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Buffalo AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Broadband Router ( WBR-G54 )

Buffalo AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Broadband Router ( WBR-G54 )

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT: Comes with a fullproof guarantee!!
Review: Buffalo is the way to go with 802.11g products. The IEEE expects to ratify the 802.11g draft by mid 2003. Buffalo and Linksys use a pre-standard chipset from Broadcom for their 802.11g prodcuts. So if there are major changes to the 802.11g that make this product useless, Buffalo will replace the product free of charge. Will Linksys do that? Don't think so. If you gotta have a 802.11g router, Buffalo is the way to go!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So far, it has not been reliable
Review: I bought the WBR-G54 in a kit, along with a WLA-G54C repeater, so I could expand the range of my network. I have had problems with both. They kept loosing the Network and had to be reset all the time. The WBR-G54 is now dead, and I am sending it back to Buffalo for exchange. Buffalo told me that there might be delays in getting a replacement.

Buffalo does have 24/7 tech support, with knowledgable technicians, located in the US. However, to get through to a technician, you have to wait on hold for 30 minutes to an hour.

I had a Netgear wireless router that worked fine (it did die in the first year and had to be replaced). It reached most of my house, except a back bedroom that was an extension to the house. The signal had trouble penetrating what was the old outside wall. I tried using stronger antennas, but that did not help. I bought this Buffalo kit, featuring the router, and the repeater so I could get a signal back to the far bedroom.

I had problems with initially getting the WBR-G54 router working. But after playing with it for about 2 hours, and restarting my computer, it began to work. Within the first 2 hours, the wireless connection stopped working. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it started working again. Over the next 2 months, it would lose the network every few days and had to be reset. After two months, the wireless card inside died. I got a diagnostic signal that it was bad. I called in the Buffalo tech line, and they told me to take it apart and make sure the wireless card was properly seated. If it still didn't work, I had to call back in the morning to get an RMA to return the unit. Be sure to keep your receipt, because they won't accept the unit back without it.

The WLA-G54C repeated did not come up at all when I first installed it. I called tech support and was walked through how to get it to work. Ever since, it has also been dropping the network every few days.

I will wait to see if the new WBR-G54 unit I get back will improve the reliability of this system. Otherwise, I guess I will be calling back tech support to see what to do next.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Vice Manager
Review: I could access its default homepage by using a wired station; however, another wireless station was always unable to connect to the WBR-G54. Two friends of mine who have the same AP already suggested me to upgrade the firmware. Well, the AP finally worked although the upgrade process failed. I do not know how it works. Anyway, it works now.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Quite a piece of crap
Review: I have had problems with this thing since purchasing it - it frequently drops off of my wireless network for no apparent reason, intermittantly becomes unavailable on the ethernet LAN, and at times cannot be seen by any of my wireless laptops even when they are sitting several feet away from the unit. After speaking with Buffalo tech support several times, upgrading the firmware, resetting factory defaults and resetting all of my network settings the last tech support representative explained to me that I must simply have a defective unit and that there was nothing he or the company could do about it. This would normally be believable except that this is the third Buffalo wireless product that I have purchased and the third that has been "defective" (the other two were a wireless LAN card and a wireless print server). I have come to the conclusion that Buffalo simply makes shoddy wireless products and as a result I will simply no longer be buying anything made by them again. My advice to you the consumer is to save yourself the trouble and money and to do the same. Linksys, here I come!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Vice Manager
Review: I would have given this 5 stars had the interface been a little easier and a better manual been provided. having said that, you will want to download the latest manual on buffalo's website which has more detail and is a little beefier than the one provided in the box. this router provides great speed and features. it also supports wpa for better security than wep. you really should consider this router, download the manual from buffalo's website and take a look at the features. you won't find the same capabilities in most other products from companies like linksys for anywhere near the price. especially the firewall and intrusion capabilities. money well spent.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great wifi router, great price!
Review: I would have given this 5 stars had the interface been a little easier and a better manual been provided. having said that, you will want to download the latest manual on buffalo's website which has more detail and is a little beefier than the one provided in the box. this router provides great speed and features. it also supports wpa for better security than wep. you really should consider this router, download the manual from buffalo's website and take a look at the features. you won't find the same capabilities in most other products from companies like linksys for anywhere near the price. especially the firewall and intrusion capabilities. money well spent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent wireless router
Review: Many people in USA does not really recognize the brandname "Buffalo" but this is a made-in-Japan brandname which is kinda popular in Asia. ...

Basically, from my experience the strength of this wireless router is its performance and range. The range is not bad at all, when compare to other brand/model such as LinkSys and NetGear, and it DOES support nPNP which is VERY important if you are planning to use your computers for Windows/MSN messenger (for voice chat or video conferencing)... The poor side of this router is its configuration/setup interface, not really that user-friendly to set up, especially when compare to Microsoft MN-500 wireless router. Overall, this is a router that I would recommend to my friends (one of my friends already bought one and I set it up for him)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: fast speed, signal range so-so
Review: Setting up the router wasn't as easy as the instructions said. There was alot of missing information, but when i called tech support, they walked me through it and i was connected immediately. For comcast users tech support will give you a specific code to enter during your advanced set-up. Second, the router signal worked great when i was using my laptop on the same floor the router was located, but when i took my computer upstairs (1 floor) the signal was on and off, and sometimes would accept my password. For the most part it stays connected, but when i called tech support they said i needed to buy a multi-directional antenna to get a better signal. Not being a techie, i'm not sure which one to buy, and according to the buffalo website, they only have 2 that are available, one that is directional and increases your signal 200%, while the other one that i need to buy only increases the range by 20-25%. There are other antennas out there and i'm not sure what's compatible with my router. Not sure what to do now- any tips are appreciated!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not secure unless you are an expert.
Review: This is a fine product that works well, EXCEPT that it is unbelievably hard to configure. As a computer professional, I still had to spend quite a few minutes getting the security features turned on. The configuration screens (using a web-based user interface) are just very hard to use. There is little excuse for ruining such a nice product with such a poor user interface. (Netgear does a much better job.) Beginners will be unable to turn on security, and therefore will be at constant risk of having their home network broken in to by passers-by.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great router for a novice
Review: This is a great router for a beginner to work with. This was the first time that I had setup anything remotely like this and I have little computer knowledge. The router came with little paper instructions. However, you can download a .pdf file of the full manual off the CD that comes with it. It took me 15 minutes to setup the router and I was up and running. For the beginner, you may want to read through the manual before getting started. I have not had any problems with the router since I set it up and have not had to call customer service. I primarily use a wireless notebook with this and have never been disconnected going around my two level house or even outside.


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