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Buffalo AirStation WZR-RS-G54 Wireless Secure Remote Gateway - wireless router | List Price: $229.00
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Brand: Buffalo
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 2 years warranty
Features: - Combines industry proven VPN technology with Buffalo's patented AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS)
- AOSS Automatically detects and configures with other AOSS enabled devices to seamlessly create secure connections
- 125* High-Speed Mode achieves an actual wireless network data transfer rate of up to 34.1 Mbps
- 4 LAN ports, 1 WAN port
- Includes WPA-PSK, WEP, NAT support, and SPI firewall as well as a built-in DHCP server
Depends on what you need. [Posted on 2005-05-13]
I tried to make this router work as advertised, but had no luck doing so. The network to network VPN function could not be made to work even with the help of Buffalo's 24-hour technical support and the latest firmware (2.43). After hours on the phone with Buffalo, the tech just gave up and appologized. We tried everything, including resetting both routers to factory defaults and starting all configurations over.
Having a large number of PPTP users is nice, but most users don't have 2 MB uplink and more than a few simulataneous users is unrealistic. It works well as a PPTP VPN server and is pretty reliable with the connections. The wireless, with the built in antenna is as good as or better than any other router I've used.
It's user interface is clumsy and could use a good redesign. But since Buffalo's website is listing this product as discontinued, I doubt any improvements will be forthcoming.
Lookback does not work, which is rare for any router made in the last few years and a big nuisance if you are running services behind this router. Buffalo made it clear early on that they had no plans to fix this shortcmming. If you're not running any publicly visible servers behind this router, it's not really an issue.
I'd suggest the Linksys RV042 as an alternative. It doesn't have wireless capability, but does support up to 5 PPTP users with the latest firmware along with IPSEC. It also supports two broadband connections for bandwidth agregation or failover for web-critical businesses. If one connection fails, the router just keeps you connected with the one link that's good until the failed link comes back.
Linksys, unlike Buffalo, long ago did the right thing and released the GPL source code to their products. Buffalo has just recently started doing so (finally).
Another option, for those willing to get their hands dirty, is to buy one of the many routers that are supported by the alternative firmwares (improved firmware based on the GPL code released as required by these companies). DD-WRT, for example supports PPTP and SSL VPNs and it's free. Do your homework and make sure the router you buy is supported by these firmwares. With a little bit of work, you can give a sub - $100.00 router the capabilities of a much more expensive router.
If you're looking for an out of the box solution with vendor support, the custom firmware option is likely not for you. If that's the case, stick to a product like this or the Linksys RV series which provides VPN support out of the box.
Excellent for Home or SOHO use [Posted on 2005-08-07]
I would just like to start by saying that as of Aug 2005, the WZR-RS-G54 probably provides the best value for a PPTP-based VPN server that also combines 802.11g capabilities that I've seen. I would definitely recommend this for Home or SOHO use.
One of the reviews that I read here questioned the use of PPTP vs IPSec. Well, not questioning the fact that IPSec is far more secure than PPTP, let me point out that IPSec is not easy to setup. PPTP on the other hand works out of the box on WinXP clients without any additional configuration. Also, the WZR-RS-G54 VPN settings are very easy to configure.
If you are looking for superb wireless performance, perhaps you want to try something else. In my opinion, the principal reason to buy this product is for its PPTP server functionality.
One last thing that I should add is that in all my tests from different locations, the PPTP tunnel throughput is simply excellent (given the lack of a co-processor for encryption and so on).
One thing I would strongly recommend that is that users use WPA-PSK and AES (and yes, the WZR-RS-G54 supports this without affecting performance) for their wireless needs. Also do NOT change the default authentication/encryption settings of MS-CHAPv2 and MPPE 40-128 for PPTP. Also use strong passwords for VPN user accounts (e.g. at least 8 chars, mixture of lower and uppercase, numbers, and at least one special character.)
Overall, definitely merits 4 stars out of 5.
Perfect VPN solution for SOHO users [Posted on 2006-02-01]
I couldn't agree more with Sandeep's review. I got this to implement as a gateway router, wireless AP, and PPTP server. The performance of the PPTP tunnels is exceptional. They stay up all day with no drops. The device has been rock steady. I have gobs of experience implementing IPSec VPN solutions. I find them expensive and overly complicated. PPTP serves the needs of a SOHO user perfectly. I had this up and running in 10 minutes. There need to be more products like this.
The only con is that the interface needs more polish, but it definitely gets the job done.
I have no reservations recommending this as a solution in a business settings.
Great Balance of Price and Features [Posted on 2006-04-01]
I can certainly understand the complaints about loopback functionality, but I think it's also important to remember that we're talking about a sub-$150 item here. For the price it absolutely astounding what you get in this baby. Try and get a PPTP server appliance that supports up to 100 users (though I haven't tested it with that load) for this proce range.
The PPTP server function, loopback problem listed in another review aside, can be configured in minutes and is rock solid stable. The built-in antenna leaves something to be desires, but you can easily connect an external antenna to the device's MC connecter.
The reality is that, if you want a PPTP server for remote access to you home or small-business network, you can buy this device and disable the wireless radio. You get a great stable PPTP VPN server and router/switch all in one.
In my opinion, this is one of the best wireless devices on the market today when you consider device classification (SOHO vs. Enterprise) and feature sets.
BTW - I've successfully installed this device supporting 18 consecutive users having remote Terminal Services sessions through the PPTP VPN and the performance was top notch. All the remote users were connected with DSL or higher Internet connections and the Buffalo PPTP server was connected on a 2 Mbps uplink speed connection.
You can create up to 100 accounts in the built-in account database and there is no limit on the number of PPTP connections. I have never tested the total consecutive connections above the 18 mentioned before.
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