LAS VEGAS —
Netgear’s 2011 International CES
introductions will reflect the growing importance of
shifting entertainment content around the home.
Netgear plans to introduce seven products at the
show this week, including routers, powerline networking
adapters, Wi-Fi range extenders and a TV Internet
adapter. The company also plans to celebrate its 15th
year in the networking category.
David Henry, Netgear’s senior director of product
marketing for home products, said these introductions
are intended to take advantage of a blossoming of Internet-
enabled CE products expected this year.
“2011 will represent a tipping point for the industry
when more consumer electronic devices than computers
will be connected to the Internet in the home,” he
said.
The CE devices that will create this environment
are Blu-ray players, game consoles and set-top boxes,
Henry said, adding that it is now important to have
products that can function with these products.
One such product being introduced is the 3D+HD
four-port universal Internet adapter for home theater.
It is powerline-based and can send 1,080p and 3D
streaming video around a home from a TV, Blu-ray
player or game console. The theoretical data rate is
500MBps, but the actual data rate will be closer to
250MBps, said Henry.
Up to four devices can be connected at once. It will
ship in January with a $169 suggested retail.
Netgear will also introduce its first hybrid Wi-Fi/
powerline router, the N300. The company’s research
has found more homes are constructing their own hybrid
systems so the N300 eliminates the need to combine
separate devices, Henry said.
The power brick on the router also acts as the
powerline adapter and can connect with other adapters
scattered around a home, the company said. The
N300 uses Netgear’s Pick-a-Plug technology that tells
the user which outlet in a room is best for network performance.
The user plugs the adapter in and an LED
indicator light on the adapter shows whether it has a
clean connection to the power grid.
The N300 will ship this month with a $119 suggested
retail.
Another powerline product is the Powerline AV 200
Nano Adapter Kit. Netgear is positioning the AV 200
for customers who want to save space around their
power outlets. In addition, it features new technology
that indicates which outlet is best for a superior networking
connection, Henry said. It also features Picka-
Plug.
The AV 200 will ship during the first quarter with a
$139 suggested retail.
In the traditional router space the company is showing
the N600 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit ADSL Modem
Router Premium Edition. It will ship during the
second quarter with a $179 suggested retail.
The DLNA-certified N600 has several new features.
It will automatically find the clearest wireless channel
available at any time when it is used, Henry said. Normally,
a router selects the clearest channel available
when it is being set up and then does not change, but
the N600 will do
this continuously.
It also has the
ability to allow an
attached external
hard drive to be
accessed away
from home via
the Internet. This
essentially turns
a basic external
hard drive into a network-attached storage device and
enables friends and family to have direct access to
content you wish to share.
The N600 will allow additional storage capacity to
be added to a Tivo through an external hard drive and
it will act as a printer server for a home network giving
wireless access to any device on the network.
Also being shown is the Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender.
This $99 product, shipping in March, will double
the range of a wireless router helping to eliminate
dead spots.
It uses a special set up routine that only requires the
push of a button on the adapter to connect it to the
network. It will also measure a home’s Wi-Fi signal and
help locate the best place for it to be plugged in and it
will work with any brand of 802.11b/g/n router.
The company will also offer the TV Internet PTV2000
Push2TV HD set-top box. This was designed with Intel
to work with that firm’s wireless display technology. It
will allow a person to wirelessly project FullHD 1080
from a laptop to a television.
Henry said it will deliver a full browser experience on
a TV and is scheduled to ship during the first quarter
with a $119 price tag.
