Buffalo’s routers both look and do things differently to most routers. Just like the WZR-HP-G450H, this dual-band cable router comes with the open-source router firmware, DD-WRT, on board. That opens up plenty of features, but somewhat limits maximum performance.
Put simply, the DD-WRT firmware that comes preinstalled on the WZR-HP-AG300H has no 40MHz channel-bonding setting in either the 2.4GHz frequency band or the 5GHz band, despite the hardware supporting the mode. (You can access it, but you’ll have to install Buffalo’s alternative firmware.)
The result was steady but hardly stellar performance in the 2.4GHz frequency band of 9MB/sec, and 9.3MB/sec in the 5GHz band. At long range, speeds hit a more respectable 2.7MB/sec in both bands. It’s reasonably priced for a dual-band router, and the features list is comprehensive, including a USB socket for sharing storage over a network (alas, the DD-WRT preinstall only allows sharing via FTP), and it supports 3G dongles too.
Overall, it isn’t a bad router, but it isn’t quite as good as the Asus RT-N56U, which is both quicker and not that much more expensive than this one.
