Buffalo Technology AirStation High Power N300 Gigabit Wireless Router & AP WZR-HP-G300NH (Black)
by BUFFALO
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: BUFFALOAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows XP
Model: WZR-HP-G300NH
Product features:
- AOSS One-touch security setup, AP and router mode, built-in SPI-firewall, WAN auto setup
- 2 adjustable flip-up antennas and 2 External Antennas with Adjustable Output, 3 x 3 (Tx x Rx)
- 10/100/1000 Mbps, Auto Sensing, Auto MDIX
- WPA2, WPA-PSK (AES, TKIP), 128/64-bit WEP
- 3 years P&L Warranty
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Buffalo Technology AirStation High Power N300 Gigabit Wireless Router & AP WZR-HP-G300NH (Black)
Customer Review: Excellent Router Once You Get It Set Up
Summary: 5 Stars
I consider myself to be pretty tech savvy when it comes to most products. I had previously had a Belkin N+ router (non-usb) for a little over a year. I loved the little device. It handled all the devices that my family network could throw at it very admirably (2 laptops, 1 netbook, 2 desktops, a PS3 and a Wii (Netflix Streaming), an internet TV, a Sony Dash, and 2 blackberry curves) with the exception of 2 annoyances. 1) I was constantly plagued by the inability to easily save my files to my external hard-drive without having to specifically use the computer that was nearby it. 2) It definitely got gassed if more than 3 of the devices were running at the same time. I finally decided to do some looking around for a replacement, and after much searching on various sites, decided on this beauty.
I received it yesterday, and at first, could hardly get it up and running. First, I open the box and realize that there are 2 firmware versions that can go on this device. One that is "professional" (dd-wrt), and one that is "User Friendly". There is a disc with the software to set up the router and a manual on pdf file (no printed manual...bummer), so I popped it in, and waited....nothing. I run PClinuxOS or Zorin OS (Ubuntu based distro) on my computer systems, and was at first stymied by the fact that, while the software on the router is a linux based software, the disc that comes with it is Windows based...worse yet, Wine wouldn't run it right. I spent about 30 minutes trying to get the disc to work before I simply gave up on it and decided to log into the router through the web interface.
Upon entering it, I was definitely greeted by an interface that looked very professional, and not that user friendly. Most of the options it gave me came with little or no instruction, and honestly, I didn't know what they did. I found way to the "Firmware upgrade" section, and searched the provided disc for the "User Friendly" version of the software. About 20 minutes later (after some finagling and rebooting), I found myself looking at a much more friendly appearing interface. It was very much similar to my Belkin router except for one thing....it couldn't find my internet connection. It took no less than 20 "retrys" to get the device to find the internet connection, and another 5-10 retrys when finally testing the connection. So, shortly after that, my internet was up and moving...just not that fast.
I decided to forgo trying to squeeze more speed out of it for a minute in favor of setting up my 500GB external HDD. I spent the next 20 mins trying to get the device to recognize my HDD...and finally succeeded. I followed the instruction manual, and finally set up the web server and network names for my HDD. I went to find it on my network...couldn't attach to it...spent the next 20 minutes trying to debug that. I could connect to every other device on my network except the one that I wanted. So, I gave the web interface a try...talk about a poor setup. It only allows it to upload one file at a time...HARDLY convenient when I have 3 children and take something on the order of 300-500 pictures or more per month. Nevermind the fact that it was only transferring the files at around 15k/s...LOL!
Then I noticed that the network was VERY hit or miss...could hardly get any websites to load up. Time out...time out...time out. I finally gave in to the need for sleep at 2am after starting my journey into this router around 10pm.
I bet you're wondering why I gave this item a 5 star rating so far. Well, here's where it changed:
I decided to scrap the "User Friendly" and go back to the Professional version. Upon fiddling with it for a while, I realized that I had initially missed a "Simple setup" button I could have hit that did most of the primary setup features step by step. I was still at that point, having difficulties getting the External HDD to work. I went to Buffalo's website, and really didn't find much useful there...the manuals they had were the same as what I already had on the disc that came with the unit.
I decided to spend some time on the DD-WRT website. Boy did that make things a LOT easier. They had 2 sections that really cleared me up. The first was their Wiki...they don't have much along the line of company provided support, but like most Linux systems, they have terrific community driven wiki and forums. Second was a section where you search for the device you're using and it has its own special wiki. This made things SOOO much easier. Had I found that first, I would have been writing this thrilled last night.
If you follow what they have on there, you can get it set up really nicely. I currently have a laptop, desktop, notebook, 2 blackberries, and I'm streaming a movie to my TV via netflix while my wife is streaming netflix on the PS3 and the web is still blazing fast. All the while, I'm getting around 2.5MB/s data transfer wirelessly to my External HDD via NAS. A little background...this device is a USB 2.0 that not only uses its own 6 ft USB cord, but for convenience, I have a 6ft USB extension added on. That being said I figure 2.5MB/s to be a pretty good rate considering that its wireless to USB NAS device.
Upon looking at the professional version of the firmware again, I realize it honestly is pretty user friendly, and MUCH more useful for making a quality networking experience.
Pros:
Excellent quality of workmanship...feels very well built
Excellent transfer speeds
Excellent firmware (Professional version...once you figure out how to best use it)
NAS-no more needing to carry your external HDD...just plug it in back, set it up and transfer your info wirelessly to it
Price-easily less expensive than devices that are rated lower than it.
Cons:
"User Friendly" firmware...didn't operate the device anywhere near what it's potential is
Lack of a printed manual...that's a real pain when you're trying to navigate a web-based set-up and have to switch back and forth between a pdf reader and your browser.
If you don't mind doing a little fishing on the web in a couple of wiki sites, this can be a great item for you. If you're looking for 5 minute out of the box and running type of device, go with the belkin. Personally, I'm very happy I chose this one, as it's significantly better than the Belkin N that I had. Definitely worth the effort.
ADDED 2/11/11
If you run linux, a great program to connect to the NAS on this is GFTP. Has a great interface that allows for easy file transfer and works faster than using "browser" based transferring.
Still LOVE this router! Works perfectly!
More Buffalo Technology AirStation High Power N300 Gigabit Wireless Router & AP WZR-HP-G300NH (Black) reviews:
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Description of Buffalo Technology AirStation High Power N300 Gigabit Wireless Router & AP WZR-HP-G300NH (Black)
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