News

NETGEAR Ships First Wireless Networking Products Based upon 802.11n Draft Specifications (15/4/2006)

With Speeds Up To 300 Mbps, NETGEAR's Newest RangeMax Products, the RangeMax Next family, Enable Next Generation Wireless Applications Including HD Video and Voice while Maintaining Backward Compatibility with Standards-Based 802.11b/g Legacy Devices

NETGEAR, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR) a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, today announced that it has begun shipping RangeMax Next to the market, the industry's first draft 802.11n-compliant wireless networking products. Delivering wireless speeds up to 300 Mbps, NETGEAR RangeMax Next offers the most complete family of draft 802.11n-compliant wireless networking products including the RangeMax Next Wireless Networking Kit Gigabit Edition (WNB511T) which consists of both the RangeMax Next Wireless Router Gigabit Edition with 10/100/1000 Switch (WNR854T) and RangeMax Next Wireless Notebook Adapter Gigabit Edition (WN511T); the RangeMax Next Wireless Router with 10/100 Switch (WNR834); RangeMax Next Wireless DSL 2+ Modem Router with 10/100 Switch (DG834N); RangeMax NextWireless Notebook Adapter (WN511); RangeMax Next Wireless PCI Adapter (WN311); and RangeMax Next Wireless Access Point (WN802T).

NETGEAR's RangeMax Next wireless product family provides users with all the great range of RangeMax plus the added benefit of faster speeds of up to 300 Mbps associated with draft 802.11n- specification, while maintaining compatibility with all legacy 802.11b/g wireless products. RangeMax Next Wireless Routers incorporate an advanced internal antenna design for optimal performance and are manufactured and tested with NETGEAR's first in the industry "11n-True Test" high performance testing and tuning process to ensure maximum draft-11n performance at all times and at extended ranges. In addition, NETGEAR "Steady-Stream" technology ensures that the RangeMax Next wireless product family delivers the most stable connections possible of any wireless networking solution available in support of multiple simultaneous signal-quality-sensitive applications such as streaming high-definition videos throughout the entire home, making Internet telephone calls, sharing files, downloading MP3s, and playing network games.

"The bandwidth demands on wireless network infrastructures are increasing exponentially with a growing popularity and adoption of bandwidth-intensive applications such as high-definition video streaming, Voice-over-IP, file sharing, music and video downloads, and Internet gaming. In addition to sheer bandwidth, it is especially critical for applications such as video streaming to have connections that are stable anywhere on the wireless network," explained Vivek Pathela, NETGEAR vice president of product management. "NETGEAR's draft 802.11n-compliant RangeMax Next wireless product family delivers the ultra-fast wireless speeds required to simultaneously support multiple bandwidth-intensive applications, the stability to support high-definition video streaming and other signal-quality-sensitive applications, and the extended range to provide high-quality connectivity throughout the home or office."

He went on to add, "802.11n will deliver the promise of faster speeds, greater stability, and further range while at the same time providing interoperability with any wireless device in the home at the highest speeds. As a member of the IEEE and WiFi Alliance, NETGEAR is paving the way for multi-vendor interoperability with the introduction of RangeMax Next."

www.netgear.co.uk