NETGEAR announces new GS605 5-Port and GS608 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switches


SANTA CLARA, Calif. -/June 15, 2004 Wi-Fi Technology News/- NETGEAR, Inc., (Nasdaq: NTGR) a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products and industry leader in unmanaged Gigabit Ethernet switches, announced the availability of the GS605 5-Port and GS608 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switches designed to meet the growing performance needs of bandwidth-intensive consumer networking applications in the connected home.

In addition, the company announced the GS116 16-Port, JGS516 16-Port and JGS524 24-Port Gigabit Switches, delivering the power and performance of Gigabit networking at a price affordable to growing small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). Coming from the industry leader in overall revenue and total ports shipped in the unmanaged Gigabit category in 2003 according to a report published by the Dell?Oro Group, the new NETGEAR switches feature a non-blocking switch architecture and deliver business-class features at industry-leading prices.

Housed in an attractive stackable platinum casing, NETGEAR?s consumer-focused GS605 and GS608 Gigabit Switches look great flat or in the provided vertical stand and are ideal for home and small office environments. These sleek, affordable powerhouses let users build small scale, high-speed networks affordably, delivering maximum data throughput capacity of up to 2000 Mbps per port for bandwidth-intensive networked home or office applications such as high-end multimedia, large data file transfers, gaming, and Internet access. The easy-to-use standards-based switches enable users to mix-and-match 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps devices on your network for flexibility and seamless migration to Gigabit Ethernet, and the fan-less design results in silent operation.

The desktop GS116 16-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switch, and rack-mountable JGS516 16-Port and JGS524 24-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switches enable the affordable migration of Gigabit networking technology into small office, workgroup, department or growing businesses. With automatic speed and full/half-duplex sensing, these unmanaged switches are ideal for combining 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps devices enabling users to quickly move large amounts of multimedia, image and video information across the network.

?NETGEAR is excited to deliver Gigabit networking technology to the masses. The emergence of networked consumer electronics devices and growing popularity of digital media is stressing the data throughput limits of home networks that, until now, were limited to 10/100 Mbps technology,? explained Peter Newton, NETGEAR Product Line Manager. ?The launch of our new high-speed switches makes it easy and affordable for consumers and growing businesses alike to incorporate the performance and productivity-enhancing benefits of Gigabit networking. Customer can ?future-proof? their networks to support the increasing bandwidth-intensive applications, and because the switches support 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps devices, users can migrate the network clients to Gigabit speeds as resources allow.?

These new gigabit products complement NETGEAR?s already extensive line of SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) and SMB-focused Gigabit products that includes the GS105 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, GS108 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, GS516T 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switch, and GS524T 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switch. With more extensive LED feedback and longer warranties of up to five years, NETGEAR?s existing switch line-up is competitively priced for customers looking for those added features, but do not offer the industry leading pricing of the new Gigabit products.

GS605 and GS608 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Switches
The stylish GS605 5-Port and GS608 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switches are equipped with auto-speed sensing 10/100/1000 Mbps UTP (Untwisted Pairs) ports giving networks the capacity to handle huge workloads. These switches are fan-less and quiet. They support 802.1p priority tags to handle voice-over-IP (VoIP) and other bandwidth-intensive applications.

Seamlessly integrating 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps devices on the same network, the affordable GS605 and GS608 switches automatically sense the correct speed and full/half duplex mode for each port. Auto Uplink? technology automatically adjusts for the use of straight-through or crossover cables. The switches support multiple operating systems, including PC and Macintosh.

The GS605 5-Port and GS608 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switches are backed by a one-year warranty in the US and 24/7 technical support, and will start shipping to NETGEAR?s leading retailers, direct marketers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at list prices of $96 and $157 respectively in June 2004.

GS116 16-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switch
Suitable for desktop use, the GS116 16-Port Gigabit Switch is packed with easy-to-use features and is ideal for workgroups or for migrating workstations to full Gigabit speed. With the ability to deliver up to 2000 Mbps through each of its 16 high-speed auto-switching 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet ports, the GS116 enables users to protect existing and future network infrastructure investments.

Combining plug-and-play simplicity with exceptional performance and reliability, the space-saving GS116 also incorporates Auto Uplink? technology, supports Layer 2 802.1p traffic priority tags, and provides LEDs in each of the 16 RJ-45 jacks for easy monitoring. The GS116 is compatible with multiple operating systems, including PC and Macintosh.

The GS116 16-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Switch is backed by a five-year warranty and 24/7 technical support and will be available in June 2004 via selected retail stores, most direct marketers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at a list price of $460.

JGS516 and JGS524 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Switches
The business-class JGS516 16-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet and JGS524 24-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Switches offer up to 2000 Mbps of full-duplex data throughput speed per port and up to 48 Gbps of backplane bandwidth at prices affordable to cost-sensitive business owners.

Ideal for work groups, departments or any small network looking for the ultra fast desktop connection,. the JGS516 and JGS524 are housed in rugged metal cases and are conveniently compact for either the desktop or rack mounting. These unmanaged switches deliver automatic speed and full/half duplex sensing in addition to Auto Uplink? which automatically adjusts for straight-through or crossover cables and are compatible with multiple operating systems, including PC and Macintosh.

The JGS516 16-Port and JGS524 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switches are backed by a two-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, and will be available in June 2004 via selected retail stores, most direct marketers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at list prices of $490 and $700 respectively.

About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (Nasdaq: NTGR) designs technologically advanced, branded networking products that address the specific needs of small and medium business and home users. The Company's suite of approximately 100 products enables users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, digital multimedia content and applications among multiple personal computers and other Internet-enabled devices. NETGEAR is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.netgear.com or call (408) 907-8000.