Buffalo AirStation WBR-G54

Buffalo has always pushed the market for value, and the AirStation WBR-G54 is no exception, being the cheapest 802.11g AP with routing abilities on test. The WBR-G54 integrates a four-port 10/100BaseTX Ethernet switch for attaching your wired network. Ethernet-connected broadband may be added via the WAN port, so you'll need to add your choice of cable or ADSL modem.

An AirStation Manager utility gives access to the relatively well laid-out web-management interface. Security options are extensive, with MAC address control and advanced firewall features including packet filtering and intrusion detection. You can filter which applications you want to allow through to the Internet and put a PC in the demilitarised zone to give it full Internet access, as well as redirect ports to allow multiple PCs to serve different Internet services.

There are four wireless operating modes: 802.11b only, an automatic 802.11b/g mixed combination, a turbo setting for 802.11g only and a turbo mixed mode. We tested using the latter, as most users will want to leave 802.11b available for occasional use, even if the majority of clients are 802.11g-enabled.

At close range, the WBR-G54 achieved stunning throughput, but this quickly fell with range and obstacles. It was also slow with the Centrino notebook, although Buffalo offers a selection of antenna add-ons, which could help the range problems.

Overall, the WBR-G54 offers a lot of features for your money, but you'd need to factor in the extra antenna expense for use over a wide indoor area. Because of these distance problems, it narrowly misses out on an award.