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Brand | BUFFALO |
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Model | WZR-600DHP |
Standards | IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab |
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Security | WPA2-PSK (AES, TKIP), WPA-PSK (AES, TKIP), 128/64-bit WEP |
WPA | WPA2 |
WAN Ports | 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN |
Wireless Data Rates | Up to 600Mbps |
Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
Antenna | 2 x External Antenna |
Interface | USB 2.0 |
VPN support | PPTP Pass Through |
Power Adapter | External, AC 100-240V input, 12V DC output |
Wireless Adapter included | No |
Dimensions | 6.5" x 6.2" x 1.4" |
System Requirements | OS: Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit/64-bit), Windows XP, Mac OS X |
Weight | 11.65 oz. |
Features | Access Mode: Infrastructure mode, Ad-hoc mode Buffalo's AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-600DHP is a versatile dual band solution, ideal for the home and small office environments. With five gigabit Ethernet ports and simultaneous wireless operation on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the WZR-600DHP is perfect for streaming HD movies, music and emailing from multiple devices at the same time. Coupled with HighPower technology, the WZR-600DHP provides exceptional range and increased performance at range for a better connection anywhere on your home network. Multi-level wireless encryption options and an easy-to-use step-by-step setup wizard that guides you through configuration from start to finish allows you to set up a secure, high performance wireless network within minutes of opening the box. Plus, you can use the USB Share Port to connect a USB hard drive for easy file sharing, media streaming and central storage or to add a printer to your home network. |
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Package Contents | AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router Ethernet Cable, Stand, Screws for Wall Mounting AC Adapter Setup CD-ROM Quick Setup Guide Warranty Statement |
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Date First Available | September 18, 2012 |
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Pros: So far, THIS has got to be the BEST packaged item that I have EVER received from ANY company. I doubt if they will be getting ANY returns for broken (AND/OR DAMAGED) items from shipping it. Excellent job Buffalo! Along with the Router, you get the following: 1. 4 Printed Manuals + 1 (3 Year) Warranty Card. 2. 1 DRIVER/FIRMWARE CD (containing the FULL (200+ Page) MANUAL!) 3. 1 Wall Wart power supply (WHICH I HATE!!!) 4. 1 RJ-45 cable. 5. 1 Base Plate + 2 Phillips Head Screws. As far as the Manuals go, you get 1 manual explaining the different options available for the 2 different types of User Interfaces available to the user. You also get; 1. 1 Quick Setup Guide for PC’s. 2. 1 Quick Setup Guide for Portable Devices (iPad/iPhone/Android Etc.) 3. 1 WDS Setup Guide. This router has 2 different types of User Interfaces. The 1st is DD-WRT which has pretty much ALL the Bells & Whistles out there that the Techie might want AND/OR need. The 2nd is a more USER-FRIENDLY Interface which (HOPEFULLY) the Newbies out there will be able to figure out. It's up to the user to choose WHICH interface they want to deal with. Choose wisely! The DD-WRT Interface is so popular (& is constantly being updated) that it even has it’s OWN Web Page on the WikiPedia Site. They have a LOT of info & links & while this Web Site is worth viewing, you will STILL have to read the manual IF you want to get the most out of it. Ok, I hooked up the new Router & I'm using the so called "USER-FRIENDLY" Interface. A couple of weeks ago NewEgg sent me an 8-Port TP-Link Switch to review (Model TL-SG1008) & I've hooked it up to this new Router as well & let me tell you this new Router is F-A-S-T & I mean like WOW F-A-S-T. I'm using this Interface because the review would take too long otherwise. Mostly because I'd have to read the WHOLE MANUAL just to find out what options do what & I think you would like my 1st impressions of it. I just ran a speed test & here are my results. From my home (Harrisburg) to Philadelphia I'm getting the following transfer speeds. Almost 52 Mbps Download & almost 9 Mbps Upload speeds. Which is great considering that I'm watching the Starwars 3 movie at 1080p over my Sony Media Player (using Wi-Fi) + transferring 8 (4GIG) files from my Laptop to my 24TB Server (using Wi-Fi) + watching the Starwars 2 Movie at 1080p on my main PC with Windows Media Center while I'm downloading over 380GB of files (ALL using Wi-Fi) + surfing the Internet with my other PC (again using Wi-Fi) ALL at the SAME time without any of the movies sputtering or pausing. Darn good huh? Another good thing about this Router is that it has a USB Port on it. This means that you can hook up a Printer or another HD or whatever you want. Very nice. Overall, this Router has TOO MANY GOOD features and the CONS don't outweigh the PROS, that is IF you're willing to read the manual.
