D-Link launches 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless N router

D-LINK has a new quadband DIR-855 wireless N router and USB adapter (DWA-160), designed for the "digital home".

In what the company claims will maximise speed, range and performance of wireless networks running multiple devices at the same time, including high-definition media players, the DIR-855 purportedly supports true concurrent 802.11n transmission over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels simultaneously, which means it can support multiple wireless devices with up to 600Mbps of available bandwidth.

The 5GHz radio band frequency is wider and less crowded than the 2.4GHz radio frequency used by most wireless devices including cordless phones, baby monitors and bluetooth.

The duo technology in the DWA-160 USB adapter allows users "to segregate their networks" by application, for example, checking e-mail and browsing the internet using the 2.4GHz band and at the same time reserving the 5GHz band for heavier applications.

The DIR-855 makes use of Dual Active Firewall (SPI, NAT) to help secure the whole network. It also boasts 3 dual external antennae and a flashy OLED network activity display.

D-Link reckons the thing will be available sometime in May and will cost around £170 ($337). µ