TRENDnet Ships 450Mbps Wireless N Adapter

This new external network adapter provides a maximum theoretical wireless throughput of 450 Mbps.

Tuesday TRENDnet announced that it is now shipping the first-to-market 450 Mbps Wireless N gaming adapter, the TEW-687GA.

As the description indicates, the external device provides a maximum theoretical wireless throughput of 450 Mbps thanks to advanced MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology and three spatial streams per antenna. To access the existing home network and the Internet beyond, computers, gaming consoles, televisions, and DVRs simply connect to the adapter via a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port.

"TRENDnet was first to market with a 450 Mbps wireless router and now with a 450 Mbps adapter," stated Zak Wood, Director of Global Marketing for TRENDnet. "Consumers can now, for the first time, connect their media centers and gaming consoles to a 450 Mbps wireless network—the highest performing wireless network on the market today. With the proliferation of network enabled devices, streaming video to the home, and rich media content, a 450 Mbps TRENDnet wireless network will not be the bottleneck in a home network."

As Wood suggests, to get the full benefit of the Wireless N adapter, consumers will need to purchase the company's $225.99 450 Mbps router (TEW-691GR) or a similar solution from other manufacturers. Setup looks quite simple, requiring the user to connect its power supply to a wall outlet, connect the PC, gaming console or other device's Ethernet cable to the Gigabit port, and press the WPS button on both the router and the adapter.

"Gone are the days of entering complicated encryption codes," the company said.

Other bells and whistles featured on the new adapter include WMM Quality of Service (QoS) technology that prioritizes gaming, Internet calls and video streaming, and LEDs mounted on the front to visually convey the device status.