NETGEAR To Ship 108 Mbps Wireless Router with Atheros XR? Extended Range



NETGEAR First to ship 108 Mbps Dual-Band Wireless Router with Atheros XR? Extended Range Technology



SANTA CLARA, Calif. -/8 Oct, 2004 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- NETGEAR, Inc., (Nasdaq: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, announced the launch of the high-performance Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router (WGU624), which simultaneously supports two separate wireless streams each at super fast data rates of up to 108 Mbps.

Designed to address the growing need to support multiple networked devices and applications in the digitally connected home, the Double-108 Wireless Router is also the first to ship with XR? Extended Range technology from Atheros Communications (Nasdaq: ATHR) offering up to three times the range of basic 802.11g technology.

NETGEAR also announced the launch of the Double-108 Mbps Wireless PC Card (WG511U) which, when used with the Double-108 Router, enables a notebook PC user to choose between 802.11a- and 802.11b/g modes and operate at data rates up to 108Mbps in either mode.


The Double-108 Wireless Router provides two simultaneous 108 Mbps wireless streams: an 802.11b/g stream perfect for fast file downloads, e-mail, Internet browsing, and online gaming, and an additional 802.11a ?fast lane?, free from congestion and interference, which is ideal for prioritizing traffic for applications such as home-based businesses and high quality video streaming.

?As more devices get connected and wireless home networks become popular in the neighborhood, the limitations of 802.11b/g-only networks are starting to surface,? stated Vivek Pathela, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Consumer Products, at NETGEAR. ?The heavy use of 802.11b/g networks coupled with the interference from household appliances of microwave ovens and cordless phones prevent applications such as large file transfer and video streaming to perform without interruption. Additionally, many existing wireless networks are plagued with limited range resulting in unstable connections and dead spots, and complicated network security setup. The introduction of the Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router and PC Card ushers in a new generation of wireless technology that will solve these problems and provide the speed and stability to support priority and bandwidth-intensive applications in the home and small businesses.?


?The launch of the NETGEAR Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router and PC Card is particularly exciting for us as they are the first consumer-targeted dual-band products to ship with Atheros XR? and Super AG? technologies,? stated Colin Macnab, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Atheros Communications. ?NETGEAR?s reputation for quality and innovation in the consumer space promises to provide us with a particularly strong launch of this advanced technology. Together we?re preparing consumers for the next generation of broadband-intensive applications."


Two Simultaneous 108 Mbps Wireless Streams Enable Traffic Prioritization, Reduce Interference

The Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router simultaneously establishes two 108 Mbps wireless streams: a 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g stream and a 5 GHz 802.11a stream. By utilizing the 802.11a stream, users can perform bandwidth-intensive applications unimpeded and separated from the popular and often-crowded 802.11 b/g band, which is hindered by interference from microwave ovens, cordless telephones and neighbors? wireless setup. Since 802.11a provides 13 non-overlapping channels, which will increase to 24 channels in 2005 with new unlicensed channels becoming available, versus just three channels for 802.11b/g, users will no longer be forced to compete with their neighbors? wireless networks for bandwidth. Users can continue to utilize the 802.11b/g band for lower-priority wireless applications such as e-mail, online gaming, file downloads, and Internet browsing and be completely compatible with existing wireless devices.

Equipped with Super A/G? technology, the Double-108 Wireless Router delivers a super-fast data transfer rate of up to 108 Mbps over both the 802.11b/g and 802.11a streams, while maintaining backwards-compatibility with both wireless standards.

XR? Technology Provides Extra Long Range, Reduces Dead Spots

The first wireless dual-band products to ship with XR? technology from Atheros Communications, the Double-108 Wireless Router and PC Card provide up to three times the range of 802.11b/g products, reducing dead spots and providing whole home coverage.

Easy to Set-Up and Secure

Equipped with NETGEAR?s Smart Wizard Install Assistant for ease-of-installation and management, the Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router ensures network security through NAT (Network Address Translation) and SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewalls and automatically enabled WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) protecting the network from unauthorized usage. The Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router includes a dedicated DMZ port to make online gaming simple and secure.

The NETGEAR Double-108 Mbps Wireless Router (WGU624) and Double-108 Mbps Wireless PC Card (WG511U) are backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, and are available now via leading retailers, direct marketers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at suggested retail prices of $129 for the router and $79 for the PC Card.

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 over 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.