Cons: I really CANNOT find ANY MAJOR CONS. ALL the good things outweigh the CONS anyway. THIS Router has SO MANY OPTIONS that it’s going to take me SOME TIME to review ALL the options this Router has & then to choose which ones I want to use & then to test them all. I could take a FULL week to REALLY delve into this Router, but I'll try to hurry the process up a bit. Either way, sorry about the delay! IF you are a Novice OR a Newbie (OR WILL NOT READ the manual) then I CANNOT recommend this router to you. The FULL MANUAL (a PDF File on the CD) has OVER 200+ pages in it. It has SO MANY OPTIONS & FEATURES that a lot of you newbies: a. Are going to get lost and CRY for help. b. Will NOT get the FULL potential out of this Router. Or EVEN know how to. c. Will either RMA it, AND/OR write a BAD review on this Router as NON-WORKING (EVEN though it DOES work!) d. Will seek out a Tech (either a Paid OR a Unpaid one) to help you figure it out. e. Will just give up AND/OR buy another Router! I'm not too crazy about the antennas they put on this Router. They LOOK kind of flimsy, but only time will tell. Regretfully there doesn't seem any way of easily replacing them. Personally, I would have preferred the more conventional Jointed Antennas as they are usually more sturdy. Oh well... It also has a SHINNY Black Casing protected by a thin plastic film that is removable, but be warned, this thing LOVES FINGERPRINTS...
Overall Review: THIS THING IS PLAIN UGLY!!! IT WORKS GREAT!!! – BUT IT’S UGLY!!! What with those ugly (Antenna) EARS I’m kind of surprised that Buffalo didn’t put some kind of lighted eyes on the front along with a set of lighted teeth that glow in the dark & in synchronization to the Transmit/Receive speeds. They could have sold this Router as a Halloween Special that way. Plus that would scared the heck out of little kids & animals & at least (HOPEFULLY) kept them away from it! With my having 2 cats, I kind of worry that they might knock it over & break one and/or both antennas. Then again, people do say I have a twisted sense of humor. I don’t, I just enjoy a GOOD joke! I can see where you Newbies out there are going to have problems with this Router. Either because they DID NOT take the time to read the (200+ pages) of the Manual AND/OR because they DO NOT know what they are doing. You've been warned! WISH LIST: 1. Get RID of the Power Brick. They’re UGLY & take up TOO MUCH SPACE! 2. CHANGE THOSE EARS (Antennas). They HAVE TO GO! SWITCH to Conventional JOINTED Antennas. 3. Design it so the Antennas can be replaced easily for more conventional ones. 4. Instead of a SHINY Casing - go with a brushed casing. Less fingerprints that way. 5. A WEIGHTED base would be nice. 6. MOVE the RESET BUTTON to the back - NOT the bottom. 7. Move the USB Port & the USB Eject Button to the FRONT - NOT the rear. Would I buy this Router myself? YES - MOST DEFINITELY!!! Would I recommend this Router for the Expert? YES!!! Would I recommend this Router for the Newbie? MAYBE - IF they would READ THE MANUAL!
Pros: + Very impressive hardware specifications: 680MHz Atheros AR7161 CPU, 128MB RAM, 64KB NVRAM, 32MB FLASH memory. + Setup Assistant offers step-by-step wizard for configuring the device. This wizard is started automatically (yes, it launches your browser for you) once you connect an ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports of the router to a computer. See CONS section for the negative aspect of this. + The on-screen help within the firmware appears to have been updated by Buffalo Technology, with better info for both technical and less/non-technical users to help in configuring the device. + The ability to print out a "Setup Card" and a "Guest Card" for wireless access is a nice touch. This is done right from the initial Setup tab in the firmware menu. + Router firmware management section of the interface (under "Administration" tab) features something not available to a standard edition of DD-WRT: optional online check for firmware updates.
