| Buffalo Technology AirStation Turbo G High Power Wireless Ethernet Converter ( WLI-TX4-G54HP ) |
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Model: WLI-TX4-G54HP
Brand: Buffalo
Manufacturer: BUFFALO
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 86
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Buffalo AirStation Turbo G High Power WLI-TX4-G54HP - Bridge + 4
BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY |
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| Description: |
| The Buffalo Turbo G High Power Wireless Ethernet Converter is an extremely versatile wireless client adapter. Use it to wirelessly connect gaming consoles, desktops, laptops, media players, printers, UNIX workstations, and any other devices with Ethernet ports. With a built-in four-port switch, up to 4 devices can be simultaneously connected to the Ethernet Converter for instant wireless connectivity. The Ethernet Converter supports AOSS, allowing you to configure a secure wireless connection with the push of a button, and offers the advanced security for WPA (TKIP, AES). Once the simple browser-based setup or AOSS is complete, the Ethernet Converter can be moved from one device to another without reconfiguration. |
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| User Reviews (86 total): |
Page 1 2 3 4 5 of Total 5 Pages
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The Perfect Wireless Adapter, June 12, 2008
By Airsofter (USA)
I use it for my xbox and it works great. The best part of it is having more than one ethernet port which is rare.
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Fast, Easy Set-Up, Works great with my Vonage Adapter, and 2nd Mac., February 6, 2008
By B. Carrell (California)
Primary purpose for this item: To hook up my Vonage phone adapter (which wires directly into a wired ethernet network) and be able to use it through a wireless wifi network. As I call international for at least a couple hours a day, this was important to me.
Set-Up: I have Macs only, so I never bothered opening the set-up disc. I connected the converter to my ethernet port, manually set my network address to 1.1.1.1, logged onto the converter via Safari web browser, searched, selected and logged onto the wireless network (WEP 128), plugged in my Vonage adapter, and that was it. Took about 2 minutes, maybe 2 and a half minutes tops for this entire process.
Usage: I bought this last year, when I only had access to a wifi network, and needed to use my Vonage phone. I was upstairs over the garage and the router was 2 floors below in a cement basement. The encryption was WEP128. I ran the Vonage and my iMac through this, since I got a stronger signal and faster browser load times going through the Buffalo than through my iMac's built-in wifi. Worked great.
Then I moved into a lower floor, and the router was 2 floors upstairs, again no way to hard wire so I used the Buffalo again. The encryption was WPA, and I added a media player which accesses plays HD material on my iMac to my HDTV. Worked great.
I spent a few months on the road, and took this with me to hotels and extended stays, to be able to use my Vonage. Worked everytime I tried it. I had my laptop with me, so I was able to configure it via web broswer when I needed, and the times I was not on a secure network it connected automatically. I have flown with it and connected it in other country.
Recently I stayed for temporarily for a few months in an apartment building, where there was wifi provided and that was in the manager's unit which was 4 units down the hall and on the lower level. Again, I was able to connect the Buffalo and my Vonage in just a couple minutes. (WEP 128) and again, I had better signal and faster browser times with my iMac when connected through the Buffalo, than by itself.
Other Comparisons: I had tried a D-link (can't remember the model, sorry) but it wouldn't even work in my first location, which is why I then tried this unit. Since it has worked out so well for me, haven't needed to try any other make.
I've had this powered up and running about non-stop for almost a year. And it is in use everyday. No major problems to report.. the occasional freezing, about once a month, not sure if it is something I do, the unit itself, or something coming from the wireless router. I just unplug it from AC Power, and replug it in, and then I'm good to go again (no re-configuring, and no hitting the reset button). This unit usually comes right back up with no fuss after a power outage. Once when the router went dead and replaced (even though it had the same id and password) I had to reset the unit, and then via web browser re-configure the unit, and this took about 10 minutes with waiting, and the reset, waiting, and then doing the reconfiguring of the unit.
I like that it has 4 ports and eliminates the need to add (or lug with me) a switch, and I can keep everything hooked up at the same time. It has been easy for me to set up, keep running, unplug and tote around, and has done a good job of keeping my devices connected to the internet.
