| Buffalo Technology WHR-HP-G54 Wireless-G MIMO Performance Router and Access Point |
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Model: WHR-HP-G54
Brand: Buffalo
Manufacturer: BUFFALO
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 97
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Built-in Amplifier for Improve Wireless
Simple Web Browser Configuration
External Switch To Change Between Wireless Router and Access Point
Easy Setup with AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS)
Built-in 10/100 4-Port Auto-Sensing Switch |
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| Description: |
| The Buffalo AirStation G54 High Power Wireless Cable/DSL Smart Router combines the High Power wireless performance with Buffalo's AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS). Uniquely equipped with a built-in signal amplifier, the WHR-HP-G54 produces a true 60% increase in wireless transmit power over a standard 802.11g wireless router. WHR-HP-G54 extends the range of standard 802.11g client devices by up to 70% and improves overall performance by up to 50%. This Smart Router automatically detects and configures your Cable or DSL Internet connection. Security features include WPA, WEP, Privacy Separator, Intrusion Detector, and SPI firewall. In addition to fast wireless performance, WHR-HP-G54 features a built-in external switch between wireless router and wireless bridge access point modes. The combination of speed, security, and push-button setup of wireless connections and Internet, makes the Buffalo AirStation G54 High Power Wireless Cable/DSL Smart Router the perfect choice for your wireless network. |
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| User Reviews (97 total): |
Page 1 2 3 4 5 of Total 5 Pages
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9 months of uninterrupted performance, August 13, 2008
By user (Los Angeles, CA)
After trying Netgear's WGR624 and Linksys' WRT54g, this is the only router I've ever owned that has never required a manual reboot. Stock firmware, 9 months and counting.
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Love it and it works!, March 25, 2008
By user (Ohio)
I purchased this because of all the rave reviews on here. I had never set up a wireless before and it was quite simple.
The connection speed is fast and far-reaching! I have it sitting downstairs in the livingroom and I can take my laptop upstairs to my room and the signal is just as strong. It never drops out and I've never had to reboot it. I would highly recommend this wireless router.
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DD-WRT!, March 20, 2008
By user (SF, CA)
Hardware is rockhard stable, put DD-WRT firmware on this router and you get a really sweet host of features only found in high dollar pro-equipment, Stateful packet inspection firewall, wireless bridging, out of the box dynamic DNS support, uPNP that _just works._
Take heed Buffalo, just make awesome hardware, let the open firmware people write and maintain the firmware/software...
All that being said, it's too bad buffalo isn't producing more of these, seems like high demand has pushed the price to twice what it was when I got my hands on this router last November, 07.
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Good Hardware Bad Firmware, March 6, 2008
By user (Atlanta, GA)
Okay, I purchased this router just before the supplier stopped selling it in November (more you can find on Buffalo's site).
The router was okay, the wireless used to die every few days... can not make connection... Could not figure out why...
Then one wise user suggested to replace the firmware (that voided my warranty for sure) with dd-wrt or Tomato. I decided to implement Tomato.
Now it works like a charm... The fault is with the software that buffalo supplied.
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No connection loss for 6 months!, March 5, 2008
By user (Houston, TX)
I have had trouble with routers losing connection in the past. Since I have frequent web meetings from home it was essential that I have a reliable connection to the web. After a lot of research and much consideration I bought this router. I haven't had a problem since.
It took some time to install but the main problem was getting through the comcast modem, once that was figured out, then no problem whatsoever.
I called the buffalo support, was on hold 10-15 minutes but he walked me through the steps and we determined that everything was fine on the router's end and then on to connecting through the comcast modem. Took some time, and had a friend come over to assist and once the "code" was broken it's been great.
I can say that at least when I called the Buffalo support number I did not get a man named "Sam" with an accent. Well, the guy had an accent but it was a Texas accent.
I do know that I will never purchase another Net Gear router!
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This router is hooked up, February 8, 2008
By user
The house is built with concrete block walls, yea. Had a Netgear RangeMax for awhile weak signal, contently moving it, it finally gave out. Picked up a G54 on eBay for about $100 with DD-WRD installed. Placed it in the same spot as the Netgear, connected right up with ADSL maybe 5 mins setup time.
The external antenna does not seem to make any difference. I did jack up the transmit power, in order to get a good to excellect signal throughout the house and in the yard. It comes with a wall mount which I am using.
Its hooked up UPS so it never looses power, have not had to reset it yet, the Netgear reset about once a week. I think the bad reviews are from people that are very computer savvy.
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HAPPY, February 2, 2008
By user
This is our first wireless router and after much research decided on the G54. I've had it about 7 months now and we have been very happy with our decision. I have it mounted about chest high at the end of the house on the first floor and have good coverage throughout the house, including through three walls downstairs and all of the upstairs through up to four walls. The connection in the far upstairs corner says 36Mb/s, but any difference is not noticeable browsing the internet. I have some computer skills but am no expert...I thought installation and connection with windows XP was pretty easy. There are 9 other networks running in my neighborhood but I haven't noticed any signs of interference. It's also been great running multiplayer games with the kids!