Cons: - The "Setup Assistant" cannot complete automatic configuration without an active WAN (internet) connection, such as a cable modem or DSL modem. The wizard can be canceled by selecting the cancel button in any of the screens where it is available (most notably for me, "Manual Setup" within the menu system, then "Cancel"). - Not really a con, per se, but the power brick is annoyingly large and cannot be plugged into any plug on a power strip without blocking at least one port below it.
Overall Review: FIRMWARE # Comes pre-loaded with DD-WRT v24SP2-MULTI firmware (my particular model came with build 19438 from 07/09/12); there is no need to upgrade or flash the firmware to DD-WRT if this is what you were thinking of doing. The web interface has been customized by Buffalo, including the addition of a "Setup Assistant" wizard that can make configuration of certain aspects of this device easier for the less-technical user. Make no mistake, however; this unit is full of powerful hardware and a firmware capable of handling all but true business-class demands, such as IPSec VPNs and other functions not available from a "standard" router (many brands with the work "link" in the name come to mind). DOCUMENTATION # The unit comes with a lot of paperwork. There are two quick-setup guides for connecting to the wireless function of the router, one for connecting wireless-enabled computers, and one for "portable devices" such as tablets and phones. The guide for portable devices shows how to connect and begin setup using your iOS (iPhone, iPad) device, or alternatively, Android devices. The guide for wireless computers shows how to connect using either a Windows or Mac based computer. Both quick setup guides show how to start the "Setup Assistant" wizard built into the firmware, and both are illustrated in a fairly clear manner. Still, only someone who has a decent understanding (or a good capacity for understanding/learning new technology) will get the full use out of this product's firmware. WDS SETUP # The "WDS Setup Guide" pamphlet is full of all of the detailed steps necessary to fully configure both this router and an additional compatible unit (WZR-300HP Extender is listed) for use in a Wireless Distribution System (WDS). The guide allow you to configure one or more additional units in a mesh network to communicate with each other purely via wireless. # While I have not been able to test WDS functionality with this unit, I can attest that it does work, usually very well, with DD-WRT firmware. Please note that it only appears to work when the hardware across all nodes in the WDS network is similar. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION # This is an EXCELLENT wireless router for the home user with a functional knowledge of computer networking and the advanced features contained within (PPTP VPN client/server support, DDNS, multiple SSID capability on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously; see DD-WRT website for more details). For the average home user, however, this device may be a bit overkill. There are far simpler solutions out there for those who just need internet connectivity and wireless, though Buffalo is known in the networking community for making products that follow the standards and "just work". This product takes that a step further, offering advanced features, and a reasonable price. I would HIGHLY recommend the Buffalo N600 for anyone with needs more advanced than a home router, but not quite those of a true business router/firewall.
Pros: Full Featured Comes with Buffalo's custom DD-WRT installed as default firmware Contains two Qualcomm Atheros based radios for simultaneous wireless operation on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band Speeds up to 600 Mbps 5 gigabit Ethernet ports USB Slot for printer or external HD Sits on desk in vertical or horizontal orientation Wall mounting an option Extensive documentation Buffalo Tech Forum Easily change between DD-WRT firmware or EZ basic firmware Orientable Twin Antennas Flexible flat 7 foot network cable included
Cons: Buffalo tech forum. Networking particularly wireless is a technical art and reminds me of linux. Similarly, as in the linux community, if you are looking for help you may get it but most likely your post will be met with scorn sometimes veiled or a link. I found this at the Buffalo forum. True, it is user to user as most are but some are quite good, case in point MSI. Buffalo's forum has many unanswered posts. I posted a valid question and waited a week for posted link. Also, I searched for a solution to another question I had and found posts from months prior unanswered. Those posts may be beyond the scope of the members but I persisted and found the answer at another site. It was not trivial. I posted a link :-( The USB port. It is billed as a port you can plug a camera, USB printer or mass storage into. Pluging a printer is easy, making it work requires knowledge as well as the ability to understand and follow directions that maybe complete to the poster but not the student. I could not make my Brother work. My Seagate USB 3 external HD would not work but my 1 gb Cruzer mini was recognized and usable. DD-WRT. This is the firmware that is installed by default. You must be expert or have high dedication for learning to use it to its potential. Many of the posts at the forum are from students that I feel have a higher opinion of their skill level than they should which is why they have so many issues. Some questions are very specific for a particular feature which leads into my next point. Documentation. While quite extensive (help is avaialble on an enclosed PDF and on the web interface) it presupposes too much and does not go into enough detail. What I found: As I drilled down through help their final answer was to go somewhere else for the answer. This means starting over. If Buffalo knows where to go then link the answer not just the site. No external antenna jack. My budget router had one.
