This week during Mobile World Congress 2014, Buffalo Americas launched three high speed AirStation Open Source DD-WRT wireless routers: the AirStation AC 1750 WZR-1750DHPD, the AirStation N600 WZR-600DHP2D, and the AirStation N300 WHR-300HP2D. The AC 1750 model is on sale now, while the other two won't arrive until early March. According to Buffalo, these three new routers sport the DD-WRT firmware right out of the box, which is a Linux-based open source firmware for routers and access points that typically replaces the original OEM-installed firmware. The open source firmware allows the device to have additional features that typically wouldn't be provided in the original firmware.
"The main emphasis lies on providing the easiest possible handling while at the same time supporting a great number of functionalities within the framework of the respective hardware platform used," reads the DD-WRT description. Devices mainly used for private purposes can use the firmware for free, whereas a paid license is required to use the firmware in a commercial product.
As the numbering shows, the AC 1750 model is the fastest in the group, providing Wireless AC speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and Wireless N speeds up to 450 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. This router also features a dual-core processor clocked at 800 MHz, 512 MB of RAM, five Gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two wireless radios and onboard amplifiers. This router can also be configured as an access point or wireless bridge.
The N600 model is the next class down, providing Wireless N speeds up to 300 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel and Wireless N speeds up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz channel. This router also packs a processor clocked at 800 MHz, 256 MB of RAM, Gigabit ports, one USB 3.0 port, two wireless radios and onboard amplifiers. This router can also be configured as an access point or a wireless bridge.
Finally, there's the N300 router, a single-band unit that provides Wireless N speeds up to 300 Mbps. This device features a processor clocked at 600 MHz, five Ethernet ports, and onboard amplifiers. Like the previous two, the router can also be configured as an access point or wireless bridge.
"We launched new open source DD-WRT models of the AirStation router to address this rising demand, giving users the ability to unlock advanced capabilities of their wireless routers at a cost effective price," said Matt Dargis, COO at Buffalo Americas (USA), Inc. "These features, such as PPTP, OpenVPN and VLAN, allow network administrators and programmers to enable advanced features typically unavailable in consumer-grade wireless routers."
The AirStation AC 1750 WZR-1750DHPD router is available now for $189.99. The N600 and N300 routers will be made available in early March for $109.99 and $59.99, respectively.
