Buffalo's first 802.11ac router looks promising
Buffalo announces its first 802.11ac-based wireless true dual-band router.
LAS VEGAS--Buffalo is the second networking vendor at CES 2012, in addition to TrendNet, with something to show with the brand-new 802.11ac standard.
The company showcased the AirStation WZR-1750H wireless router, its first that supports the three-stream (3 by 3) standard of the 802.11ac specification, offering up to 1.3Gbps wireless throughput speed on the 5Ghz band.
The WZR-1750H is a true dual-band router and on the 2.4Ghz band, it offers the current 802.11n standard with a top speed of 450Mbps. Top performance, while at the same time remaining fully backward compatible with existing wireless clients, is generally the common feature of 802.11ac-based routers.
The new router looks somewhat like a projector with a sleek black casing that not only attracts fingerprints easily but also makes it very hard to take photos. In other words, it looks a lot better in real life.
On the front, it has all the usual lights, for status, 2.4Ghz band, 5Ghz band, Wi-Fi protected setting, and power. In some cases, these indicator lights also work as the button to turn that function on or off.
On the back, it has four Gigabit LAN ports,one Gigabit WAN port, and one USB port to host an external hard drive or a printer.
Together with the WZR-1750H, Buffalo also plans to launch the WLI-TX4-1300H, an 802.11ac-based media bridge that allows any Ethernet device to connect to an 802.11ac network. The WLI-TX4-1300H is equipped with four gigabit Ethernet ports and is designed for connecting PCs, media streaming devices, gaming consoles, TVs, and other entertainment devices to high-performance 1300 Mbps 802.11ac networks.
Both of these devices are slated to be available in the second half of 2012 with pricing announced then.