Choosing a Wi-Fi router product that won't fail (1)

The good points of domestic manufacturers are that they can be relieved of support and that there is a guarantee that they will be able to connect because the router part is adapted to the line conditions in Japan. It also has a function to avoid the domestic 5GHz weather radar used in 11ac (*). If this is your first time choosing one, I recommend this one first.

The good thing about overseas manufacturers is that they have good cost performance. Since it is sold on a global scale, the price tends to be cheaper. Moreover, we will aggressively introduce new high-speed standard products. There are many high-performance models that have not been introduced in Japan. However, there are cases where the setting screen and application are not completely compatible with Japanese, and the support system depends on the agency. Recommended if you are used to it and can master it. Also, since many models have larger terminals, please check the size carefully before purchasing. Judging from the photos on the mail order, you may be surprised when it arrives.

By the way, since Wi-Fi routers are products that emit radio waves, basically they cannot be used with foreign products brought in due to the Radio Law. Only models with the mark of "certification of conformity with technical standards" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications can be used. Even for overseas manufacturers, there is no problem with models that are officially sold in Japan, but it is necessary to be careful about parallel imports that are obtained at auctions.

* Some overseas products do not support some 5GHz bands of this weather radar and have been cut off.

One of the Wi-Fi connection setting methods is a function that allows you to complete the connection settings by simply pushing the buttons on the master unit and slave unit. There are three types of this, so you need to be a little careful.

Among them, "WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)" is compatible with many devices on a global scale, so in many cases it can be widely used, including overseas products. Conversely, overseas products only support WPS. Looking at the smartphone, Android is compatible, iOS is not compatible. If you want to use the functions of Buffalo and NEC, you can choose from these two companies. Especially with "AOS S2", you can connect by simply pressing the button on the base unit and selecting the displayed SSID, so it's easy to understand if you want to connect anyway.

However, these easy connection functions have some subtle drawbacks. It would be nice if the app could handle it like a PC or smartphone, but when adding a device that does not have a specific easy connection function such as a printer, game console, AV device, etc., it is not possible to connect with a button, so the procedure becomes a little complicated. (For example, I want to use WPS on iOS mentioned above). It is not a reason that you can not connect at all, but it is an orthodox SSID and key input, so it is difficult to distinguish the automatically generated character string, or it is long and troublesome to input. It's a good idea to first decide whether to simply set the settings manually to make the characters easy to understand, or to make the buttons convenient. If you just want to connect a few smartphones and PCs, choose the simple setting with the button, and if you want to add a lot of AV devices and Wi-Fi devices, it will be easier to use later if you manually decide the SSID and key settings. .. It is also possible to use the easy connection function only for the first connection and change to an arbitrary SSID and key after connecting.

One caveat is that a vulnerability has been reported in PIN (number) authentication, which is not a WPS button, so please devise a function such as turning on the function only when connecting. In any case, it is safe to turn off these easy connection functions except when adding devices. It seems easy, but it is not easy to use it for a long time, but these easy connection functions are also available.

In choosing a manufacturer, in addition to this easy connection function, you can simply decide whether you like it or not, depending on the design and size of the Wi-Fi router, how much emphasis is placed on support, and so on. The design and size are quite important if you put it in the living room. Because it uses radio waves, it can't be hidden behind a shelf. The Wi-Fi part is almost the same if the specifications are the same. There are various points to choose from, such as the ease of use of the setting screen, but you don't have to worry too much because you don't see the setting screen except when you first connect. For additional functions such as simple NAS, if you want to use NAS, it is much more convenient to purchase NAS later, and after all, you may not use the functions equipped with the Wi-Fi router.

If you purchase more than one, or if you want to add a repeater or a handset, you can reduce the trouble if you have the same manufacturer. Even if the connection is authenticated via Wi-Fi, compatibility problems rarely occur. Manufacturers with a large lineup should think about it later.

After narrowing down the manufacturer to some extent, I will select the model based on the communication speed and functions, but let's see this from the next time onwards. I'm thinking of talking about the ease of use on the iPhone and iPad.