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Works Perfect With My PS3, January 18, 2008
By Macho Camacho (Arlington, VA)
I bought to use with my 20gb PS3 and it worked perfectly. Setup was very quick and easy. I highly recommend it.
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Its a great product, December 23, 2007
By V. Adya (New York, NY USA)
I get a great range and its got all the options you would expect from an ehternet converter.
Antenna cover is flimsy an the plastic cracked. But otherwise antenna is fine.
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Setup can be tricky, but after that it works great, December 21, 2007
By D. Arnfield
I bought this unit a little under a month ago, and I am very pleased with it so far. It works well and I've had very few problems with it. Setup was a little confusing (which was mostly caused by the fact that I was using the wrong passkey for my network), but once I got it working I didn't have to mess with it again. During the first week I had some connectivity issues, but they were quickly fixed every time by hitting the button on top of the unit - which I later learned activates AOSS but is also very useful for reconnecting to the network. Those problems went away by themselves and I haven't had any trouble with it whatsoever since then. Connectivity has been perfect, and it works seamlessly with my Xbox 360. I would recommend it to anyone who has some basic knowledge of networking, which is really all that's needed to figure out the setup stage. If you set up your wireless network in the first place, you can easily get this unit to work with it.
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Nice unit - easy setup, October 23, 2007
By J. Drake
I bought this to connect my DirecTV HD receiver (HD20) to the internet for video-on-demand and the other services they have in the works. Very easy to setup, just follow the instructions and I am no network expert. Also give you 4 ports which is nice for future potential. Very satisfied with the purchase.
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Buffalo converter for my Toshiba HD DVD player, October 23, 2007
By The Moon (Riverside, Ca)
After I purchased my Toshiba HD DVD player I discovered that it had the ability to interactively access the internet for certain HD DVDs. But I need a ethernet to wireless converter to do this and the Buffalo WLI-TX4-G54HP did the job. It was easy to configure and I was connected to the internet right away. Good product and easy to use and setup.
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Great product, setup confusing, October 19, 2007
By Tom Schuneman (USA)
I work with computers for a living (programmer). I've set up numerous networks, wired, wireless etc. I had to call customer service to be walked through the setup for this product. Once the basic configuration was complete, operation has been flawless.
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Works well, easy to setup, October 13, 2007
By NearChaos (Ellicott City, MD USA)
I was worried that this product was going to be, well, too cheap to work. Most of the cheap networking gear works for a little while, but then overheats, loses configuration, doesn't work while the neighbors are running the blender, whatever.
But the other reviews sounded good so I took a shot. I was not disappointed. This device was easy to setup, took very little time, and has been working flawlessly completely unattended since I set it up. This is definitely a much cheaper way to get your XBox on the wireless network than Linksys's gaming bridge or Microsoft's own adapter.
I can definitely recommend this product.
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Excellent Wireless Bridge, October 13, 2007
By Chuck Newman (CA)
The Buffalo Air Station High Power came with the latest firmware ver 2.50 and works exactly like it should. With most other wireless manufacturers that is not the case. Always check tech support on the web for the latest firmware for any wired/wireless device.
That said, at this time, the unit supports WEP and WPA encryption; it will NOT support WPA2. Tech support said they are working on an upgrade. Most of my use of the Buffalo will be in hot spot areas using no encryption, but my initial testing was with a WPA2 access point that resulted in a call to tech support.
If you are not comfortable with IP and subnet addressing, use the included software setup manager. The Buffalo uses by default a somewhat obscure IP address (compared to other products), for itself and the attached PC used for setup. But the pdf manual does have instruction for setting up the unit via your browser. Just follow the instructions step-by-step. The Buffalo Bridge must be set up through a cat 5 cable attached to a PC. Do not try to set up while connected to a router.
You can use the Bridge to connect one PC to a wireless network or use it to connect two separate wireless networks together. If used in the latter configuration, the Buffalo must be connected to the INTERNET or WAN port of your router. It will not work using one of the router's IP ports as described in several forums depicting the use of wireless routers as wireless access points.
The Bridge allows either IP or DHCP addressing. It should be noted this device, once set up with whatever IP address, is virtually transparent to the TCP/IP flow on your network, like a hardwire bridge. I recommend using it with an assigned IP address within your subnet merely to find it easily with your browser. Otherwise you will have to reset the Bridge to access it in the future, with corresponding reprogramming.
