But as long as you can live with its somewhat slower speeds, the DIR-628 is feature-packed and more budget-friendly. However, when you consider that the Linksys WRT610N costs just $30 more but hits the 120-Mbps speed milestone in both bands-which means faster network backups, high-def streaming, and swapping massive files-it might be worth the splurge. However, the Linksys couldn't connect at all in the 5-GHz band from 300 feet away from the router, whereas the D-Link DIR-628 mustered 2 Mbps from that distance.ĥ feet: 88 Mbps 50 feet: 42 Mbps 100 feet: 21 Mbps 300 feet: 10 Mbps 600 feet: no signalĥ feet: 112 Mbps 50 feet: 62 Mbps 100 feet: 39 Mbps 300 feet: 2 Mbps 600 feet: no signalįor $117, you're getting a versatile router that operates in both the 2.4 and 5-GHz spectrum. It also connected further away in the 2.4-GHz band, at an average of 7.5 Mbps. Still, that's enough for an average-size home.Ĭomparatively, the Linksys WRT610N reached faster speeds of 126 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz band, and 120 Mbps in the 5-GHz band. Coverage was decent but not great: The DIR-628 connected up to 400 feet in the 2.4-GHz band, and 300 feet in the 5-GHz band. In the 5-GHz band, which is intended for VoIP and media streaming to set-top boxes such as the Apple TV, speeds maxed out at about 112 Mbps from 5 feet. Go to Device Manager (right click on My Computer, choose Manage and then find Device Manager in the left panel) 2.
DWA 160 XTREME N DUAL BAND UPDATE
In order to manually update your driver, follow the steps below (the next steps): 1.
DWA 160 XTREME N DUAL BAND DRIVER
For this test we used D-Link's DWA-160 Xtreme N Duo Dual Band Draft 802.11n USB Adapter, which costs $99.99. The package provides the installation files for D-Link DWA-160 Rev.A2 Xtreme N Dual Band USB Adapter Driver version 3.5.0.13. In our Ixia Chariot test (which helps predict performance by simulating realistic load conditions), the DIR-628 topped out at only 88 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz band (intended for data sharing between computers), likely due to the two antennas that scatter the signal in a 2 x 2 pattern instead of 3 x 3. That means that you can use the faster 802.11n standard and beef up the aging 802.11a, which is less prone to interference. Like the Linksys WRT610N, the DIR-628 lets you connect over the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz band at the same time. In a break from the budget mindset, though, the DIR-628 supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) so you can type in a PIN (located on the bottom of the router) to configure security in Windows XP and Vista.
![dwa 160 xtreme n dual band dwa 160 xtreme n dual band](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-Hg0FQKgL._AC_SS450_.jpg)
There's no extra network control software like there is with the DIR-855, however. A quick installer CD made sure the Internet port was working, and we were up and running in only two minutes.