66 MAXIMUMPC NOVEMBER 2007
Interoperability between brands isn’t the Wi-Fi Alliance’s
only test criteria for wireless networks, it also makes sure
that the new standards maintain backward compatibility.
But making sure that 802.11n networks can operate with
802.11b and 802.11g equipment comes at price: speed.
When an 802.11b/g device takes up residence on your
802.11n network, the router will drop down to 802.11b/g
speeds to accommodate it. We tested each router by set-
ting it up to run in 802.11b/g/n mode and then connected
one client running with an 802.11n adapter card and a
second with an onboard 802.11g adapter. In the exceed-
ingly crowded environment we tested in, some routersOPERATING A MIXED
NETWORK
What happens when you add an 802.11g client to
an 802.11n network?From the get-go, Buffalo’s Nfi niti WZR2-
G300N installation routine prompts
you to establish a new password
for accessing the router’s fi rmware.
Considering all the legitimate concerns
about network security, why is this step
the exception rather than the rule for
router-installation wizards?
Unfortunately for Buffalo, this is
one of the few aspects of this productto impress us. The
company’s AOSS
(AirStation OneTouch
Secure System) is
supposed to make
installation a one-step
process. Once you’ve
installed the wireless
network adapter’s
device driver and cli-
ent manager software
on your notebook PC,
you’re supposed to be
able to press a button
on the router, click the
mouse on your note-
book, and presto, your
network is set up. After
several failed attempts
at using AOSS, we reverted to Buffalo’s
installation wizard.
Here again, Buffalo’s installation
routine prompted us to choose which
encryption method we’d like to use to
protect our network, and it warned us
that without encryption, it would be pos-
sible for unauthorized users to access
our network. No other router’s installation
routine bothered to do that.
The WZR2-G300N took fourth place
in our close-range TCP throughput test
with WPA2 security, averaging a mediocre
34.9Mb/s (a fraction faster than the Belkin
N1, which averaged a mere 34.3Mb/s).
The router performed much better when
we limited it to operating in 802.11n mode,averaging 46.5Mb/s at close range to
take second place behind the Linksys
WRT350N, which averaged 46.9Mb/s.
But Buffalo’s router fell apart at long
range. As with the Belkin N1, our note-
book outfi tted with the company’s wireless
adapter card was unable to communicate
with the network when we tested it at 40
feet and then 120 feet from the router. It
seems the WZR2-G300N just doesn’t like
competing with lots of other wireless net-
works operating in the same vicinity. (See
page 70 for benchmark details.)A tip o’ the hat to Buffalo for prompt-
ing inexperienced network builders to
enable their router’s security features.Flip a switch on the back of Buffalo’s WZR2-G300N and
you can convert it from a wireless router to a wireless
access point to extend your network’s range.BUFFALO NFINITI
WZR2-G300N
Where’s the beef?
6
BUFFALO WZR2-G300N
$85, http://www.buffalo-tech.comBENCHMARKS
BELKIN N1 BUFFALO D-LINK LINKSYS NETGEAR
F5D8231-4 WZR2-G300N DIR-655 WRT350N WNR854T
TCP THROUGHPUT, ENVIRONMENT 1
802.11N CLIENT ONLY (Mb/s) 34.3 34.9 52.8 54.8 66.9
TCP THROUGHPUT, ENVIRONMENT 1
802.11N AND -G CLIENTS (Mb/s) 15.6 34.7 34.2 35.0 29.5
DROP IN THROUGHPUT TO
802.11N CLIENT 119.58% 0.56% 54.38% 56.52% 126.55%performed better than others.
Buffalo’s Nfi niti WZR2-G300N lost the least amount of throughput,
dropping by less than one percent, but that’s not saying much because
its performance in 802.11n-only mode wasn’t much to speak of in the
fi rst place. Netgear’s otherwise excellent WNR854T and Belkin’s N1 suf-
fered the biggest drops in performance—their throughput dropped by
more than half with both 802.11g and -n clients attached.