Overall Review: If you just need a router to hook up 2 or 3 computers to your broadband then you could do fine with a basic model from any number of vendors. If you have higher requirements for a router the Buffalo is an excellent full featured choice. My home network consists of three desktops. Two laptops and a wireless Kindle. Two desktops are in one room side by side. Both are Cat 5e connected to the Air Station and connect to the Buffalo at 1Gbps. The third desktop is two rooms away. The wireless signal traveled through a TV, a refrigerator and a microwave. That computer was initially connected to the Buffalo with a TP-LINK High-Gain 150 Mbps USB wireless adapter. Win 7 reported a connection speed of 65 Mbps which was an improvement of 11 Mbps over the budget router I replaced. I cat5e'd that computer to the Buffalo (crawl space ..UGH!) and it now connects at 1Gbps Of the two laptops, one is an N the other is a Win XP G. The G connects anywhere in the house at it's full 54 Mbps while the N shows a consistent 117 Mbps. Adjusting the Buffalo's twin antenna has no effect on the N. Lastly, the Kindle now has 3 wireless bars as opposed to 2 using my previous router. I use the Kindle wireless exclusively in the "library" which is the most distant point in the house from the AirStation. An explanation of "radios for simultaneous wireless operation on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band." By supplying separate network bandwidth for each of the two types of links, these routers provide maximum flexibility in setting up a home network. For example, older 802.11b/g clients can be set to run on the 2.4 GHz side of a simultaneous dual-band router without impacting the performance of 802.11n clients running at 5 GHz. This is precisely what I have and why I like this router so much. I don't need to wirelessly stream video, yet, When I do...they just laid fiber optic cable across my frontyard I will be ready. I will get great internet and great streaming from this router. In Conclusion: This is an excellent product. If you want to learn, really learn networking you will need a product that has features enough that your time will be well spent. With options to use DD-WRT, OpenWrt or basic firmware this product offers the novice, the expert and the student plenty of opportunity to learn. I am using Easy Setup. I installed the DD-WRT firmware for evaluation purposes. I recommend this product 100% for the advanced or novice user.
Pros: The installation software that comes on the included CD is pretty thorough. It walks you through the configuration steps necessary to install a basic router. It really is pretty simple and automatic. I plugged in the LAN connection and the WAN connection and the software pretty much did the rest. I was configured and up on the internet within a few minutes. This router is one of the few dual band routers that I have seen that can be mounted on the wall, vertically on the desktop, or horizontally on the desktop. A very nice touch was including the two screws in the package to mount the unit on the wall. I installed the router with the DD-WRT professional firmware because I am familiar with it and it allows greater control over the internal settings of the router. For example you can adjust the output power of the transmitter giving you a greater coverage area. According to the DD-WRT WIKI the transmit power should be set no higher than 30 for Buffalo HD routers. The default value is 20 and I have set mine as high as 25, but I couldn’t see any difference between the two settings with my tests so I set it back to 20. I have no dead spots or drop off of signal in my home (approximately 2300 sq. ft.). I have coverage 40 or 50 feet outside of my home but that is where the signal begins to drop off rather quickly. The router has more wireless encryption options than I have seen on the other wireless routers I have installed. The encryption options include everything from WEP to WPA2-EAP. The router is equipped with autosensing LAN ports supporting 10, 100, 1000 Mbps with auto MDIX so you can use any Ethernet cables including crossover cables for your connections. I was also able to plug in a 2 Tb external hard drive brick into the USB 2.0 port and the router immediately identified the drive allowing the sharing of files across my network. Overall, I feel that this router is a decent simultaneous dual band router that is comparably priced with other dual band units. The router has just about every option imaginable when using the DD-WRT firmware making this a very versatile router. I also contacted technical support via email about this router and they responded within 24 hours on a Saturday evening. I was debating between 3 stars or 4 stars for this router and the email reply is what tipped the balance upward. Did I mention that the unit comes with a three year warranty.?
