Netgear

LAS VEGAS--If you have a true dual-band router and want to extend the range of both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands at the same time, Netgear has something to offer.

The company unveiled today at CES 2012 the Universal Dual-Band WiFi Range Extender (model WN2500RP), its first dual-band extender that can extend the range of both bands at the same time. All you need to do is place the device in between the existing wireless router and the area that needs coverage and use Wi-Fi Protected Setup to connect the two. Your Wi-Fi network will then be extended further.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Netgear announced today at CES 2012 its Smart Network Cloud Application Platform (SNCP), which enables consumers to purchase and download apps from the cloud to optimize and personalize their networking devices.

The company says Smart Network apps, ranging from games to tools and utilities, can be developed by anyone. For example, an independent programmer can develop a simple data-usage meter app that alerts consumers when their data cap is about to run out. Utility companies can also provide applications that allow users to monitor their energy usage. Or game developers can provide apps that optimize the connection for high-bandwidth games.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Netgear announced today at CES 2012 its first dual-band 450Mbps adapter, the N900 Video and Gaming 4-Port Wi-Fi Adapter (model WNCE4004).

It connects Ethernet-ready devices, such as desktop computers, printers, and game consoles, to an existing Wi-Fi network. The adapter comes with four network ports, meaning you can add up to four wired devices to the Wi-Fi network at the far end of the connection.

The fact that it supports dual-band and the higher 450Mbps speeds means that you can use it with any existing wireless networks without having to worry about compatibility or performance degradation.

Netgear says that … Read more

This is a major development for Netgear because its previous Powerline AV 500 adapter, the XAV5501, is so huge that if it were half its physical size, it'd still be huge. The Powerline 500 Nano is much smaller, fitting right in the palm of your hand, yet it's still able to turn a house's electrical wiring into cabling for a network computer with data rates up to 500Mbps.

LAS VEGAS--Following Trendnet, Netgear also announced today at CES 2012 a mini Powerline AV 500 adapter, the Powerline 500 Nano, model XAVB5101.

Netgear says the new tiny adapter … Read more

LAS VEGAS - Apple Time Capsule, Netgear is about to open a can of "so yester-year" on you!

The networking vendor announced today at CES 2012 its totally new Media Storage Router (model WNDR4700), a major upgrade to the previous version, the WNDR4500, which was the company's top-tier home router for 2010.

At a glance, the new WNDR4700's features seem similar enough to its predecessor. The new router integrates storage functionality that offers consumers backup, storage, streaming and wireless networking solution in a single package. … Read more

The wireless router is arguably the most important piece of the networking setup at your home or your office.

It's the central gateway that connects to the Internet, then shares that connection with all of the devices connected to it, via a network cable or Wi-Fi signal. Other services depend on the router, as well, such as file sharing, voice over IP, remote access, and VPN.

A router generally has to be on and functioning 24-7. There are thousands, if not millions, of data packages going through it every day, and you expect it to work without any hiccups. Ironically, it's also the device that most people pay the least attention to. In fact, the only time it's noticed at all is when it's not working right.

That said, it's very important to pick a router that's not just fast and feature-rich, but also reliable. Following is the list of the top five wireless routers I've reviewed this year that fit that description.… Read more

It's that time of year again.

If you're in the market for networking devices to upgrade your home's media-streaming capabilities, Black Friday is a great opportunity to fulfill that desire. As with everything else, not all networking devices are created equal. In fact when it comes to wireless routers, it's actually a better deal to pay the full price for one that works than getting a lemon for cheap.

But we're talking about getting the one that works for cheap here. And while I can't advise you on how great of a deal you'… Read more

Netgear today announced new NAS servers designed for "economical pro" users. Apart from the amount of drive bays (and hence the types of RAID support), the two-bay ReadyNAS Duo and the four-bay ReadyNAS NV+ V2 are essentially the same.

Besides RAID 0, 1, and 5 (available with the NV+ V2 only), both servers support Netgear's XRAID 2 configuration, which is a proprietary flexible RAID that allows you to use hard drives of different capacities and upgrade the RAID without having to build it from scratch. XRAID 2 automatically manages hard drives based on the amount of drives used with a balance between performance and data integrity, with one drive always being used for data redundancy. XRAID 2 has been available in other servers from Netgear, such as the higher-end ReadyNAS Ultra4. … Read more

The WNDR3800 N600 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Router isn't intended to be Netgear's top-of-the-line wireless router for homes. That's the role of the WNDR4500, which makes no compromises and offers 450Mbps wireless speed on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

However, in our testing, we found that the WNDR3800 is arguably the best router among those recently announced by Netgear. For one, despite the fact that it only supports the 300Mbps standard, its real-world data rates on the 2.4GHz band are better than the WNDR4800's.

Furthermore, the WNDR3800 offers something that its big brother doesn't: it can host a USB external hard drive as a personal cloud storage option. It even comes with a piece of software called ReadyShare Cloud PC-Agent, which enables VPN-like access for the remote computer, as though the remote computer were in the same local network as the router.

On the other hand, the WNDR4500's storage capability is limited to that of a local network.

The router also offers great range and signal stability. It comes with a helpful Netgear Genie desktop application and a very easy-to-use and robust Web interface that both help novice and advanced users alike to set up and manage a network.

At a street price of around $150, it's a good choice for homes and home offices.

For more information on the WNDR3800's features and performance, check out CNET's full review of the Netgear WNDR3800 N600 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Router.… Read more