First Look: D-Link's DIR-855 router with screen

 

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Posted on 18 Aug 2008 at 14:30

D-Link's latest Draft-N router is packed with features, including dual-band WiFi using both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It's the second router we've seen to have a screen which can display details about your network.

The router can broadcast a signal on both bands simultaneously, so it can communicate with legacy 2.4GHz 802.11g equipment at the same time as newer 5GHz Draft-N kit. If you have trouble connecting to your wireless network because of interference or channel conflicts with your neighbours' routers, 5GHz should be particularly useful, as the bandwidth is relatively uncluttered. In the unlikely event you have any 802.11a hardware, you can also use this with the DIR-855.

Routers with a built-in display are a rarity. The last one we saw was Belkin's N1 Vision (see What's New, Shopper 239). The D-Link's screen can display up and downstream speeds, information such as IP address, wireless SSID and channel, and the router's connection logs. This is all useful, although the two-button navigation system isn't particularly easy to use.

The DIR-855 performed well in our tests. Using D-Link's own dual-band Draft-N USB adaptor set to 5GHz mode we got transfer speeds of up to 61.5Mbit/s at a distance of 10m. Even at 25m, we got stable connections running at 24.2Mbit/s on a Centrino 2 laptop at 5GHz and 11.3Mbit/s at 2.4GHz.

The router's interface is easy to use, with features including port forwarding and access controls that allow you to blacklist or whitelist specific URLS. It supports dynamic DNS, so you can get an easy-to-remember URL that points to your home network even if your IP address changes.

At around £150 including VAT, this is far more expensive than most routers, and there's currently no version with a built-in ADSL modem, so if you have an ADSL internet connection, you'll have to connect the DIR-855 to a separate ADSL modem. However, we liked its interface and it's ideal if you want to connect a combination of new draft-N and older wireless equipment to the same network.

Look out for the full review and complete test results, which will be published in Shopper issue 249.

Author: Kat Orphanides