Cons: The user’s manual and all of the other documentation for the WXR-600DHP appears to me to have been rushed and is very poorly laid out. The first manual is the DD-WRT firmware manual which is 33 pages in length. Then you have a completely separate manual that is labeled as the User Manual for User Friendly Firmware that goes from page 34 through 162. The table of contents on the first manual shows page 33 as the last page and makes no reference to the remaining pages. If you want to see the illustrations that identifies the switches, sockets, and the lamps on the router you have to go to the second manual to find that information. This is extremely frustrating because I looked everywhere, including the manufacturer’s webpage to no avail. There are no illustrations for the router in the DD-WRT professional firmware manual or anything that explains what the various ports, lights or switches do (i.e. router switch or the movie engine switch). Basically, chapters 1 through 3 of the User Friendly Firmware manual should be at the very front of the manual for both versions of the firmware. Then the next chapter should go to either the User Friendly Firmware settings or the DD-WRT firmware settings. In all I spent hours looking for a simple illustration and definitions before stumbling onto the second manual that was hidden behind the first one. Do yourself a favor. Go to the second manual first and read chapter 3 before attempting the installation process. The package also contains several quick setup guides but they weren’t very useful. There aren’t any detailed instructions on these quick setup guides, only a few pictures and the pictures are not very intuitive. For example the first illustration on the computer setup guide is showing a picture of the diagnostic light with an arrow going to another image with the diagnostic light out, the power connection, a WAN connection to a DSL or Cable modem, and a wireless laptop computer. I do not know of anyone that would expect to configure a router with a wireless connection. As far as I am concerned these quick start guides were virtually useless. Again, if you read the User Friendly manual you will find instructions in English that are pretty good. If you have the router mounted on the wall in a closet it may be difficult to see the lights. The lights are labeled on the front of the unit but the actual lights are on the side. If you can’t get around to see the side the lights are not visible.
Overall Review: The firmware difference sheet is handy to keep around. It shows the flexibility that is available when using the DD-WRT firmware over the User Friendly Firmware. Unfortunately, if you are not an experienced user you may find the DD-WRT firmware to be a challenge. It does have lots of power and allows you to configure the Buffalo hardware as a router, repeater, access point, a WDS station, or a WDA access point. However, you may have to look for your answers on the dd-wrt wiki and user forums at the dd-wrt.com website. If you are a novice you may find the User Friendly Firmware more to your liking if all you want is a simple access point configuration. The documentation certainly seems more complete and thorough for the User Friendly Firmware. The actual hardware and software seems to be very good. I don’t think you would be disappointed with the router once you get past the frustrating documentation.
