Buffalo Bring 1300Mbps Capable WiFi Broadband Routers to the UK

Global networking kit manufacturer Buffalo Technology has today announced the launch of its new AirStation™ 1750 Wireless 802.11ac Gigabit Dual Band Router (WZR-D1800H-EU) to the UK market, which uses the latest WiFi technology to deliver “gigabit” wireless networking speeds of up to 1300Mbps.

The new 802.11ac based router, which uses Broadcom’s “5G” WiFi chips, boasts of “improved reliability” and “better in-home coverage” as well as significantly faster wireless networking speeds over the 5GHz spectrum band. This should make it ideal for the new generation of superfast broadband packages, which in some cases are already pushing speeds of up to 1Gbps over fibre optic FTTH style connections.

However, early adopters should take note that the IEEE has yet to certify 802.11ac, and the first non-draft commercial devices aren’t expected to ship until late 2012. As a result the WZR-D1800H-EU will ship with support for the current Draft 2.0 implementation and arrives in a market where the choice of supporting network adapters is practically zero.

Paul Hudson, Sales Director for Northern Europe at Buffalo, said:

“Buffalo is again the forerunner of wireless networking, delivering the world’s first WiFi router leveraging 802.11ac technology in a cost-effective, high performance package. Along with Broadcom, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to innovate by providing a no-compromise, future proof wireless infrastructure for consumers’ digital worlds.”

Michael Hurlston, Broadcom’s SVP, added:

“5G WiFi will improve the HD video streaming experience with its higher speeds, enhanced range and increased reliability. Buffalo Technology’s products using Broadcom’s chipsets give consumers the fastest, most robust wireless networking solutions available.”

A quick look around the internet shows that the new router is already selling for around £120 inc. VAT. By comparison NetGear’s higher spec rival R6300 is available for around £200. Both are backwards compatible with all of the existing wifi standards so you can at least use them within your existing network.

In addition Buffalo has also shipped the AirStation 1300 Wireless 802.11n + 11ac 4-Port Gigabit Dual Band Media Bridge (WLI-H4-D1300-EU), which is supposedly a versatile dual band media bridge that “extends the capabilities of wireless networks“.

Ultimately both the 1300 and 1750 are unlikely to deliver anything close to their headline speeds and in any case, unless you really need it, we’d recommend waiting for a year until 802.11ac has been finalised. The 2nd generation of 802.11ac devices should be more refined. Take note that some of these devices are just routers and may not include internal ADSL or VDSL modems.