Buffalo's AirStation AC1300/N450 4-Port Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Ethernet Bridge WLI-H4-D1300 ($180, list) is currently the only device that can take advantage of the higher speeds of 802.11ac. Of course, 802.11ac has yet to be ratified so the device is still in draft 802.11ac, which the device's packaging acknowledges. The media bridge is meant to be a companion device to the Buffalo AirStation AC1300/N900 Gigabit Dual Band WZR-D1800H Router, the company's first draft 802.11ac router.
A media bridge makes devices that are wired to it accessible wirelessly; typically you'd use it for hardware such as NAS devices, gaming consoles, and set-top boxes. While you can't wire your iPad or notebook to the media bridge and expect 1300 Mbps wireless performance if you also deploy Buffalo's 11ac router, the media bridge does offer a performance boost when used in conjunction with the D1800H. Performance gains are more noticeable when doing throughput-demanding tasks such as streaming high-definition video or copying large files across the network.
Although the biggest advantages of the device come when pairing it with the D1800H router, you can use it to connect to any AOSS or WPS enabled router. It's a well-made device for expanding wireless connectivity to wired devices, and if you are looking to leverage the performance boosts of Buffalo's 11ac router to the max right now, than the media bridge is a needed addition since there are no 11ac adapters currently available.
Specs and Setup
The D1300 is dual-band, supporting up to 1300 Mbps on the 5-GHz band and 450 Mbps on 2.4-GHz. The device is identical in design to the D1800H except the front panel has less LEDs. On the front is an AOSS button (AOSS is Buffalo's proprietary WPS "Wireless Protected Setup). When pushed, the media bridge syncs up with the D1800H and joins the wireless network.
The rear panel features four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a button to enable or disable 5-GHz, and a power on/off button.
The media bridge offers absolutely simple setup. There's no software or drivers to install. With the D1800H powered up and configured, I plugged in the media bridge and powered it on. To pair the router and bridge together is only a matter of pressing the AOSS button on the bridge and then the AOSS button on the D1800H. Pairing is complete when the wireless LED on both devices stop blinking. It's a solid setup process.
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Performance
The media bridge does exactly what it's supposed to do; it allows wired devices to be accessed from a wireless network. I did want to see if I got any performance boost connecting a NAS to the bridge and wirelessly uploading a large file. I did. I connected Synology's DS712+ router to one of the LAN ports on the bridge and upload a 1.5GB file wirelessly. Connected to the bridge, my upload was about two minutes faster than with the NAS only connected to a router.
That may not sound like a lot, but the performance gain could make for better video streaming and gaming.
There's a management interface you can access via a browser on the device. It provides some network setting control, but there isn't a heck of a lot to manage with a bridge and most users will never have to access the interface.
A Bridge to 802.11ac
At the moment, the D1300 is the only way to take advantage of 802.11ac and that only in unison with Buffalo's D1800H 11ac router. On its own, it's an excellent media bridge and can work with non-Buffalo WPS?supported devices. With setup only requiring a push of a button, it's a four star earner for networking hardware. My single criticism is that unless you purchase the D1800H and want to get the gains of 11ac, the D1300 is pricey for a dual-band media bridge, when perfectly good non 802.11ac media bridges are available for $120 or less.?
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