Product Reviews

There are many clever techniques for increasing wireless network range and performance, but brute force can work, too. Last month we reviewed Buffalo's High Power PC Card network adaptor, which improved performance and range for our notebook. This month we've looked at the High Power router. Featuring a more powerful transmitter, it can increase the range and speed of your entire wireless network, which helps every device and not just those with matching adaptors.

We tested the router using a Centrino notebook, recording speeds of 16.78Mbit/s at close range, 18.64Mbit/s at 10m and 2.44Mbit/s at 20m through three walls. This was marginally better than US Robotic's MaxG router, which we reviewed in last month's What's New.

Using Buffalo's High Power PC Card in the notebook

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produced a huge performance increase, with 28.93Mbit/s at close range and 10m, and 7.23Mbit/s at 20m. These are the fastest scores we've recorded for a wireless network.

Speed isn't the only thing that Buffalo has got right; configuration is also easy thanks to a new web interface. A quick-start wizard takes you through all the important settings and checks that you're online automatically. The router configures the SSID network name to its MAC address automatically, so it's unique out of the box. Security is turned off by default, and it doesn't prompt you to turn it on through the wizard. Both WEP and WPA-PSK are easy to configure, but it's a shame it's not forced. The firewall and UPnP are both turned on by default.

The web interface shows only the important information on the front page. To alter other settings, which only experts should do, you have to click the Advanced button. All in all, this is one of the least confusing interfaces we've seen.

The router comes with Buffalo's AirStation OneTouch Secure System (AOSS) technology, which will automatically transmit wireless settings. You need the Buffalo client on your computer for it to work, but it's compatible with all Buffalo's adaptors and Centrino notebooks.

The High Power router narrowly edges out US Robotic's MaxG router by being a touch faster and a little bit cheaper.