So finally here is my first review on TE.
Well the heavy rainfall and hartal have given me enough time to write a review on the Router I have been using for the last 2-3 months. The entire review is based upon my personal experience with the router over the aforementioned time period.
The Buffalo WCR-GN N150 is an entry level and low budget a Wireless Router and an Access point that I purchased from dvdstoredelhi off eBay for around Rs. 950 (applying coupons).
So here starts the review
SPECIFICATIONS: (As specified on the Box)
Wireless LAN Interface
Standard Compliance: IEEE802.11n Technology, IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11b
Transmission Method: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), OFDM
Frequency Range:2.412 - 2.462GHz (Channels 1-11)
Transmission Rate:Max 150Mbps (802.11n mode)
Security:WPA2-PSK (AES, TKIP), WPA-PSK (AES, TKIP), 128/64-bit WEP
Wired LAN/WAN Interface
Standard Compliance: IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u
Speed and Flow control: 10/100Mbps (Auto Sensing)
Number of LAN Ports: 4 x RJ-45 (Auto MDIX)
Number of WAN Ports: 1 x RJ-45 (Auto MDIX)
Other
Dimensions (WxDxH): 118 x 23 x 104 mm
Weight: 144g
Power Consumption: 5.8W (Maximum)
Operating Environment: 0-40°C, 20-80% (non-condensing)
Power Supply: External AC 100-240V 50/60Hz
The router is small and compact and is milky white in colour. It comes with a stand so that the router can be positioned in an upright position.
On the front side of the router there are LED indicators for
1. Power,
2. Security protection indicator (ON or OFF ) via two colour indication,
3. One for Wireless/Access Point (ON or OFF),
4. one for Router mode,
5. and another for DIAG (I don’t know what that means but when it turns from RED to GREEN during boot up the router is completely functional).
On the back side of the router are
1. Airstationâ„¢ One-Touch Secure System (AOSSâ„¢) or WPS button.
2. 4 Ethernet ports for LAN
3. 1 WAN port
4. Power socket
On the top of the router is an adjustable antenna that can rotate 90 degrees in one plane and 360 degrees in another plane.
There is a reset button available on the bottom side of the router.
Setup:
The setup is fairly simple with the Installation guide CD that comes in the box
An overview of installation via the guide CD aka Air Navigator
The router also comes with a easily manageable and user friendly WEB UI
An overview of Web UI and network setup via Web UI:
It’s very easy to configure the network settings from the web UI.
The Setup Tab gives easy setup Wizards for network configuration and also gives options to change the functionality of the Airstation from Router to Bridge mode.
The Internet Tab allows to setup for internet connectivity for all modes and it’s so easy for anybody to setup Internet connection.
I use Static IP for connecting to college LAN and use PPPOE with BSNL at home.
I also tried the Airstation in Bridge mode (as well as in router mode and set it to Acquire an IP Address Automatically from a DHCP Server) for relaying MTS MBlaze Internet from my friend’s laptop (gateway) via Windows ICS to other computers.
The Router also has the Dynamic DNS service (though I have not tested it).
Wireless Tab offers various options to configure the wireless functionalities of the Router such as enable/disable additional SSIDs, AOSS and WDS features.
Security Tab has access to firewall and IP filter configurations.
LAN Tab has options for DMZ, UPnP, and our favourite Port Forwarding
Admin Config Tab offers features such as NTP settings, Restore to factory default settings. It also gives options to save configurations in a file and restore to it whenever anything goes wrong.
Regular diagnostic tools like ping, packet info and client monitors are also present.
Range:
The range of the router is quite good and it covers about most of the hostel side area I reside. I don’t know how to express the range so tried to make images of wherever near the Wi-Fi signal can be felt. Every dimension shown in the diagram is a near approximation. Red star is router location and Green boundary is where the signal is received. Tested with my friend’s Mac book Pro, Nexus S and my Blade.
PLAN VIEW
SIDE VIEW
File copy speeds:
File copy speeds are very good over wired LAN and give about 10.5 – 11.5 MBps copy speeds for small as well as large files and folders.
The copy speeds suck when it comes to Wireless. An average speed of 5-6 MBps is observed while copying files (about 650 MB) from Goflex Net while sitting at 8-10 ft away from the router. I never witnessed anytime the copy speeds reaching even 8 or 10 MBps over Wi-Fi (whatever be the range). This surely does not justify its N Technology with 150 Mbps speeds.
File copy over Wi-Fi
Folder copy over WI-Fi
However it streams most of the 720p movies that are in college LAN. But I doubt this router can stream any True HD movies like huge 720p and 1080p rips.
The Bad part :
The router sucks at file copy speeds and to add to this the router suffocates for large file transfers.
I have observed several times that when I keep large file copying like some series (say Naruto or Dexter) from college LAN I am unable to open Internet . Also during the copying process the router fails, resets and reboots and it’s kind of annoying.
Couple of days ago after such two or three stress work for router it started to reset at times of power failure. So when power is gone or I turn off the router it gets reset to factory defaults. Don’t know why but I did a hard reset using the button at the bottom of the router and everything is fine now.
The Verdict:
This router is cheap and good if your usage is minimal like for browsing and Wi-Fi for your Android/iPhone or other gadgets and some mild gaming. For a sum of 950 bucks you can’t expect more from this device.
If you are looking for a router for backups over Wi-Fi, Extreme gaming and streaming HD content this is not the router that should be on your list.
Please do not hesitate to point out any mistakes (this is my first review and I can learn from mistakes). Your suggestions, personal views about the product and experiences are always welcome.
Feel free to ask any doubts and questions.
Well the heavy rainfall and hartal have given me enough time to write a review on the Router I have been using for the last 2-3 months. The entire review is based upon my personal experience with the router over the aforementioned time period.
