Ever since the 855 got the EU 1.23 Beta 6, I have been solid with the PowerLink (I think that's what it's called) acting as an access point that is wired to the DIR-855. I had stability issues with the router with almost every NA firmware and used the NA recovery firmware to flash to the EU. The DIR-855 is only broadcashing 5GHz for streaming while the AP picks up 2.4GHz for just about everything else. USB3.0 on the DIR-857, it's black, and no antennas was why I picked it up. It's still sealed in the box but I am tempted to give it a try.