For it's function, it is cost effective, stable, and reliable.
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Don't pass on this one!! WOOT!!!, October 7, 2007
By DAVID PHANNARETH (CHARLOTTE, NC)
"--I love this product. I use it to have my 360 and ps3 (20GB) online at the exact same time. This device creates a wireless bridge in your home. Using its buit in 4 port switch I put this device behind my tv and plugged my tivo, 360, and ps3 (hard wired) into this ethernet converter.
--There are only two downsides I think. One is that the setup interface is a little clunky and it took a few tries before my router recognized the converter. WEP and WPA setup is a snap, you can use the included CD or just set your ip to 192.168.1.1 and type 192.168.1.2 into your browser window and voila---runs the setup ulility.
--The other downside is that in order to take advantage of the "super G" speeds all of your devices on your network have to be super g as well, but 54mbps is plenty fast for my network. I have no problem streaming high definition files from my PC to my 360 or ps3 through media sharing---no skips, framerate issues or hiccups at all XD.
--Pros--Saves you money over the 360 adapter. I spent a little over 50.00 for mine new at another retailer and it sure beats spending 80-100 for microsoft's BS. Plus for me it doubled as a bridge for my 20GB PS3 (without hte built in wifi). I have not lost connection with mine and I've not had to reset this thing at all and I've had it for over 6 months now. I have no problem streaming high definition files from my PC to my 360 or ps3 through media sharing---no skips, framerate issues or hiccups at all XD.
--Sooo.... if you are looking for the best solution to your wireless networking (bridging) problems, this is the device for you. I'm glad I got it!!!!! WOOT!!!!"
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Works well once configured, September 28, 2007
By Steven L. Lane
This item works well once its configured, but configuration was very tricky. My experiences may help some of you configure this item.
The instructions said to wait until your computer gets assigned an IP address of 1.1.1.2, and then you can access the configuration via a web page, much like you configure your router via a web page.
The problem was I never could access the configuration page via http://1.1.1.1
I had to use the supplied CD to even detect the ethernet converter. Once I detected the Ethernet converter, the instructions said to set the converter to use DHCP. I did that, but I still couldn't get access to the configuration.
I finally had to use the cd to set the converter to a static IP address in the 162.198.0.1 range (or something like that), and then I was able to finally access the converter's configuration website.
The next issue is that the converter did not support the WPA security I had configured on my router. I had to change my router to use WEP security.
Next Problem: The Buffalo Technology ethernet converter wants WEP settings based on the 5 or 13 character configuration, rather then the typical 10 hexadecimal or 26 hexadecimal characters.
So I had to convert a 5 character word into its hex display and enter that into my other computers and change their wep keys to match what the Buffalo Ethernet converter requires.
For example: FUBAR becomes 4655424152 converted. So I had to enter FUBAR for the key in the buffalo converter, then set the router to use the 10 character hex key above, and enter that into the other computers.
So, once I went through all these gyrations, finalized my settings, and got the converter to talk to my router, I was able to change the converter back to using DHCP and everything ran fine.
So, I give this item 3 stars out of 5 simply because of the painful configuration.
It is working very well now that its configured, but I'd imagine someone not computer literate getting frustrated and giving up on trying to configure this item.
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Set it, forget it. *TRUE* plug-and-play!, September 15, 2007
By Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA)
I got this to connect a shared PC via ethernet-to-wireless after my D-link WUA2340 proved to be managed by the Software From Hell.
THIS gadget was like a gift from the gods. The setup instructions were clear, concise, and most of all, accurate. Install antenna. Plug ethernet into PC. Plug power cable into gadget. Set PC ip to "1.1.1.2" Contact gadget, configure wireless SSID, etc. Reset PC to DHCP. *NETWORK IS UP*.
Five minutes, standing start to fully operational and two of those minutes were devoted to unpacking and setting the gadget up.
Something this easy is a real sanity saver for the tech in a hurry.
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Works great, August 31, 2007
By LN (upstate NY)
I bought this to connect from my ethernet av slingbox to my wireless router located across the room. Works great. So far no problems. The price was good considering alternatives I considered.