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Just a heads up, February 1, 2008
By user (Central OH, USA)
I've owned two of these routers.
The first was DOA and had to be returned. The cost was about $8 to ship back. The second one died six months later and needed to be returned to Buffalo. They insist that you must have a signature receipt when shipped so that cost another $12.
Now I have spent about $20 more than I should have for faulty products, not to mention the time lost trying to get them to work and return packing and shipping. To add insult to injury, Buffalo reserves the right to send refurbished units as replacements.
While the router does have a good signal and I understand that one may obtain better firmware, remember that other firmware will void your warranty, and if yours dies like mine, you would be SOL.
As mentioned in several reviews, the documentation is so very weak, it is almost worthless, and I've set up a quite a few routers.
I have to believe most of the reviews you see here are from those who liked the router after a few days or weeks and haven't had a chance to really evaluate it.
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Superb Performance, January 1, 2008
By user (King of Prussia, PA United States)
I moved up from a LinkSys WRT54GL to a Buffalo primarily due to the MIMO technology (translates to a broader Wifi signal). I stripped the fttactory firmware and got the Tomato Firmware. This was back in August. No looking back since.
I have 4 wireless PC's accessing this + 1 IP phone. This product ROCKS!!! The coverage is *MUCH* better than the Linksys and infinitely better than the junk from D-Link. I got it at Newegg for a decent price and I am very pleased with this.
I cant find any cons about this. Coupled with Tomato, I have not had to reboot this in months!
Superb range,stability and speed
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I own three of these bad puppies!!, December 6, 2007
By user (Texas)
I bought my first Buffalo to enable my son and daughter to go untethered and to prevent from having to drill holes and run wires in our new home. His laptop has a built in card and I purchased a Buffalo 125g antennae PCI card for the daughters PC. Very easy to set up and worked like a charm with no problems. My inlaws live next door 200ft away in an aluminum mobile home and we were able to get signal over there on the laptop. AWESOME!
Next stage came of trying out online gaming. 2 PS2s in two different rooms. Here I go again looking for several days at every review possible before deciding on how to make the kids' consoles internet enabled. We actually ran cables from their room to where the router was at to make sure it all worked. Check. Now what do we use that is wireless. Buffalo actually sells a device called an ethernet access point and I have seen other so called "gamer's wireless adapters" blah blah blah....don't waste your money. Just buy this router in the qty of however many access points you need and with the flip of the lil switch and some configuration, Shazam! Wireless network without drills or running wires. The only wires I had to deal with was from the PS2 to the router set as a bridge/repeater/access point which is installed on each of the kids entertainment centers with the included lil bracket. We also recently jacked in a Vonage Voip phone system in the daughters room on her repeater and then lit the whole house phone line system by plugging in the phone line in her unused phone jack with no problems. Awesome again!!
I did have to call tech support for something I was doing wrong during configuration of the repeater set up, but they were very nice and very intelligent and they spoke American Born English! Triple Awesome!
I have referred two families to this brand. Unfortunately, now a year later after I bought my setup, Buffalo is under litigation with a foreign company and all their products have pretty much skyrocketed in price if you are lucky to find any. The sad fact of this taking place is that the second family will inadvertantly have to buy a different brand. If you read the reviews, you will see that they are primarily throwing money down the drain from not buying the Buffalo brand. My sympathy to the Largents.
To conclude, either pay the 2 to 4 times these gougers are selling this for (originally $65 at stores) or be patient and wait until the litigation clears 8 months from now. It is worth the money and the wait for such an awesome product. Thanks Buffalo!
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Nice!, December 1, 2007
By user (Scottsdale, AZ USA)
To be honest, I'd never heard of Buffalo before I bought this. A techy friend suggested the brand so I figured I'd give it a try. I have a cable modem hooked up to it (a D-Link)and it does a great job handling the 2 hardwired PC's and 1 wireless notebook that use it all the time. Easy to set up, easy to use. My kind of device!
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Excellent router with stable connection., November 29, 2007
By user (NJ USA)
I used to have Linksys WRT54G which is a piece of junk. Wireless connection drops almost every hour or so. I have updated the firmware but to no avail. I'm pretty sure this is Linksys common problem as many have faced it before. I bought this Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 and never look back. I have used it for 9 months for now and has not dropped even one connection. It is very stable and provide very good range.
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This is a great router., November 25, 2007
By user (North Alabama)
This is a sleek looking router that has great range. It was easy to set up. I am using it with a media extender and streaming video with it and it works flawlessly.
