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D-Link adds two more Broadcom-based routers to its 802.11ac portfolio

D-Link announces two routers that use Broadcom's 802.11ac chip at CES 2013.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
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Dong Ngo
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The two new 802.11ac routers, DIR-860L (left) and DIR-868L (middle), next to the all new DGL-5500 (red top) at CES 2013.
The two new 802.11ac routers, DIR-860L (left) and DIR-868L (middle), next to the all new DGL-5500 (red top) at CES 2013. Dong Ngo/CNET

LAS VEGAS--D-Link's passion for 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is both deep and wide.

Apart from the existing DIR-865L and the recently announced DGL-5500, which is the first 802.11ac router that uses a Qualcomm chip to offer StreamBoost technology, D-Link has two more 8021.11ac routers to show off at CES 2013.

They are the AC1750 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router (model DIR-868L), and the AC1200 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router (model DIR-860L). Both use the same Broadcom chip as that used in the DIR-865L. And similar to the DIR-865L, they are both cloud-based routers, allowing users to remotely manage their home network via a mobile device or Web browser.

On the back they share the same number of network ports and both have USB 3.0.
On the back they share the same number of network ports, and both have USB 3.0. Dong Ngo/CNET

The two new routers don't look anything like the DIR-865L, however. Instead, they use the same design as the DGL-5500, looking like a cyclic computer speaker. Both have the same feature set and come with one USB 3.0 port that works with D-Link's free SharePort mobile app, enabling users to share digital content to connected devices.

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The only difference between the two is that the flagship DIR-868L supports the three-stream setup of both 802.11ac and 802.11n standards to offer up to 1,300Mbps Wi-Fi data speeds on the 5Ghz band and up to 450Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band. The DIR-860L, on the other hand, supports only the two-stream setup of both Wi-Fi standards to offer 900Mbps on the 5GHz band and 300Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band.

Both routers will be available later this year with prices being announced at that time.