Review: Buffalo WLI-TX4-AG300N networking

If you're concerned by the idea of black boxes of technology clogging up your home Buffalo’s WLI-TX4-AG300N won’t win you over on its appearance.

The small, rectangular, semi-glossy black box has only two buttons on the front, five sockets on the back and not even a single aerial to suggest its purpose, which is actually to connect your wired network devices to a wireless network.

Looks aren't everything, though, and this adapter is a lot more useful than it is attractive. The basic idea is that it can link up to four devices to a wireless network. Those devices have to have standard wired network connections, but the box handles all the conversions and can run at the highest current network speeds (known as 802.11n), roughly 12 times as fast as standard wireless networks.

In fact the speed will depend on all kinds of factors such as the distance between the wireless devices, what the walls are made of and even the number of wireless devices the neighbours are using. What we can say is that it is on average substantially quicker than older wireless networks.

Setup is pretty straightforward, particularly on an unencrypted wireless network. You need to run the supplied software on the devices you want to connect and it will then use the converter to spot any available networks. Select the one you want and the connection is made.

If the wireless network is encrypted, things can still be simple because Buffalo has included its proprietary AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) with the converter. Bring the converter close enough to your router and press the AOSS buttons on both to make the connection, although the router will need to support AOSS as well.

The fast wireless link means it's possible to shift high-definition video streams between router and converter, as long as the router is 802.11n compatible too.

The ideal use for this device is to link together a cluster of devices such as a desktop PC, a networked printer and a games console to a router where the main network is in a different part of a building. For this use, it can save a lot of money and be a simpler way of doing things than buying separate network cards for each device.

Vista compatible: Yes