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Much better than Linksys!, October 31, 2007
By user (Chicago)
Bought it 4 weeks ago and so far haven't had any major problems. We just have to reboot it once in a while, but nothing like my previous router, a Linksys WRT54G, which I had to reboot 10x a day.
We use both Mac and PC, the set up is very easy. Great product for a good price.
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Nimble Beast, October 29, 2007
By user (Encinitas, CA United States)
Pros:
* Much stronger signal than my Linksys 54GL
* Works with the DD-WRT firmware
* No overheating issues so far
* Reasonably priced
* 5+ Mbit/second BitTorrent downloads and this thing didn't get over 40% CPU use according to the DD-WRT firmware status page.
Cons:
* Documentation isn't great
* Default firmware is somewhat confusing
I set up two of these on two rooftops in East San Diego. We were seeing 20Mbits/sec sustained over a mile using a pair of these and 24dbi parabolic antennas. The Linksys didn't work at all in that scenario. (note: There aren't designed to work outdoors, we had enclosures)
The default DD-WRT power output is 28mW. I'm running it at 56mW with no problem so far. For residential installs I always use this router with DD-WRT. Commercial with fancy DMZ configurations this isn't quite there yet but it works great with IPCOP as the main router and the Buffalo acting as a wireless access point / standby backup router.
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Great platform for open source firmware, October 25, 2007
By user (New York, NY, USA)
Best features for the open-source router firmware enthusiast:
- built in pre-amp on Rx and power amp on Tx. Note that it's not real MIMO as the name might lead you to believe, but the amps make it have "MIMO-like performance" (which I've found is true).
- high gain antenna
- so it has a better S/N ratio than the Linksys WRT54GL, which has been the defacto standard
- support for 'afterburner' protocol (ie. 125 Mbit/s)
- Widely supported by open source firmware, eg. OpenWRT, DD-WRT, Tomato, X-Wrt, etc. And those enable it to have the most wonderful features, eg:
- WMM for smooth VOIP calls using T-Mobile's UMA phones
- WDS for creating a set of cascaded routers blanketing a large area
- Adjusting the power output directly on the Atheros on-board chip
- WPA2 with AES (WPA2 more secure than WPA, AES encryption scheme faster than TKIP), plus the ability to support mixed modes so that older devices that don't support WPA2/AES can use WPA/TKIP)
- and so much more. If you don't know about the merits of open source router firmware, you should read up!
Challenges:
- DD-WRT, OpenWrt, X-Wrt, Tomato or other open source firmware needs to be flashed with TFTP - you can't do it with the web GUI. But it's easy. Just requires timing the transfer as you switch it on.
- Buffalo encrypts their firmware so if you screw it up and want to revert back to Buffalo firmware, you can't just upload it from the web gui of whatever firmware you've installed. You have to upload the decrypted version from DD-WRT's site, and then from there you can upload the latest Buffalo version from their website.
Note: because of the built-in power amp, you shouldn't just set the power output to jam out as much juice as it can. That will make the output signal distort and actually decrease the range. I found that the best S/N ratio is obtained at about 75 mW. (Default setting is 28 mW).
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Not your standard router, October 19, 2007
By user (Destrehan, LA)
Bought this router to integrate with my existing 'draft-n' network to allow it to run as a Wireless Access Point.
Pros - Very well built, obviously a quality product.
Customer service was superb.
Works very well; fast. As advertised, a premium product.
Cons - Technical Manual needs work. Pictures don't match software, being multiplatform. Could be better written. Took a little too much time to set up.
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Finally, a router that just works and keeps working., October 17, 2007
By user (MT United States)
I have a box full of routers and access points, all of which have started to flake out on me within the first few months of ownership. Linksys and Netgear have conditioned many people to think that it's normal for these devices to stop working and need to be power-cycled several times a month, or to regularly drop packets under high load.
Finally, I tried the Buffalo High Power router, and I couldn't be happier. Not only is it rock-solid, but its signal reaches every corner of my home easily.
Plus, the fact that it's based on Linux is a huge plus, as there are a number of open-source firmware replacements available that add lots of features to this already excellent piece of hardware.
I have a friend who does consulting work for libraries all over my state, and he too fell in love with the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Whenever a library had a faulty or unreliable wireless router/AP, he would set them up with a Buffalo, and their problems were solved.
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very good, October 17, 2007
By user
It works so much like expected or even more. It is very easy to step and they work up every step. The security pretty good. I really like it
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"MIMO Performance" is a joke., October 15, 2007
By user (Rockville, MD)
All of the marketing hype in the world can't counter the fact that this router has weak signal strength. I bought this router when my Zyxel X-550 died, and I've gone from 80% signal strength down to 20%.
If your house is remotely large, or the router isn't near your computers, this router won't do the trick.
On the plus side, for computers near the router it seems to work reasonably well.
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