Buffalo HighPower Wireless Ethernet Converter review

Wireless networks work well with PCs and notebooks because it's easy to buy a network adaptor for them, but what about printers and games consoles? Buffalo's HighPower Ethernet Converter aims to cater for these devices.

Just plug up to four Ethernet devices into the ports on the back, and they'll be converted to a wireless signal that talks to your router. It's ideal when you have a room with one or more devices, such as a console or media receiver, that you want to connect to the network.

The Ethernet Converter is part of Buffalo's HighPower range and uses the same chassis as the router (see below left), but its WAN port is blocked. It has the same powerful radio transmitter, though, which improves signal quality and transfer speeds.

It has to be configured to join an existing wireless network, just like any other wireless client. If you're using Buffalo kit, just press the AOSS button and it's done automatically. If you're not, you'll have to turn to the web-based management. It's harder to configure than on a router, but the detailed instructions are easy to follow. Once into the management screen, you first have to enter the network name. You can do it manually, or have the Ethernet Converter scan for networks and pick one from the list.

Next you have to choose the level of security and enter the key. It supports WEP and WPA-PSK but the choices can be a bit confusing, as you have to choose between TKIP and AES for WPA-PSK. It means going back to your router's settings to confirm which form of encryption you are using.

We tested by connecting to a standard 802.11g 54Mbit/s wireless network. At close range we recorded 17.52Mbit/s, while 10m away it achieved 14.22Mbit/s. These scores are excellent for an 802.11g 54Mbit/s network and comparable to the scores we saw with Buffalo's HighPower PC Card adaptor.

This is another great product in the HighPower range, though a wizard-based setup that configures security settings would help make it easier to install.

Author: David Ludlow