AirStation MIMO WZR-G108

If you want to implement a far-reaching and speedy Wi-Fi network, a MIMO-capable (multiple-in, multiple-out antenna technology) router is currently your best option, and Buffalo's AirStation MIMO WZR-G108 is worth considering.

It's a 4-port router that can be used to distribute an ADSL or a cable Internet connection and it can provide a theoretical throughput of up to 108Mbps (13.5MBps) for wireless transmissions by using two radio channels.

The router's wireless speed was tested over short and medium distances by transferring a 717MB video file from a file server to a wireless notebook using a Buffalo AirStation MIMO WLI-CB G108 PC Card adapter. At a distance of 1.5m without any walls or other obstacles, an average throughput of 3.79MBps was achieved. At a distance of 10m through a double-brick wall, the same file averaged a throughput of 3.61MBps. Multiple transfers recorded similar times in our tests. In fact the router streamed video comfortably at up to 30m away and you can still browse the Internet at up to 50m.

The router supports the latest encryption algorithms, and we used WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) and AES (advanced encryption system) in our tests. Additionally, the router supports AOSS (AirStation One-Touch Secure System), which is a Buffalo-specific feature that can automatically, at the touch of one button, enable the highest available security for your wireless network. The router has all the networking features expected in this price range, including an easy to access event log. It was very stable during continuous tests while distributing an ADSL connection across three computers.