New D-Link DIR-628 Router Features Dual-Band 802.11n at Popular Prices

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:04:07 -0500

DIR-628: Two Modes in One Router...

The new D-Link RangeBooster N Dual Band Router, the DIR-628, joins a very short list of 802.11n-compliant routers that are compatible with both the 802.11n 2.4GHz mode (backwards-compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b) and the optional 5GHz mode (backwards-compatible with 802.11a):

Linksys WRT600N
D-Link's own Extreme N Duo Media Router DIR-855
Netgear's RangeMax WNDR3300

(Buffalo Tech's Wireless-N products are involved in ligitation and are currently not available in the US).

5GHz support enables 802.11n networks to escape the channel congestion inherent in 2.4GHz networks (where only three of the 11 channels theoretically available do not overlap) and achieve faster throughput through the use of double-width (40MHz) channels.

To find out how the DIR-628 implements the 2.4GHz and 5GHz modes, and to find out what level of wired Ethernet it supports, keep reading.

...But Not Two Routers in One

The DIR-628's dual-band rivals actually feature two routers in one: they have dual radios that can transmit on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands at the same time, enabling you to have two separate wireless networks (one for data and one for streaming media).

By contrast, the DIR-628 uses a simpler (and less-costly) design: during setup, you select whether you want to use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency. Thus, if you have dual-mode 802.11n and/or 802.11a wireless adapters (which run at 5GHz) on your network, you can run in 5GHz mode. If you have only 2.4GHz adapters (802.11n, 802.11g, or the pre-Cambrian 802.11b), choose the 2.4GHz mode.

This router gives you the ability to move from 2.4GHz to 5GHz without replacing the router, but there's no way to have a mixture of clients. If the DIR-628 is at the center of your wireless network, you must upgrade all of your clients from 2.4GHz or 5GHz at the same time. Ouch!

Fast Ethernet in a Gigabit Ethernet World

The other cost-cutting feature of the DIR-628 is its lack of Gigabit Ethernet support. Gigabit Ethernet is supported in other dual-band routers, enabling wired clients with Gigabit ports to run at top speed. And, some 2.4GHz-only 802.11n routers, such as the D-Link DIR-655 and the Linksys WRT310N include Gigabit support at only a slight price premium to the DIR-628.

Missed It by This Much!

In terms of features, the DIR-628 is a puzzling mixture of the interesting (switchable between 2.4 and 5GHz) and frustrating (runs only one band at a time; lacks Gigabit Ethernet ports). The DIR-628 is likely to be of the greatest interest to those who already have 5GHz-compliant 802.11n (or 802.11a) hardware and are looking for a low-cost way to move to 802.11n support. For the vast majority of users, however, who are running in the 2.4GHz band or have dual-band clients, there are better choices in the marketplace.

(image courtesy D-Link)

Linksys WRT600N Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router

Michael Brown — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:58:43 -0600

The Linksys WRT600N is the first 802.11n draft 2.0 router we’ve tested that can operate on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands simultaneously. It’s also the most expensive Wi-Fi router we’ve ever tested.

We tested the router at its default settings: The 5GHz radio operating in 802.11n-only mode and the 2.4GHz radio operating in mixed 802.11b/g/n mode. (Both radios have access to the same integrated four-port gigabit switch.) We used the latter for data and the former for streaming media to Linksys’s DMA2200 (reviewed below). The router delivered impressive results, especially while simultaneously transferring data and streaming HD video.

In fact, the WRT600N bested our previous favorite (D-Link’s DIR-655) by a whopping 43 percent at close range (see chart). The chasm widened to a staggering 170 percent when the client was placed at its furthest point from the router inside the home, but the gap narrowed to just 5 percent when we compared performance inside the well-insulated media room at Maximum PC Lab North. D-Link’s product beat Linksys’s when the client was outside the house.

The dual-band feature really came to the fore when we streamed 1080p video clips over the wireless network: The DIR-655’s data throughput dropped by nearly half in some situations; the WRT600N’s was unaffected.