The Buffalo WCR-GN N150 is an entry level and low budget a Wireless Router and an Access point that I purchased from dvdstoredelhi off eBay for around Rs. 950 (applying coupons).
So here starts the review
SPECIFICATIONS: (As specified on the Box)
Wireless LAN Interface
Standard Compliance: IEEE802.11n Technology, IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11b
Transmission Method: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), OFDM
Frequency Range:2.412 - 2.462GHz (Channels 1-11)
Transmission Rate:Max 150Mbps (802.11n mode)
Security:WPA2-PSK (AES, TKIP), WPA-PSK (AES, TKIP), 128/64-bit WEP
Wired LAN/WAN Interface
Standard Compliance: IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u
Speed and Flow control: 10/100Mbps (Auto Sensing)
Number of LAN Ports: 4 x RJ-45 (Auto MDIX)
Number of WAN Ports: 1 x RJ-45 (Auto MDIX)
Other
Dimensions (WxDxH): 118 x 23 x 104 mm
Weight: 144g
Power Consumption: 5.8W (Maximum)
Operating Environment: 0-40°C, 20-80% (non-condensing)
Power Supply: External AC 100-240V 50/60Hz
- Supports WDS to increase coverage with optional Repeater. This is fully compatible with 802.11n/g/b devices from other vendors.
- Automatic channel support selects the best available Wireless networking channel.
- Easy set-up with Airstationâ„¢ One-Touch Secure System (AOSSâ„¢) or WPS
- 2 Year Limited Warranty.
The router is small and compact and is milky white in colour. It comes with a stand so that the router can be positioned in an upright position.
On the front side of the router there are LED indicators for
1. Power,
2. Security protection indicator (ON or OFF ) via two colour indication,
3. One for Wireless/Access Point (ON or OFF),
4. one for Router mode,
5. and another for DIAG (I don’t know what that means but when it turns from RED to GREEN during boot up the router is completely functional).
On the back side of the router are
1. Airstationâ„¢ One-Touch Secure System (AOSSâ„¢) or WPS button.
2. 4 Ethernet ports for LAN
3. 1 WAN port
4. Power socket
On the top of the router is an adjustable antenna that can rotate 90 degrees in one plane and 360 degrees in another plane.
There is a reset button available on the bottom side of the router.
Setup:
The setup is fairly simple with the Installation guide CD that comes in the box
An overview of installation via the guide CD aka Air Navigator
The router also comes with a easily manageable and user friendly WEB UI
An overview of Web UI and network setup via Web UI:
It’s very easy to configure the network settings from the web UI.
The Setup Tab gives easy setup Wizards for network configuration and also gives options to change the functionality of the Airstation from Router to Bridge mode.
The Internet Tab allows to setup for internet connectivity for all modes and it’s so easy for anybody to setup Internet connection.
I use Static IP for connecting to college LAN and use PPPOE with BSNL at home.
I also tried the Airstation in Bridge mode (as well as in router mode and set it to Acquire an IP Address Automatically from a DHCP Server) for relaying MTS MBlaze Internet from my friend’s laptop (gateway) via Windows ICS to other computers.
The Router also has the Dynamic DNS service (though I have not tested it).
Wireless Tab offers various options to configure the wireless functionalities of the Router such as enable/disable additional SSIDs, AOSS and WDS features.
Security Tab has access to firewall and IP filter configurations.
LAN Tab has options for DMZ, UPnP, and our favourite Port Forwarding
Admin Config Tab offers features such as NTP settings, Restore to factory default settings. It also gives options to save configurations in a file and restore to it whenever anything goes wrong.
Regular diagnostic tools like ping, packet info and client monitors are also present.
Range:
The range of the router is quite good and it covers about most of the hostel side area I reside. I don’t know how to express the range so tried to make images of wherever near the Wi-Fi signal can be felt. Every dimension shown in the diagram is a near approximation. Red star is router location and Green boundary is where the signal is received. Tested with my friend’s Mac book Pro, Nexus S and my Blade.
PLAN VIEW
SIDE VIEW
File copy speeds:
File copy speeds are very good over wired LAN and give about 10.5 – 11.5 MBps copy speeds for small as well as large files and folders.
The copy speeds suck when it comes to Wireless. An average speed of 5-6 MBps is observed while copying files (about 650 MB) from Goflex Net while sitting at 8-10 ft away from the router. I never witnessed anytime the copy speeds reaching even 8 or 10 MBps over Wi-Fi (whatever be the range). This surely does not justify its N Technology with 150 Mbps speeds.
File copy over Wi-Fi
Folder copy over WI-Fi
However it streams most of the 720p movies that are in college LAN. But I doubt this router can stream any True HD movies like huge 720p and 1080p rips.
The Bad part :
The router sucks at file copy speeds and to add to this the router suffocates for large file transfers.
I have observed several times that when I keep large file copying like some series (say Naruto or Dexter) from college LAN I am unable to open Internet . Also during the copying process the router fails, resets and reboots and it’s kind of annoying.
Couple of days ago after such two or three stress work for router it started to reset at times of power failure. So when power is gone or I turn off the router it gets reset to factory defaults. Don’t know why but I did a hard reset using the button at the bottom of the router and everything is fine now.
The Verdict:
This router is cheap and good if your usage is minimal like for browsing and Wi-Fi for your Android/iPhone or other gadgets and some mild gaming. For a sum of 950 bucks you can’t expect more from this device.
If you are looking for a router for backups over Wi-Fi, Extreme gaming and streaming HD content this is not the router that should be on your list.
Please do not hesitate to point out any mistakes (this is my first review and I can learn from mistakes). Your suggestions, personal views about the product and experiences are always welcome.
Feel free to ask any doubts and questions.
