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Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 Review | 77 Data compared

Avg. price in UK:~£120Avg. price in US:~$120Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi speed:866 MbpsLAN port speeds:1 GbpsMesh Wi-Fi:no

Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 Review: Compare 77 technical specifications and user reviews to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

7.0

Overall score

Score
7.0/ 10
✕
What it is
An overall evaluation of the router's quality, based on technical analyses and user reviews.
When it matters
When you need a quick reference to identify the best routers on the market.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 50% of models
Score components

90%

6.8

Technical Score

10%

8.2

User score

â–²Better than 50% of routers
6.8

Technical Score

Technical score
6.8/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of the router's technical performance, covering key areas such as Wi-Fi performance, wired connectivity, security, software features, coverage, and design.
When it matters
When you want to compare routers based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 54% of models
Score components

26%

5.4

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

8.5

Networking

14%

8.9

Security

12%

7.7

Hardware

10%

5.5

Management

â–¼Worse than 54% of routers
8.2

User score

User score
8.2/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the router.
When it matters
When you want to know how a router performs in daily use and how reliable it is for speed, coverage, and stability according to user feedback.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 65% of models
Score components

70%

8.0

User reviews

30%

8.7

Popularity

User score:
United Kingdom
amazon
4.1
(2376)
amazon
4.0
(71)
United States
Amazon_logo.png
4.0
(2454)
Amazon_logo.png
3.9
(78)
Amazon_logo.png
3.4
(27)

(Reviews last updated: May 2026)

â–²Better than 65% of routers
  • buffalo-airstation-extreme-ac1200
  • buffalo-airstation-extreme-ac1200
buffalo-airstation-extreme-ac1200
buffalo-airstation-extreme-ac1200

Best prices in UK

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Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.
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Verdict

The Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 (WZR-1166DHP) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router delivering theoretical speeds up to 1.2 Gbps, specifically 866 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. It features a gigabit WAN port, four gigabit LAN ports, and a high-speed USB 3.0 port for network-attached storage or printer sharing. Key characteristics include Norton ConnectSafe web filtering, parental controls, and a versatile physical switch to toggle between router, access point, and bridge modes. Main pros include fast FAT32 storage throughput, easy mobile-friendly setup, and effective QoS controls for traffic prioritisation. However, cons include a lack of support for NTFS-formatted USB drives, failure in 40 MHz coexistence tests, and the absence of Wi-Fi certification.

Technical Specifications of router Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200

Technical Score
Technical score
6.8/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of the router's technical performance, covering key areas such as Wi-Fi performance, wired connectivity, security, software features, coverage, and design.
When it matters
When you want to compare routers based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 54% of models
Score components:

26%

5.4

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

8.5

Networking

14%

8.9

Security

12%

7.7

Hardware

10%

5.5

Management

6.8
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 has a technical score of 6.8 points, which is lower than that of 54.2% of products in this category.
User score
User score
8.2/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the router.
When it matters
When you want to know how a router performs in daily use and how reliable it is for speed, coverage, and stability according to user feedback.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 65% of models
Score components

70%

8.0

User reviews

30%

8.7

Popularity

User score:
United Kingdom
amazon
4.1
(2376)
amazon
4.0
(71)
United States
Amazon_logo.png
4.0
(2454)
Amazon_logo.png
3.9
(78)
Amazon_logo.png
3.4
(27)

(Reviews last updated: May 2026)

8.2
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 has a user score of 8.21 points, which is higher than that of 65.4% of products in this category.
Popularity
Popularity
8.7/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator based on the number of reviews received by the router.
When it matters
When you prefer to choose a router reviewed and selected by many other buyers.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 78% of models
Popularity:
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 has a popularity score of 8.7 points, which is higher than that of 78.2% of products in this category.
8.7
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 has a popularity score of 8.7 points, which is higher than that of 78.2% of products in this category.
Ratio quality/price
Value for money
7.8/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 55% of models
Score components:

