D-Link ships new Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router (DIR-825)

Having pretty much juiced everything they can out of "Draft N" as a buzz term, router manufacturers have turned to "dual band" as the hot concept in 2008. With its new Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router (DIR-825), D-Link adds another one to the list, though it's of the rarer breed that can simultaneously broadcast over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (following in the footsteps of the Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router).

D-Link has gone with the Apple white color scheme for the router, which makes it like most of the products in the Xtreme N line. The company is also touting its SharePort technology, which makes it easy to share devices like printers and storage drives by making the router's USB port appear local to any computer on the network D-Link is also jumping on the green bandwagon, as the DIR-825 makes use of a D-Link Green Ethernet technology that uses the length of your network cable, among other factors, to adjust the power output. It also allows users to program times (like when you're asleep) when the router can be powered down, though that's not as easy as the on/off switch that the new Netgear WNR2000 offers as a power-saving measure. Also touted is HD Fuel, a quality-of-service technology that optimizes high-bandwidth traffic like HD files over the 5GHz band.

Here's one reason the dual-band trend is spreading: price. Basic routers—even Draft N ones—are priced under $100 and subject to intense competition including from cheaper 802.11g hardware. But by claiming to offer two networks in one device, dual-band routers can command a nice premium. The DIR-825 is no different, as it's priced at $199.99.