Got DIR-850L at London Drugs. It is only $10 more than the one I got, DIR-845L at Costco. I did not see the benefits of SmartBeamTM Technology. So I spend $109 to get a new router with 802.11AC support. 802.11AC is a new standard. See new technologies data from Wiki.
- Extended channel binding
- More MIMOspatial streams
- Support for up to eight spatial streams (vs. four in 802.11n)
- Multi-user MIMO(MU-MIMO)
- Multiple STAs, each with one or more antennas, transmit or receive independent data streams simultaneously
- “Space Division Multiple Access” (SDMA): streams not separated by frequency, but instead resolved spatially, analogous to 11n-style MIMO
- Downlink MU-MIMO (one transmitting device, multiple receiving devices) included as an optional mode
- Multiple STAs, each with one or more antennas, transmit or receive independent data streams simultaneously
- Modulation
- Other elements/features
- Beamforming with standardized sounding and feedback for compatibility between vendors (non-standard in 802.11n made it hard for beamforming to work effectively between different vendor products)
- MAC modifications (mostly to support above changes)
- Coexistence mechanisms for 20/40/80/160 MHz channels, 11ac and 11a/n devices
Standards
2.4GHz
- IEEE 802.11n
- IEEE 802.11g
5GHz
- IEEE 802.11ac (draft)
- IEEE 802.11n
- IEEE 802.11a
LAN/WAN
- IEEE 802.3u
- IEEE 802.3a
Physical Interfaces
- 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- 1 Gigabit WANPort
- USB 2.0
- WPS Push Button
- Reset Button
Antenna Type
- Internal Smart Antennas
Ethernet Interface
- 4 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- 1 10/100/1000 Gigabit WAN Port
Security
- Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2)
- WPS™
Advanced Firewall Features
- Network Address Translation (NAT)
- Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI)
LEDs
- Power/WPS
- Internet
Power
- DC 12V/2A
Mobile Apps
- SharePort Mobile
- mydlink Lite
- QRS Mobile
Advanced Features
- VPN pass through
- Guest Zone Support
- UPnP™ Support
- Wi-Fi WMM Quality of Service
- SharePort Web Access
- Parental Control
- IPv6
Operating Temperature
- 30º to 104º F (0º to 40º C)
Operating Humidity
- 10% to 90% non-condensing
Certifications
- FCC
- IC
- Wi-Fi Certified
- CE
Top view of DIR-850L and DIR-845L
Side view of DIR850L and DIR-845L. DIR-850L is shorter than DIR-845L.
The ranges of these two router are almost same. At least, I did not feel difference.