NETGEAR Introduces New Additions To 802.11ac Product Line For Next-Generation Wifi

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced a new line of products that provide access to next-generation high-speed 802.11ac wireless to meet growing customer needs for better and faster wireless on Internet-enabled WiFi devices in the home. The products—two wireless routers and one wireless USB adapter—make 802.11ac WiFi available to laptops and PCs, even before this capability has been built into these systems.

The previously announced NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router is the industry's first 802.11ac router.  Following up on the introduction of that product, NETGEAR is pleased to announce that it will be expanding its 11ac range with a second 11ac router and a USB adapter. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router supports combined WiFi speeds up to 1750 Mbps, while the NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router announced today supports approximate combined WiFi speeds up to 1200 Mbps and has a lower price point. Both are backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n to provide optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices and maintaining maximum performance on Wireless-n.

NETGEAR is also announcing the NETGEAR A6200 WiFi Adapter, a first-to-market 802.11ac dual band WiFi USB adapter that enables consumers to easily upgrade their existing PC or laptop to 802.11ac performance. The suite of products illustrates that consumers can continue to rely on NETGEAR to provide market-leading solutions that enable them to enjoy the fastest wireless speeds in their home.   

The Next-Generation 802.11ac NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router features:

• The first 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling fifth-generation WiFi (5G WiFi) at gigabit speeds: 450 Mbps (@ 2.4 Ghz 802.11n) + 1300 Mbps (@ 5 Ghz 802.11ac) Mbps
• Ultimate speed and range for mobile devices on the home network
• Backward compatibility to 802.11a, b, g and n; perfect for current and future WiFi devices, while maintaining maximum Wireless-n performance
• Two USB 2.0 ports to simultaneously access and share a USB hard drive and printer

The NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router features:

• 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling fifth-generation WiFi (5G WiFi): approximately 300 Mbps (@ 2.4 Ghz 802.11n) + 900 Mbps[1] (@ 5 Ghz 802.11ac)
• Improved speed and range for WiFi mobility
• One USB 2.0 port to access and share a USB hard drive or printer
• Backward compatibility to 802.11a, b, g and n; perfect for current and future WiFi devices

The NETGEAR A6200 WiFi Adapter features:

• Ability to easily upgrade existing PCs or laptops to 802.11ac speed
• Backward compatible with 802.11 a, b, g and n WiFi routers
• Fast WiFi speeds for HD streaming
• Swivel designed antennas ensure ideal antenna positioning for best performance
• Flexible placement option with a desktop docking station

Other advanced features of the NETGEAR R6300 and NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Routers include:

• NETGEAR Genie®: This free app for PCs, Macs, iOS and Android® smartphones and tablets enables home users to control, monitor, repair and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard. NETGEAR customers can download the utility at http://www.netgear.com/genie or from Google Play or the App Store.
• NETGEAR MyMedia™: The NETGEAR genie mobile app provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on a DLNA media player.
• AirPrint™  Support: The NETGEAR Genie app enables users to print on any USB or networked printer directly from an Apple iPad® or Apple iPhone®.
• Guest network access: The NETGEAR genie app makes setting up a guest network simple. Guests and visitors can go online through the router without the need for secure login information. The guest network also prevents users from seeing and accessing a household's computers, printers, storage devices and other home network devices.
• ReadySHARE® Printer: This feature makes it easy for the router to turn any existing USB printer into a fully functional networked printer that is fully compatible with Macs and PCs.
• Media Server-DLNA: The R6300 and R6200 Routers are DLNA-ready and can stream to any DLNA-compatible device in your house, including the latest smart TVs, Blu-ray® players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
• NETGEAR Live Parental Controls: Centralized, flexible, and reliable parental control solution for all the devices on the network, including Macs, Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets, for a safe online environment for children and teenagers. No subscription is required.
• Automatic WiFi Security: The routers come with wireless security turned on out-of-the-box, complete with a pre-configured network name and password, protecting home WiFi networks by default.
• Easy Installation: There's no CD required, so users can set the routers up with smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks and even MacBook Air®. 
• USB ports: Two ports are available to simultaneously support USB storage and a USB printer on the R6300 router. The R6200 Router features one port to support USB storage or a printer.

Easy to Install, Set Up and Use
A simple browser-based installation process for the NETGEAR R6300, R6200 and A6200 802.11ac products makes setup easy. The free NETGEAR genie app enables users to easily manage their home network, while the mobile NETGEAR MyMedia app acts like a remote control for quickly locating and moving media within the network.

"802.11ac, the next generation of Wi-Fi, is expected to ramp up quickly over the next three years," says Peter Cooney, wireless connectivity practice director at ABI Research. "A plethora of different product segments will move to 802.11ac, including routers, smartphones, PCs, media tablets and a range of consumer electronics equipment."

"NETGEAR developed these solutions to offer a complete wireless Internet ecosystem, allowing consumers to take full advantage of next-generation WiFi – even with their existing laptop or PC," says David Henry, vice president of product management, retail products at NETGEAR. "This visionary product line underscores NETGEAR's commitment to giving users everything they need to wirelessly access the Internet and download content at the absolute fastest speeds possible."

The upcoming 802.11ac wireless standard is the world's fastest WiFi, providing gigabit WiFi speeds allowing web content to download faster, and large video or music files to synch more quickly. The increased speed of 802.11ac technology is ideal for mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, by providing three times the performance for a similar amount of battery consumption of devices utilizing the current 802.11n WiFi standard.

Pricing and Availability
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router, priced at $199.99, will be available from major retailers and online in May 2012. The NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router and NETGEAR A6200 WiFi Adapter retail for $179.99 and $69.99, respectively. They will be available in the third quarter of 2012.

More information
Learn more about the NETGEAR 802.11ac products at www.netgear.com/fastestwifi. To learn about 802.11ac/5G next generation WiFi go to www.netgear.com/80211ac and www.5GWiFi.org. To learn about other new NETGEAR consumer products and services, please visit www.netgear.com.

For a look at NETGEAR and Broadcom's 802.11ac event in San Francisco, check out the press event video at www.netgear.com/event-video, which will be posted at 2:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. 

About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and Powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 29,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 41,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner. More information is available at http://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR.

[1]Actual speeds for the NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router are 300 Mbps (@ 2.4 Ghz 802.11n) and 867 Mbps (@ 5 Ghz 802.11ac). Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput and wireless coverage will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate and wireless coverage. NETGEAR makes no express or implied representations or warranties about this product's compatibility with any future standards. 802.11ac 1300 Mbps is approximately 3x faster than 802.11n 450 Mbps.

© 2012 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, NETGEAR Genie, MyMedia, and ReadySHARE are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. AirPrint, iPad, iPhone and MacBook Air are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Airprint is a trademark of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Blu-ray is a registered trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), registered in the United States and other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning NETGEAR's business and the expected performance characteristics, specifications, reliability, market acceptance, market growth, specific uses, user feedback and market position of NETGEAR's products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR's products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors," pages 11 through 33, in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 29, 2012. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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SOURCE NETGEAR, Inc.