Performance summary and Power Consumption
Performance Summary:
Performance on the 5 Ghz band is pretty good, especially at close range. But you have to accept that the DIR-842 can only deal properly with a single high bandwidth consuming client. Luckily this is a dual band router, so just keep the devices that do not require high bandwidth on the 2.4 Ghz channel. For example you could enjoy fast file transfers on your laptop (5 Ghz 100 + Mbps) whilst at the same time enjoying Netflix on your TV (2.4 Ghz) and using WhatspApp (2.4 Ghz).
There are a few scenario’s where you are better off purchasing a more expensive model like the R7000. Firstly if you need 5 Ghz performance in hard to reach places (e.g. concrete floors). Another valid reason to upgrade would be multiple devices that all need a lot of bandwidth at the same time. For everyone else the D-Link DIR-842 has plenty of power.
Power Consumption
Speaking about power, what about power consumption?
Power consumption on the D-Link DIR-842 is great! It is more power efficient than the Netgear R700 across the board. Keep in mind that it also comes with an easy-to-setup schedule that allows you to turn Wi-Fi off when you desire. You could save power by turning it off at night.
The 5 watt difference translates to about 43 Kwh per year, equaling a value of €10 annually (based on €0.23/Kwh).
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