' Choice for midrange routers.
Design and Features
Measuring 1.8 by 9.8 by 7.1 inches (HWD), the TEW-827DRU ($47.99 at Amazon) is a tad smaller than the Linksys EA7500 (2.2 by 10.1 by 7.2 inches). It has four extra-long external antennas that are adjustable and removable, and a bunch of small, blue LED indicators on the front edge for Power, 2.4GHz and 5GHz band activity, Internet connectivity, wired-port activity, and USB connectivity. The rear panel holds four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a WAN port, two USB 3.0 ports, and buttons for Power, Wi-Fi, and WPS.
The TEW-827DRU is an 802.11ac router powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. It can reach theoretical speeds of 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band. It supports MU-MIMO streaming, which sends data to multiple MU-MIMO clients simultaneously rather than sequentially, as well as beamforming, which sends signals directly to wireless clients rather than over a broad spectrum. It also supports Qualcomm's StreamBoost technology, an intelligent bandwidth-management feature that allocates bandwidth for each client based on what applications they are running.
The Trendnet management console is relatively easy to navigate, but it could use a few tweaks. For example, when you make a settings change, you are asked to hit Save, and after a few seconds, the status bar goes to 100 percent, indicating that the change has been saved. However, you also have to hit the Apply Changes button at the top of the toolbar; otherwise, whatever changes you made will not take effect. Once you hit the Apply Changes button, you have to wait around a minute and a half for the router to save the changes and reboot before you can log back in.
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Trendnet AC2600 StreamBoost MU-MIMO WiFi Router (TEW-827DRU)
The console opens to a home page with a toolbar for Basic and Advanced settings on the left and a Network Status panel on the right. Here, you can view Internet, Wireless, Guest Network, and USB-port status at a glance. Basic Wireless settings allow you to turn each radio band on and off, select a wireless mode, change the SSID, and select channel width and frequency. Other Basic settings include Guest Network, Parental Control, and Qualcomm's StreamBoost.
The Advanced settings section is chock full of wireless, security, firewall, and other management settings. The Administration menu lets you check the router's status, view system logs, change passwords, and run diagnostics, and the Setup menu offers LAN, WAN, Routing, and VPN settings. It also has a schedule creator for restricting Internet access and enabling things like parental controls and guest networking. Advanced wireless settings let you adjust things like Beacon Period, Fragment Threshold, and TX (transmit) Power, and Firewall settings allow you to open ports needed to play certain online games and enable Denial of Service (DoS) protection. The USB menu offers FTP file sharing and iTunes and DLNA media server capabilities. It also has a built-in bit torrent client that allows you to download torrents to an attached hard drive.
Installation and Performance
Installing the TEW-827DRU is quick and easy. Once I connected the router to my cable modem and to my PC (using the included Ethernet cable), the Web-based Setup Wizard launched automatically, allowing me to confirm Internet connectivity and make any necessary changes to wireless security.
When it comes to performance, the TEW-827DRU hits it out of the park. Its score of 108Mbps in our 2.4GHz close-proximity (same-room) throughput test led all comers, beating the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 MU-MIMO Dual-Band Wireless Gigabit Router (NBG6817) ($596.19 at Amazon) (97.2Mbps), the Linksys E8400 AC2400 Dual-Band Wireless Router ($67.99 at Amazon) (82.2Mbps), and the Linksys EA7500 (97.3Mbps). At a distance of 30 feet, the TEW-827DRU's throughput speed of 75.3Mbps once again led the pack, outperforming the Zyxel Armor Z2 (69.9Mbps), the Linksys E8400 (71Mbps), and the Linksys EA7500 (52.1Mbps).
Results in our 5GHz throughput tests were equally impressive. The TEW-827DRU scored a blazing 590Mbps in the close-proximity test, compared with the Zyxel Armor Z2's 558Mbps, the Linksys E8400's 549Mbps, and the Linksys EA7500's 495Mbps. At 30 feet, the TEW-827DRU managed 260Mbps, beating the Zyzel Armor Z2 (251Mbps) and the Linksys E8400 (171Mbps), but not the Linksys EA7500 (298Mbps).
Trendnet AC2600 StreamBoost MU-MIMO WiFi Router (TEW-827DRU)
To test MU-MIMO throughput, we use three identical Acer Aspire R13 laptops equipped with Qualcomm's QCA61x4A MU-MIMO circuitry. The TEW-827DRU's score of 238.3Mbps in the close-proximity test was second only to the D-Link AC5300 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-895L/R) ($279.00 at Amazon) , our top pick for high-end routers, which is around $170 more expensive. The Zyxel Armor Z2 scored 150Mbps, and the Linksys EA7500 had a throughput of 176Mbps. In the 30-foot MU-MIMO test, the TEW-827DRU scored 127.6Mbps to the D-Link DIR-895L/R's 134.5Mbps, but it beat the Zyxel Armor Z2 (72Mbps) and the Linksys EA7500 (81.2Mbps) handily. The Linksys EA9500 Max-Stream AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router($399.99 at Amazon) (also a high-end and very expensive model) holds the record with a score of 162.3Mbps.
The TEW-827DRU's file-transfer performance was a different story. We test file-transfer speeds (read and write) by moving a 1.5GB folder containing a mix of music, video, photo, and office document files between a USB hard drive connected to the router and a PC connected to one of the router's Ethernet ports. The TEW-827DRU's read speed of 53.7MBps was similar to the Zyxel Armor Z2's score (51.2MBps), but slower than the Linksys E8400 (74.5MBps) and the D-Link DIR-895L/R (78.3MBps). Its write speed of 30.3MBps trailed the Zyxel Armor Z2 (35.1MBps), the Linksys E8400 (38.2MBps), and the D-Link DIR-895L/R (39.5MBps).
Conclusion
With the Trendnet AC2600 StreamBoost MU-MIMO WiFi Router (TEW-827DRU), you get all of the latest 802.11ac technologies, including StreamBoost, MU-MIMO data streaming, and beamforming, as well as outstanding performance across the board. In fact, it delivered one of the fastest 2.4GHz scores we've seen, and its 5GHz and MU-MIMO throughput speeds rival that of the more expensive high-end routers we've recently tested. Its file-transfer write speeds aren't particularly fast, however. My biggest gripe with this router has to do with its user interface; while easy to navigate, it takes a long time to save changes and requires a complete reboot, and you have to remember to save, then apply any changes before they take effect. That said, the TEW-827DRU's excellent performance puts it at the top of its class and earns it our Editors' Choice for midrange routers.
The Trendnet TEW-827DRU router delivers outstanding single-user and MU-MUMO throughput, is a breeze to install, and offers plenty of management settings.
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