Pros: - Pre-installed professional DD-WRT firmware - Classy, unobtrusive black design - Easy to get up and running in under 5 minutes - Very useful ""Getting started"" card including basic instructions, IP address, default passwords, and room to note your new password - Excellent range - Documentation of basic features is stellar (except USB)
Cons: - USB is far from simple (not at all ""plug and play"" like when you attach a drive to your computer and it just shows up) - Documentation for advanced features is absent - DD-WRT's admin interface may be overly complex for some owners
Overall Review: You get a lot for your money with this router - preinstalled DD-WRT firmware, a classy design, and near-top level wireless performance, for half the cost of some other routers with similar features. I can't figure out where they are saving on costs, but I'm glad they were able to. As noted in the cons, my one concern is that the advertised USB port is not at all simple to use. I tried two different USB drives and several different file systems, read 3 how-to articles, but have yet to decipher its mysteries. Making this process simpler would earn a 5th egg from me. I must add that while this router offered a noticeable speed boost from my previous router, perhaps more importantly, it has been remarkably stable - even coping well with Hurricane Sandy's communications disruptions. As our cable high speed internet went in and out over the week, this router reconnected all my devices to the internet as soon as it came back (each time!). After past outages, I'd need to reboot my router, or re-enter my wifi password on certain devices, or tinker to get things working. This time around, I had to do nothing at all to reconnect - it just worked. A nice silver lining to the otherwise black clouds of the past week.
Pros: - Fast, both the network and the interface. - Very stable - Tons of options! What can’t it do? - Two Firmware options – Pro & User Friendly - USB port for network attached storage (NAS) - NAS drive can be accessed via FTP
Cons: - Can be easy to make a mistake in the configuration and shoot yourself in the foot. - Documentation is weak. - Complicated for some. - USB is 2.0 not 3.0
Overall Review: So I have owned the Buffalo WZR-600DHP for about a month and a half now. It has been running very stable and I do feel like there has been a speed improvement on my network. In my opinion this router isn’t for everyone though. It is a very advanced router for home or small business use. Although, if you know how to navigate through files on a CD-ROM and know how to change the firmware on the router, then this may be a smart purchase with future expansion in mind. This router comes with a Professional level firmware, which was installed on mine out of the box, and a User Friendly firmware version. I didn’t try the User Friendly version, but I did see screen shots in the PDF manual and it did look more “friendly”. Using the Professional level firmware was a bit of a learning experience. I am a very tech savvy person, but my weakest point is advanced networking/routing. This thing can do much more than I currently need it to, but I find comfort in knowing that if someone tells me their router can do some advanced task I’ll be able to say “Oh I’m sure mine can do that too”. The question with this router isn’t what can it do, it’s what CAN’T it do. The one thing I was trying to do was to set up a guest network on the 2.4Ghz band. You do this by setting up a virtual interface on the 2.4Ghz band. This router will let you shoot yourself in the foot and not warn you. I forgot that the password for WPA(2)-AES security needs to be at least 8 characters long. I was trying to make it really simple, “123”. The bad part was the manual didn’t cover how to accomplish setting up a guest network that is separate from your main network. I know it can be done, I just don’t know how yet… This is not a wireless router for your grandparents.
Pros: Dual band Router both a and bgn two firmwares for the tech people and the non. The range is as good as any sub $100 router I have ever owned. Ability to setup more than 2 hotspots even though a dual band router. Lots and lots of features involved with this,, for example, I can setup 2 secured networks on each band with full network access, and 2 unsecured networks on each band with internet only access. (that’s how I use it mostly) Ability to extend wireless network wirelessly, with more than 1 buffalo router (not necessarily same model) I happen to own 3 models now which are all very similar but this is my only dual band one. Basically it has every feature you could want in a router and all models have worked for me for a long time. USB support works fine, though you want to use an external drive with its own independent power source. i.e., an external drive that has its own power adapter, not a usb powered drive.
Cons: Most non tech people don’t know buffalo so this first one usually isnt a con,, but,, it has the advanced firmware preinstalled,,, to me, it would make sense to have the easy firmware on it as default and the advanced users can easily do the upgrade themselves,, which is harder for someone who doesn’t want the advanced firmware. I am not a geek when it comes to networking, but I know my way around a router. That being said, one of the cooler features to me,, is the WDS setup which allows you to wireless extend two or more of these routers. While I could get it setup after some difficulty and from unclear directions I had to hunt for, I could not get it to act as a WDS Repeater of the original network. In laymens terms,, I could get them connected on two different sides of the house, but, I would have to reconnect to each one as I walked from one side of the house to the other instead of it handing me off to the stronger router. This wont be a problem for the network geeks Im sure, but for a pretty advanced user like myself, it embarrassed me I couldn’t get it just right. To a point, that I have quit playing with that feature.
