HANNOVER, Germany — March 1, 2010 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the addition of two next-generation HomePlug®, AV-certified powerline kits to its award-winning family of powerline networking solutions: the compact Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) and the Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501) with a filtered “pass-through” power socket. With revolutionary speeds of up to 500 Mbps, whole-home coverage and groundbreaking throughput, these new powerline kits offer performance that is unsurpassed by any consumer networking product on the market today.
The adapters incorporate the latest in technology innovations and are designed to be compatible with the draft international IEEE P1901 powerline standard. Thus, these solutions provide greater speeds for bandwidth-hungry applications such as lag-free Internet gaming, Voice over IP (VoIP), large file transfers to networked devices, and even simultaneous 1080p HD video streaming to multiple TVs throughout the home. NETGEAR will display these new products at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany, March 2-6, in the Wick Hill booth (Hall 11, Stand D03) of the Hannover Exhibition Hall. Related CeBIT announcements can be found here (http://www.netgear.com/About/PressReleases.aspx).
“With the dramatic increase in Internet-connected devices across the industry, such as TVs, Blu-ray™ players, DVRs, gaming consoles and set-top boxes, consumers now require networking solutions that enable multiple devices to be running simultaneously,” said Chris Geiser, product line manager for NETGEAR in-home distribution consumer products. “Until now, consumers haven’t been able to seamlessly stream multiple Blu-ray quality HD videos to different TVs in their homes. We are proud to be the first to market with a compelling new technology that will provide uncompromising performance, higher speeds and the greatest throughput for these applications.”
This latest generation of powerline technologies enables consumers to create a Gigabit Ethernet connection from any ordinary electrical outlet. NETGEAR has an unmatched track record of bringing the latest in powerline technologies to the market, offering a broad portfolio of powerline connectivity options optimized to deliver the highest performance, including single-port, pass-through, 4-port, and wireless extensions (http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters.aspx). NETGEAR is the only networking company that offers the full range of in-home distribution technologies to the retail and service provider markets, including powerline, MoCA® coax and wireless.
“Today’s consumers are looking for networking technologies that offer speeds to support their abundance of Internet-connected home theater devices and ensure uninterrupted connectivity in wireless problem areas,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at The NPD Group, a leading market research company. “Powerline technology operating effectively at 500 Mbps is not only an ideal solution to complement consumers existing wireless networks, but it’s also a terrific solution for small business owners who are looking for an easy and cost-effective way to expand their network without having to run additional Cat-5 cabling or install additional network nodes. Companies, like NETGEAR, that offer high-end networking solutions for these customer segments are well positioned to capitalize on a profitable market opportunity.”
Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001)
The NETGEAR Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) is distinguished by its compact size, smaller than a deck of cards and up to 50 percent smaller than competing products. It is thus an excellent choice for consumers who are concerned that a powerline device might block an open power outlet.
Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501)
The HomePlug-certified NETGEAR Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501) shares the same performance and design benefits as the Powerline 500 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB5001), but differs from its sister product in offering a cutting-edge integrated filtered power socket for “pass-through” capability. This ensures that customers do not cannibalize an existing wall power socket with the adapter, which enables them to connect a wide range of power-hungry and electrically noisy devices while still maintaining the highest performance.
Revolutionary Speed, Unprecedented Performance, Industry-leading Design
Both new NETGEAR kits contain two adapters and are designed to provide customers with industry-leading features at an affordable price. Highlights include:
- Among the highest throughput of any consumer networking product available, with 500 Mbps PHY rates and Gigabit link rates, enabling greater coverage for every home outlet and making every room HD-capable.
- Backwards compatibility with other HomePlug AV products from NETGEAR, as well as the millions of installed HomePlug AV-certified products from other vendors.
- Designed for compatibility with the draft IEEE P1901 global standard for high-speed powerline communications (http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/1901/).
- Compliance with the stringent European Code of Conduct (CoC) on Energy Efficiency and the European Union’s Energy-using Products (EuP) Directive for low power, green energy operation.
- Ideal for use with Internet-connected devices that demand high bandwidth, such as the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Express (EVA9100), Elite (EVA9150) and Live (EVA2000) digital media players, Blu-ray players, TiVo®, AppleTV®, Xbox 360™, PlayStation® 3, DVRs and network-enabled TVs.
- Multi-colored “pick-a-plug” LEDs indicate current network performance, so the customer can determine the strength of the powerline connection without having to look at a computer.
- Advanced energy management and standby capabilities provide wake-on-activity functionality to reduce overall energy usage.
- Prioritized Quality of Service (QoS).
- Simple “push-and-secure” functionality enables average users to easily install and secure the devices with 128-Bit AES encryption — no software configuration, no knowledge of networking, and no PC required, all with the push of a button.
Availability
Backed by 24/7 technical support from NETGEAR, both powerline kits will be available in Q3 of 2010 via leading retailers, direct marketers, e-commerce sites and value-added resellers. Single adapters will be sold separately for customers who want to further expand their powerline networks. Prices for the two-adapter kits and for single adapters will be announced at the time of market availability.
Photos and other information:
Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) and Adapter (XAV5001): (http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/XAVB5001.aspx).
Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501) and Adapter (XAV5501): (http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/XAVB5501.aspx).
For a fun look at the evolution of gaming enabled by NETGEAR powerline products, visit here (http://www.agamer4life.com).
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) designs innovative, branded technology solutions that address the specific networking, storage, and security needs of Small- to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) and home users. The company offers an end-to-end networking product portfolio to enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, multimedia content, and applications among multiple computers and other Internet-enabled devices. 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 over 28,000 retail locations around the globe, and via more than 39,000 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.
