Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH

Full Review

After a period of stagnation, all consumer router manufacturers are now racing to provide new features. With market availability and pricing in its favour is the Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH. The now mandatory Wireless-N draft 2.0, WPS button, WPA2 security, and switch with four Ethernet ports all make an appearance. But the support for Gigabit LAN, 300 Mbps WiFi-N, USB storage, and two adjustable antennae are extras that command attention, for this device being sold as the NFINITI Gigabit HighPower Broadband Router and Access Point.

If you connect a USB storage device, you can use the built-in bit-torrent client.

Setting it up for the first time is easy using the bundled CD, which contains the user manual and configuration tool. Thereafter, you can wall-mount or stand it up using the stand provided, and manage it through its web interface. The web interface is sufficiently well-featured that an enthusiast won’t feel the need to install a third-party firmware (such as DD-WRT or Tomato), but it is not the easiest one seen. Our unit required an update since the firmware it originally shipped with was a beta that had quite a few issues that were stabilized by the newest version. Another weird issue was that the device would automatically go into Access Point mode (which rendered itself inaccessible) after making contact with the DSL modem, which was solved by forcing it into router-mode using the external switch.

The wireless signal coverage and file transfer speed was acceptable, remaining usable at 30 percent strength from a distance of 50 feet for a Wireless-G device (18 Mbps), and 130 feet for a Wireless-N laptop (40 Mbps, meaning 5 MegaBytes/sec). Closer range and lower encryption levels increased the speed, to an actual maximum of 140 Mbps (when the laptop said it was “Connected at 270 Mbps”). Wired Gigabit speeds were as expected, with 920 Mbps (115MB/s) at the maximum when transferring large files.

The VPN, firewall and QoS to prioritize data packets are as good as that offered by any consumer router. If you connect a USB storage device, you can use the built-in bit-torrent client. It’s a pity this router doesn’t allow for connecting a printer to the USB port, and that there are no LEDs to help you find out which Ethernet ports are in use. The two antennae can be positioned or folded-in as per coverage/space requirements. But be careful while tweaking these antennae around (which almost look like floppy ears) as their flimsy connectors can break easily. With its sweet price, the G300NH is a good router to buy currently, even if it supports operation only in the 2.4 GHz spectrum and not in the 5 GHz range. Buffalo offers a warranty of two years on this router.

Bottom Line

The Buffalo G300NH Wireless-N router is a good product for homes, with its affordable pricing. Enthusiasts will be particularly happy with the wired Gigabit-speed LAN, 300Mbps support, and the potential to make a NAS box out of it.