It sounds simple enough: Buy a selected D-Link WiFi network solution now, and customers can get a discount on product upgrades later this year. Hmmm… Is D-Link trying to keep sales humming along until a new release — the DWL-8610AP — arrives later this year? Perhaps yes. But equally important, D-Link channel partners have the oppportunity to engage customers twice this year, thanks to this offer.

Specifically: Customers who purchase the D-Link DWL-8600AP Unified Wireless 802.1 Access Point now have the option of upgrading their wireless network to the Unified Wireless 802.11ac Access Point (DWL-8610AP) for a special price of $399, according to the press release.

D-Link says the access point solutions serve small, midsize and large businesses, government organizations, hospitals and hotspots at convention halls, hotels and airports. Steven Olen, director of product marketing, says customers can invest in a traditional 802.11n Access Point today, while charting a course to the faster 802.11ac Access Point later this year.

In order to be eligible for the promotion, customers must purchase the DLW-8610AP within 90 days of its release from the same reseller where they purchased the original access point. Currently, D-Link lists the 8600 model on its website for $699. The company has not announced a launch window for the new access point as of yet.

When it is released, D-Link says the 8610 model will produce signal rates of up to 450 Mbps over the 2.4 GHz band and 1300 Mbps over the 5GHz band, in addition to supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE+).