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Wireless Bridge, August 15, 2007
By Texas Shopper
It took a while to configure with our Linksys G router, but is working fine. The network has been taken up and down several times while relocating and setting up new wireless components, and the Buffalo unit has not hung or went down.
I have connected my Vonage phones and Slingbox to this unit. It will enable upto 4 devices. I choose to added the Vonage to the Buffalo because of the increased range of this product. We often had range issues when connected directly to the linksys. Vonage seems to be working fine and I have not noted any performance issue. The range does seem to be greater.
I recommend without hesitation
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Once it's setup - no problems at all!, August 11, 2007
By T.C. (Lowell, MA)
I purchased this to hook up 2 systems (Linux and Solaris) and a printer to the network, but didn't want to invest in anymore wireless adapters. This was suggested by several folks over the Linksys version, so despite having a Linksys wireless router (WRT54G), I took a chance.
Right out of the box, I thought I had a DOA. The preferred instructions are to hook the converter to your wireless router on a free network port and then use the utility on the CD to find the converter. It couldn't find it. After 10 minutes of resetting the router and converter, I hooked the converter up to my laptop, changed the IP address of the laptop to match the converter, and voila - I was up and running. After running through the config, I connected it to the systems and the network printer and they were INSTANTLY online. I've had no problems with connectivity at all.
Funny enough, it was faster to set this up than it usually is to setup the Linksys wireless routers despite the 10 minute loss :)
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Running strong, August 6, 2007
By MustangPaul (Apex, NC)
This thing is great. Right out of the box - plug and play! I'm using it for VOIP and it's a charm, as well as boosts my wireless signal all over the house - what a bonus!!! I was worried about what brand to go with, but after seeing the Buffalo reviews, I'm glad I purchased this one. DO NOT THINK TWICE if you need a wireless ethernet bridge - THIS IS THE ONE. BUY IT.
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Top Class, If Not the Best, August 5, 2007
By Matt G. (Michigan, U.S.A.)
Others have mentioned a lack of support. If you want support go to the buffalotech web site, go into "support", then "download" and choose "Wireless-G MIMO Performance* Ethernet Converter".
Easy setup, problem free performance. One drawback, no on/off button, gotta unplug it.
Additional Note: When changing the IP Address to 1.1.1.2 it may also help you to set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 This makes more sense when you read the directions.
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Way Better Than Xbox360 / Xbox Wireless Adapters, July 18, 2007
By lagwagon169 (Los Angeles, CA USA)
So if you're looking at this product you probably are wanting something to allow your Xbox / Xbox 360 or maybe a media center PC to be wireless. The nice thing about this product is it has 4 ports so you can always add more wireless devices later.
But how easy is the setup?
As other reviewers mentioned if you have the Buffalo brand router setup is easier because you can just hit a button.
However if you don't it's really not that hard.
1) Plug The Buffalo Airstation into the router that you currently use for wireless.
2) Run the setup utility on a PC connected to your network. Follow the instructions for what to click in the Buffalo software
3) Eventually it takes you to a webform where you choose which wireless network you want to connect to. So if you're network is called "Apartment 303" then that's what you'd pick.
4) After that you just go plug in the Airstation to the xbox or whatever you want to give internet to and you are good
5) If you are using a MAC Filter for your wireless security THEN you add the Mac address of the Airstation to your filter list. (DONT add the Mac address of the buffalo airstation at the beginning of the setup process, because then it thinks you want the airstation to be your new router and your computer's internet won't work)
It's really not that bad. It comes with a ethernet cable so you don't have to buy an extra one. Don't give Micro$oft any more money. Put the extra 30 minutes in to set this baby up and you won't be sorry.
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Perfect solution, July 8, 2007
By James Odom (Gatlinburg, TN)
This product did everything it was advertised to do. It was the perfect solutiuon for a unique problem I had. We had a wireless network at our business. It would have been difficult and messy to run an ethernet cable from the wireless router in the back to the device I wanted to use at the front of the store. I connected the access point to the power source and pushed the one button setup and it found the network immediately. It took longer to get it out of the box than it took to set up. I reccommend this product very highly
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