Networking and storage giant Buffalo has confirmed its plans to launch products supporting the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, starting with a wireless router offering speeds of up to 1.3Gb/s.
Based around the less-congested 5GHz part of the spectrum, rather than the more commonly used 2.4GHz band, 802.11ac boasts an overall throughput of up to 1.3Gb/s, around three times faster than the current 802.11n Wi-Fi standard.
Although it'll be a while before UK broadband hits the point where 802.11n is saturated, there is growing interest in high-speed wireless technologies thanks to the increased prevalence of high-definition streaming media systems in the home. With two of the three consoles making up this current generation boasting support for streaming video - either through Windows Media Center for the Xbox 360 or via DLNA for the PlayStation 3 - it's not uncommon for homes to have a lot of data whizzing back and forth on the LAN side of the router.
'Buffalo has always been at the forefront of wireless technology, proven by the delivery of the first Draft G and Draft N wireless products to the market,' crowed Buffalo's Paul Hudson at the announcement. 'Delivering a cost-effective, high performance Wi-Fi solution that leverages the next generation 802.11ac technology is just part of Buffalo’s ongoing commitment to innovation, engineering excellence and enabling consumers to use current and future technology in the home and in the cloud.'
The company's first 802.11ac product has been confirmed as the Buffalo AirStation WZR-1750H, a router which offers five gigabit Ethernet ports alongside Wi-Fi connectivity covering 802.11a/b/g/n and 802.11ac standards with a total aggregate throughput of 1.75Gb/s. In addition, the company has confirmed plans to launch the WLI-TX4-1300H, an 802.11ac-compatible wired-to-wireless bridge with four gigabit ports.
Full pricing and availability have yet, sadly, to be confirmed by the company.
Is Buffalo's announcement to be welcomed, or will it take real-world performance tests before you think about replacing your existing networking gear? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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