Buffalo unveils dual-band Draft N router

Buffalo Technology announced a Draft N dual-band wireless router, the AirStation Wireless-N Nfiniti Dual Band Router & AP (WZR-AG300NH), which supports all current Wi-Fi standards (802.11a/b/g) as well as the Draft N spec. Buffalo deviated from its vertical design with a flat-sitting base unit and a separate (cable-attached) three-antenna unit. The three antennae are arranged in a circle, and the unit resembles a small toy helicopter.

The benefit of including 802.11a support is stability when streaming voice packets or high-def video, because 802.11a operates in the 5GHz band. Common household devices such as cordless phones and baby monitors often cause interference in 802.11b/g networks, because both operate in the 2.4GHz band.

The router sports four Gigabit Ethernet ports and a switch that allows you to flip between router and access-point modes. Security features include WPA-PSK with AES support, 128/64-bit WEP, dynamic packet filtering, NAT and SPI firewalls, and an intrusion detector.

Also part of the announcement is the companion Wireless Nfiniti Dual Band Wireless Notebook Adapter (WLI-CB-AG300N). Both will be released in the US in early February for US$300 for the router and US$130 for the adapter.