The Future of Wireless Security Arrives Providing Powerful, Interoperable Protection For Home and Business Networks



July 17 2003 /Wi-Fi Technology News/-
Austin, TX ? July 15, 2003 ? Maintaining its status as a wireless pioneer, Buffalo Technology announced today its AirStation? line of products based on the newly ratified IEEE 802.11g standard have received Wi-Fi Protected Access? (WPA) certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance. The certification ensures users have a solid, standards-based security option that is interoperable with any products using WPA. Buffalo?s WPA certified products include:

? The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Broadband Base Station (WBR-G54)
? The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Notebook Adapter (WLI-CB-G54A)
? The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless PCI Client Card Adapter (WLI-PCI-G54)

?This is such a giant leap for Buffalo Technology and for the wireless industry,? stated Morikazu Sano, vice president of Buffalo Technology. ?We have been anxiously waiting for a better security standard to come along and receive the Wi-Fi Alliance?s blessing. Because WPA is now a standard, having our WPA products certified means we are providing our customers with solid wireless network security while protecting their current investment.?

WPA is set to replace its inferior predecessor, WEP in that WPA addresses the security concerns associated with WEP. With WEP, users experienced lack of security due to weak encryption and static encryption keys. WPA is designed to fix these problems with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) and replace WEP with a new, stronger encryption algorithm. WPA is also the next step toward 802.11i, which is an extension of the 802.11 ESN (Enhanced Security Network). Supporting WPA will be a requirement for 802.11g Wi-Fi certification, and WPA ensures the security feature will integrate between all vendor products.

Buffalo?s WPA certified products feature a combination of WPA with hardware-assisted Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Buffalo?s WPA access points and client cards are compatible with any Wi-Fi certified 802.11b or 802.11g WLAN devices on the market. Current home and business users can take advantage of this powerful feature and upgrade their products or network to support WPA. Because WPA is compatible with the forthcoming 802.11i standard, home, SOHO and SMB users can protect their current Wi-Fi investment and look forward to advanced security in the future.

For current Buffalo Technology customers, WPA firmware and driver upgrades can be found at: http://www.buffalotech.com/wireless/support/downloads.php?type=firmware
Backed by a limited two-year warranty, the AirStation G54 Broadband Router Access Point (WBR-G54) is available for $169.00 MSRP. The Wireless Notebook Adapter (WLI-CB-G54A) is available at $109.00 MSRP. The AirStation G54 Wireless PCI Client Card Adapter (WLI-PCI-G54) is available at an MSRP of $129.00. For more information about Buffalo Technology and their products, please visit their Web site at http://www.buffalotech.com/wireless.

About Buffalo Technology
Buffalo Technology, Inc., a leading global provider of wireless networking solutions designs and manufactures affordable, easy-to-use, next-generation wireless LAN products for SMB, SOHO, and consumers. Buffalo Technology was the first WLAN vendor to provide customers with 802.11g - the latest wireless technology the industry has to offer. Buffalo also offers its customers wireless peace of mind by providing the ultimate in wireless security - Wi-Fi Protected Access?. Its commitment to its customers and technological innovation has put Buffalo Technology at the forefront of wireless technology evolution and helped it maintain a leading position among the top three worldwide WLAN vendors.