NETGEAR announces RangeMax? family of Wi-Fi Wireless Networking Products



Fully-Compatible with Existing 802.11b/g Products while Providing Up To 10x the Coverage and Speed of Standard 802.11g-Based Solutions.


SANTA CLARA, Calif. -/7 March, 2005 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- NETGEAR?, Inc., (Nasdaq: NTGR) a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, today announced the availability of its RangeMax? family of wireless networking products, designed to give users the longest range and speeds of any wireless device on the market. Based on Video54?s patent-pending BeamFlex? technology, NETGEAR?s RangeMax Wireless router (WPN824) uses advanced Smart MIMO technology to eliminate dead spots and take consumers farther than they?ve gone wirelessly before. Its distinctive design, complete with blue LED?s that light-up to reflect changing wireless conditions, offers a unique style to complement the home.

Combining the benefits of MIMO with the BeamFlex smart antenna technology pioneered by Video54, the RangeMax Wireless Router is the first in the industry to employ an intelligent array of seven internal antennas that constantly and dynamically surveys the network environment for wireless interference and physical barriers. The router selects from among 127 possible antenna combinations on-the-fly to deliver the fastest connection and longest ranges between the router and clients. Recent tests conducted by VeriTest Labs, the testing division of Lionbridge (Nasdaq: LIOX), reported that in an environment designed to replicate real world usage, the NETGEAR RangeMax Router delivered approximately 45 percent more range and up to 20 percent more speed than the competing MIMO product offerings tested. To view the full test report, please visit http://www.veritest.com/clients/reports/netgear.


While the RangeMax Wireless Router is optimized for use with the RangeMax Wireless PC Card (WPN511), RangeMax Wireless PCI Adapter (WPN311), and RangeMax Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter (WPN111) to deliver up to 10 times the coverage and speed of standard 802.11g-based solutions, it is fully compatible with existing 802.11b/g and SuperG? products, and provides performance increases of up to 50 percent for existing 802.11g clients including notebook computers with integrated wireless networking capabilities and Intel Centrino-based systems.


?Our RangeMax product family utilizes an intelligent antenna overlay technology that enables our router to deliver superior coverage, speed and adaptability to changing wireless environments. It seamlessly integrates into existing 802.11b/g environments to provide the reliable, high-performance network infrastructure required to support an expanding array of networked consumer devices,? explained Vivek Pathela, NETGEAR Senior Director of Product Marketing ? Consumer Products. ?The RangeMax Wireless Router is the ideal solution for bandwidth-intensive consumer applications because it is uniquely able to dynamically optimize network connections by adapting on-the-fly to changes in the RF (Radio Frequency) environment ? such as interference introduced to the environment by turning on a microwave oven or using a 2.4GHz cordless phone.?


?We?re seeing great enthusiasm and anticipation in the market for the release of the NETGEAR RangeMax product family which will be the first to implement our innovative BeamFlex? technology,? stated Selina Lo, CEO of Video54. ?Together with NETGEAR, we?re able to deliver a best-in-class, standards-based MIMO implementation that not only outperforms similar products in an 802.11 network but is far more affordable. More importantly, by implementing MIMO techniques on a standards-compliant platform, RangeMax brings the performance enhancing benefits of MIMO technology to existing wireless infrastructures and enhances the speeds and range of installed 802.11b/g devices and clients.?


Video54?s BeamFlex? Technology

BeamFlex is a patent-pending smart antenna technology that delivers the diversity benefits of MIMO as an overlay on top of existing wireless LAN technologies to provide extraordinary range and consistent high-speed data transfer performance. The BeamFlex technology combines multiple smart MIMO antennas with intelligent wireless control software to maximize signal coverage, application throughput and network capacity, while maintaining full compliance with existing 802.11 standards.

Taking advantage of BeamFlex technology, the RangeMax Wireless Router automatically senses the network environment and dynamically adjusts its antenna configurations to optimize network connections and provide better system performance than available with any other current competing wireless technology. By reducing throughput variance caused by signal fade and interference, the RangeMax Wireless Router delivers a consistent stream of data, eliminating video freezing and jittering, and connection drops.

NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless Router (WPN824)
Integrating seamlessly into existing home networks, the NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless Router is fully compatible with 802.11b, 802.11g and Super G devices and is capable of boosting performance of any existing 802.11b/g and SuperG clients by up to 50 percent. The RangeMax Wireless Router incorporates NETGEAR?s popular browser-based SmartWizard? Installation Assistant and Assisted Firmware Update to ensure ease-of-installation and management and enable automated retrieval and installation of firmware upgrades.

Equipped with an integrated 4-port 10/100 Mbps switch and capable of supporting data rates up to 108 Mbps, the RangeMax Wireless Router also provides a robust set of network security features including: NAT and SPI firewalls, 64- and 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK), Wireless Access Control (SSID), Denial of Service (DoS) attack protection, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDS), Exposed Host (DMZ) for secure online gaming, and MAC address authentication.


NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless Adapters
Though NETGEAR?s RangeMax Wireless Router is fully compatible with and capable of boosting 50% more the performance of existing 802.11b, 802.11g and Super G products, NETGEAR also offers a full family of RangeMax wireless adapters that are optimized to achieve up to 10x wireless performance improvement. NETGEAR is the first in the industry to deliver a complete family of adapters based on MIMO antenna technology.
NETGEAR?s RangeMax Wireless PC Card (WPN511), RangeMax Wireless PCI Adapter (WPN311) and RangeMax Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter (WPN111) are designed to work with the RangeMax Wireless Router to provide reliable, steady blazing-fast data connections over an extended range throughout the home eliminating the need for costly repeaters and signal boosters.
NETGEAR?s RangeMax Wireless Router, RangeMax Wireless PC Card, RangeMax Wireless PCI Adapter, and RangeMax Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter, are backed by a two-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, and are available via leading direct marketers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at MSRP of $149 for the WPN824 and $99 for the WPN511, WPN311 and WPN111.


About Video54

Video54 designs, develops and markets technologies and products that enable the home media network ecosystem. The company's hardware and software technologies deliver improved speeds, whole-house coverage and reliable performance to the vast installed base of home wireless networks to enhance consumer experience in rich data and real-time media applications. Funded by Sequoia Capital, Video54 is led by Selina Lo, CEO, and Dominic Orr, Chairman of the Board, industry veterans with track records in building successful companies. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.video54.com.

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.