Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti Wireless Router & Access Point

Setup/Ease of Use Buffalo Technology mimics their previous attempts at making router configuration easier: the AOSS (AirStation One-Touch Secure System) works as advertised, allowing you to configure security by pressing an easy-to-find button on the router and clicking an option on your notebook's screen for the PC Card driver. The Nfiniti also senses your connection type automatically. The setup program on the CD is nearly identical to other Buffalo products—familiar and easy, but not necessarily innovative.

 

Features This model is all about speed enhancements. AOSS is also implemented in the Nintendo DS, which connected easily to the Nfiniti and worked perfectly. The Buffalo Nfiniti supports an SPI firewall and intrusion detection (which watches Internet ports for hacker activity), and works flawlessly with Buffalo's own LinkStation network storage appliances for streaming digital video and photos.

 

Performance It may be the powerful antenna technology, or how Buffalo Technology engineered its router to work with the 802.11n chipset, but the Nfiniti easily outpaced the other routers in this roundup at close range. The Nfiniti clocked a stunning 144 Mbps of throughput as a top-end speed. However, performance dropped off faster than other N routers, dipping to only 30 to 40 Mbps of throughput from beyond 100 feet. Plus, the Nfiniti could not connect at all beyond 1,000 feet.

 

Verdict If your goal is to create the greatest amount of bandwidth for Voice-over-IP, video streams, and file-sharing, the Nfiniti is a very good choice. Just don't expect blistering performance as you move further away from the router.