Overall Review: I like Buffalo routers because they consistently work and I have one that is about 4 years old. On top of that, it works correctly. So, I like buying these for my customers for that reason. In addition, if you need the features, they are there. Also, the windows software is completely optional. I never use it, though I have, and its functional, but unnecessary to me. If I could get that WDS Repeater business setup just the way I like, this would be a 5 star router to me. If you arent looking for that feature, this is definitely a 5 star router.
Pros: 2 Radios + 2 amps + 2 Bands + 2 Antennae = 2 networks that can run independently and simultaneously that each are fully MIMO capable (Multiple IN Multiple OUT). What this means is you can run up to 8 different wireless connections + the 4 wired connections sending and receiving data upstream and downstream simultaneously. EPIC. It can handle more traffic than my Broadband connection can throw at it. (16MB down 1.5up ) High powered hardware : 680MHz CPU (most are 200-300) 128MB Memory, 32 meg Flash, High powered software: DDRT is preloaded and the newest BIOS is well sorted out. The MovieEngine features is a nice touch to optimize your network for multimedia streaming and eliminates the jumps distorted audio, and dropped frames. (It works). Attach a USB thumb/hard drive and share it on the network as a NAS. Easiest setup ever: 5 minutes flat. Doesn't get better than that. PC or MAC. 3 year Warranty & USA Tech support. Just in case you need it. All the toys and tweaks. VPN tunneling , FTP to AOSS & USB, FTP Parental controls, Bittorrent. THE BOTTOM LINE: You could run a dorm or frat house off this thing and everyone from the noob using it to the hacker running it is happy. It handles more data than most current broadband pipes can throw + you can run a FTP server off a USB thumbdrive or external Hard Drive and stream movies to multiple users across the network and STILL not max it out. It has more features than you will likely ever need or have use for and for any reason if it does fail, USA tech support is just a phone call away. APPROVED!
Cons: Sorry, no external antennae jacks at this price point. The glossy finish on the case is so mirror-like and shiny I can see my face reflected on the surface. I'm just saying. I'm ugly. And I nitpick.
Overall Review: MY MISSION: KILL the Buffalo Airstation WZR-600DHP. Can we have a whole houseful of people streaming music to their phones and surfing the web while we are watching a movie and playing a videogame? Sure. Then some freaking idiot suggested we have a LAN Party. I'm pretty sure it was me. A game server connected to the internet with 12+ players coming from the internet and 3 or 4 local players plugged directly into the router generates a fair bit of traffic all by itself but it's all lightweight. It's not like you are downloading a 2 GB video file at fullspeed or anything. Or several files at once from dozens of users all over the world. Hey, they make a tool for that. Bittorrent. Yeah, that's the ticket....... We scrounge some absolutely legal content (pinkyswear) and start downloading a few files in the 1-2 GB range wirelessly on one connection while we have a laptop running Netflix out to the big screen. + a bunch of people doing whatever. Skype, Rhapsody. By setting up 2 networks and putting all the phones and the chaos from the game server on the 2.4 GHz band and keep all the heavy lifting, HD Video and big file downloads on the 5 Ghz band, it was just amazing what you could pull off. PS: I had to share a thought for folks I saw in a few of the other reviews who complain about performance issues. For example, just off the top of my head, they just can not understand WHY the laptop they bought in 2004 isn't getting a 300mbps connection or can even SEE the 5Ghz band. The speed of your connection is only as strong and fast as the weakest link. While this router is about as strong as it gets on the base station side, you are still at the mercy of whatever is in your phone or laptop that you are using to CONNECT to it. Depending on where you are, how crowded it is and what type of devices are already in use around you adding to the noise floor,you may see better performance on one band vs. another and if you take these things into consideration when figuring out who, what and how you are going to connect to, you will end up much happier. Simple as that. Hope this helps! If this review helped you better understand if the Buffalo Airstation WZR-600DHP is right for you- please click the button below and say so. Thanks!