What’s better than an Android TV stick with a speedy quad-core processor and an external antenna to help offer strong WiFi performance? How about a model with two external antennae?

The DM918 is a new mini-computer that you can plug into a TV to run Android apps on the big screen. It has Rockchip RK3188 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor, and two antennae.

DM918

There’s no guarantee that the external antennae will make a big difference — they’re pretty small, and without looking inside the case it’s tough to say how well they’re wired. But since many similar devices suffer from poor WiFi performance, if I had a choice of picking up a model with at least one external antenna and one without, I’d probably consider a model like this.

Other specs for the DM918 include:

  • Android 4.1 software (and support for Android 4.2)
  • Mali 400 quad-core graphics
  • 2GB RAM
  • 8GB storage
  • microSD card slot
  • 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • HDMI connector
  • 1 full-sized USB port
  • 2 mini USB ports (1 used for charging)

This model doesn’t come with a remote control, which helps explain why it’s cheaper than some of the other RK3188-powered mini PCs I’ve seen. But you can connect a keyboard, mouse, game controller, or other device to interact with Android apps running on you TV with this sort of device, or invest in an Android-compatible remote control that works over Bluetooth or which comes with a USB dongle.