60%

7.0

Overall score

40%

9.9

Price

7.8
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 has a value-for-money score of 7.8 points, which is higher than that of 45.1% of products in this category.
Brand name
Buffalo
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
â–² Better than 39% of models
This router uses Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), which is more advanced than 39.5% of routers and equal to 25.3% of routers.
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
â–² Better than 25% of models
This router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which are more versatile than 24.8% of routers and equal to 68.1% of routers.
Wi-Fi speed
866 Mbps
Wi-Fi speed
866 Mbps
â–¼ Worse than 63% of models
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 866 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is lower than 63.2% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
â–² Better than 41% of models
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz channel width options, which is more than 40.9% of routers and the same as 31.6% of routers.
Show more
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2
â–¼ Worse than 93% of models
This router supports WPA2 Wi-Fi security protocols, which are less advanced than 93.4% of routers and equal to 4.2% of routers.
DoS protection
yes
DoS protection
yes
â–² Better than 13% of models
This router includes DoS protection. 12.8% of routers include DoS protection.
SPI intrusion protection
yes
SPI intrusion protection
yes
â–² Better than 6% of models
This router includes SPI-based intrusion protection. 6.1% of routers include SPI-based intrusion protection.
MAC address filtering
yes
MAC address filtering
yes
â–² Better than 2% of models
This router supports MAC address filtering. 2.2% of routers include MAC address filtering.
URL filter
yes
URL filter
yes
â–² Better than 3% of models
This router supports URL filtering. 3.4% of routers include URL filtering.
Show more
IPv6 support
yes
IPv6 support
yes
â–² Better than 12% of models
This router supports IPv6. 11.5% of routers are IPv6-ready.
Dynamic routing
yes
Dynamic routing
yes
â–² Better than 48% of models
This router supports dynamic routing. 47.8% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
no
Inter-VLAN routing
no
â–¼ Worse than 24% of models
This router does not support inter-VLAN routing. 23.5% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
VLAN tagging
yes
VLAN tagging
yes
â–² Better than 38% of models
This router supports VLAN tagging. 38.2% of routers include VLAN tagging.
QoS
yes
QoS
yes
â–² Better than 3% of models
This router includes QoS controls. 3.2% of routers include QoS controls.
Show more
N. of LAN ports
4
N. of LAN ports
4
â–² Better than 24% of models
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 4 LAN ports, which is more than 23.7% of routers and the same as 69.2% of routers.
LAN port speeds
1 Gbps
LAN port speeds
1 Gbps
â–² Better than 27% of models
This router offers 1 Gbps on its LAN ports, which is faster than 27.1% of routers and on par with 59.9% of routers.
N. of WAN ports
1
N. of WAN ports
1
â–¼ Worse than 9% of models
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 WAN ports, which is more than 1% of routers and the same as 90.1% of routers.
N. of USB ports
1
N. of USB ports
1
â–² Better than 39% of models
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 USB ports, which is more than 39.5% of routers and the same as 39.5% of routers.
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
Category Benchmark
This router does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). 0.5% of routers can be powered over Ethernet.
Show more
Management interface
Web UI
Management interface
Web UI
â–¼ Worse than 72% of models
This router uses Web UI for management, which is less advanced than 72.2% of routers and equal to 27.3% of routers.
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI
â–¼ Worse than 70% of models
This router supports Web UI firmware update methods, which are less convenient than 69.5% of routers and equal to 29.7% of routers.
Traffic monitoring
no
Traffic monitoring
no
â–¼ Worse than 82% of models
This router does not include traffic monitoring. 82.1% of routers include traffic monitoring.
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
â–² Better than 9% of models
This router offers a guest Wi‑Fi network. 8.6% of routers offer a guest Wi‑Fi network.
Captive portal
no
Captive portal
no
â–¼ Worse than 24% of models
This router does not offer captive portal features. 23.5% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
2x 0.8 GHz
CPU clock speed
2x 0.8 GHz
â–² Better than 51% of models
This router runs at 2x0.8 GHz, which is faster than 50.7% of routers and on par with 2.3% of routers.
RAM capacity
512 MB
RAM capacity
512 MB
â–² Better than 64% of models
Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
This router has 512 MB of RAM, which is more than 64.4% of routers and the same as 22.8% of routers.
Internal storage
?
Hardware acceleration
yes
Hardware acceleration
yes
â–² Better than 31% of models
This router offers hardware acceleration. 31.4% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
0
N. of external antennas
0
â–¼ Worse than 60% of models
Market range: <0 – >10
This router has 0 external antennas, which is fewer than 59.6% of routers and the same as 40.4% of routers.
Show more

Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • 2x more RAM
    RAM capacity
    512 MB
    â–² Better than 64% of models
    Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
    This router has more RAM than the average router (512 MB vs 256 MB). The average router has 256 MB of RAM.
    512 MB vs 256 MB
  • 4 more internal antennas
    N. of internal antennas
    4
    â–² Better than 76% of models
    Market range: <0 – >10
    This router has more internal antennas than the average router (4 vs 0). The average router has 0 internal antennas.
    4 vs 0
  • 2x more RAM
    RAM capacity
    512 MB
    â–² Better than 64% of models
    Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
    This router has more RAM than the average router (512 MB vs 256 MB). The average router has 256 MB of RAM.
    512 MB vs 256 MB
  • 4 more internal antennas
    N. of internal antennas
    4
    â–² Better than 76% of models
    Market range: <0 – >10
    This router has more internal antennas than the average router (4 vs 0). The average router has 0 internal antennas.
    4 vs 0
  • Limited firmware updates
    Firmware upgrade method
    Web UI
    â–¼ Worse than 70% of models
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • Weaker management tools
    Management interface
    Web UI
    â–¼ Worse than 72% of models
    This router uses the management interface Web UI, while the average router uses Web UI, App.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App
  • No traffic monitoring
    Traffic monitoring
    no
    â–¼ Worse than 82% of models
    This router does not offer traffic monitoring, while the average router does. 81.9% of routers offer traffic monitoring.
  • Less capable NAS services
    Built-in NAS services
    media server, web access
    â–¼ Worse than 50% of models
    This router includes media server, web access NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, FTP, time machine, NFS, web access.
    Requires attached USB storage.
    media server, web access vs SMB, FTP, time machine, NFS, web access
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    N. of spatial streams
    2
    â–¼ Worse than 50% of models
    Market range: <0 – >10
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • Weaker Wi-Fi security
    Wi-Fi security protocols
    WPA2
    â–¼ Worse than 93% of models
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS.
    WPA2 vs WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS
  • No band steering
    Band steering
    no
    â–¼ Worse than 52% of models
    This router does not support band steering, while the average router does. 51.8% of routers support band steering.
  • 41.3% slower Wi-Fi speed
    Wi-Fi speed
    866 Mbps
    â–¼ Worse than 63% of models
    Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (866 Mbps vs 1475 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1475 Mbps.
    866 Mbps vs 1,475 Mbps
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    N. of spatial streams
    2
    â–¼ Worse than 50% of models
    Market range: <0 – >10
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • No band steering
    Band steering
    no
    â–¼ Worse than 52% of models
    This router does not support band steering, while the average router does. 51.8% of routers support band steering.
  • 41.3% slower Wi-Fi speed
    Wi-Fi speed
    866 Mbps
    â–¼ Worse than 63% of models
    Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (866 Mbps vs 1475 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1475 Mbps.
    866 Mbps vs 1,475 Mbps
  • Weaker Wi-Fi security
    Wi-Fi security protocols
    WPA2
    â–¼ Worse than 93% of models
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS.
    WPA2 vs WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS
  • No DNS relay
    DNS relay
    no
    â–¼ Worse than 92% of models
    This router does not support DNS relay, while the average router does. 92.2% of routers support DNS relay.
  • 10,892 fewer NAT sessions
    NAT concurrent sessions
    4,096
    â–¼ Worse than 74% of models
    Market range: <0 – >300k
    This router has fewer concurrent NAT sessions than the average router (4,096 vs 14,988). The average router supports 14,988 concurrent NAT sessions.
    4,096 vs 14,988
  • Limited firmware updates
    Firmware upgrade method
    Web UI
    â–¼ Worse than 70% of models
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • Weaker management tools
    Management interface
    Web UI
    â–¼ Worse than 72% of models
    This router uses the management interface Web UI, while the average router uses Web UI, App.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App
  • No traffic monitoring
    Traffic monitoring
    no
    â–¼ Worse than 82% of models
    This router does not offer traffic monitoring, while the average router does. 81.9% of routers offer traffic monitoring.
  • Less capable NAS services
    Built-in NAS services
    media server, web access
    â–¼ Worse than 50% of models
    This router includes media server, web access NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, FTP, time machine, NFS, web access.
    Requires attached USB storage.
    media server, web access vs SMB, FTP, time machine, NFS, web access
  • 3.3 W higher power consumption
    Power consumption
    11.4 W
    â–¼ Worse than 73% of models
    Market range: <3 W – >18 W
    This router uses more power than the average router (11.4 W vs 8.1 W). The average router uses 8.1 W power.
    11.4 W vs 8.1 W
  • 2 fewer external antennas
    N. of external antennas
    0
    â–¼ Worse than 60% of models
    Market range: <0 – >10
    This router has fewer external antennas than the average router (0 vs 2). The average router has 2 external antennas.
    0 vs 2

Graphic comparison of Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200 and other routers

No results found

Third-party reviews

United Kingdom
amazon
4.1
2376 Reviews
amazon
4.0
71 Reviews
United States
Amazon_logo.png
4.0
2454 Reviews
Amazon_logo.png
3.9
78 Reviews
Amazon_logo.png
3.4
27 Reviews

(Reviews last updated: May 2026)

What customers like about Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200?

  • Fast throughput performance on the 5GHz band, especially at close range
  • Includes a high-speed USB 3.0 port for external storage or printers
  • Features easy-to-use Quality of Service (QoS) and web filtering controls
  • Solid build quality and a lightweight, sleek design
  • Support for open-source firmware (DD-WRT) which allows for advanced customization
  • Offers gigabit Ethernet ports for high-speed wired connections

What customers dislike about Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC1200?

  • Wireless range is often described as weak compared to competitors in its class
  • Throughput drops significantly as signal attenuation increases or at longer distances
  • The standard web interface is often cited as cluttered and unintuitive
  • Does not support NTFS format for USB-attached storage
  • Lacks Wi-Fi Certification and failed some specific interference coexistence tests
  • Manual firmware updates can be complex for average users

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

E
expertreviews.co.uk
31/01/2014
Summary of the review
Buffalo WZR-1166DHP review
S
smallnetbuilder.com
27/01/2014
Summary of the review
Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC 1200 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router Reviewed

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

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