It’s not enough just to be a good wireless router with Internet access anymore. These days, products also need to be security concious — and many even build in multimedia playback. The latest, from Buffalo Technology, goes even further by integrating a remote access solution.
The AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway (model WZR-RS-G54) is a full-fledged 802.11b/g router, and includes support for both Buffalo’s 125* High Speed Mode and its One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) for one-button network security setup.
It differs by building in what a company spokesperson says is “kind of like GoToMyPc in a router,” referring to the popular remote access service that lets users get remote access to the computers in their home or office. With full access to the SOHO or small business network through the new AirStation, a user can get to their data, and also view digital photos or stream audio and video files without having to download them to the remote site.
The product has a Wake-on-LAN feature so that when an external user tries to connect using a PPTP VPN client, it will let the remote user turn on the home computer. A portal Web-based screen navigates the remote user through the features.
The router features also include bridging and repeating using Wireless Distribution System (WDS), an intrusion detection service, and a privacy separator to keep the wireless users secure. It will have the ability to support full Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) with AES, though doesn’t appear to be certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance yet.
For fast connections of the future, it will support 98.7Mbps Fiber To The Home (FTTH), as well as today’s conventional broadband over DSL or cable modem.
Buffalo says this is the “only wireless router on the market today that allows users to access e-mail, files, programs, and network resources located on their home or office computer while on the road—from anywhere in the world.”
The product will be available this month, and will sell for $199 in the U.S.
