As we are living already in a digital world a system that allows
wireless storage and distribution of the content throughout the home will soon
become a as important as our TV set. And at CES 2008, the network company Netgear
proved that everything can be done.
"Our customers in their homes or small offices should
be able to utilize high-speed broadband networking for any application,
including communications, information gathering or entertainment, from any
corner of the house without any interruption," said Patrick Lo, chairman,
chief executive and founder of Netgear.
Netgear unveiled a lineup of 18 networking products in the
wireless, broadband, powerline, optical fiber, coaxial, and storage categories thanks
to which home networking could be as "ubiquitous and intuitive as heat or
electricity."
With these devices simultaneous wireless streaming of a
high- definition movie, live HD gaming and video downloading is easy and
without any glitches.
Netgear's next-generation wireless-N family of routers and
adapters are based upon the 802.11n draft specification and deliver the fastest
speeds, longest ranges and most reliable connections. The new products utilize
an internal array of Smart Antennas based on metamaterial technology that
provides the highest level of quality, reliability and signal optimization.
The
new products include the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless N Router, which contains
eight antennas, which Netgear that ensures quality streaming despite potential
interference from other wireless gear including microwave ovens, cordless
phones and neighboring Wi-Fi networks. The router also included a dedicated
button to automatically set up a secure connection between the router and any
other standard client. Typically, users must work through a software
application to set up secure connections.
Netgear also introduced the ReadyNAS Duo, a media server
designed to centrally store any digital media including videos, photos and
music. In an unusual feature for a consumer device, the ReadyNAS supports hot
swapping - allowing users to remove a drive without interrupting streaming or
other use of the device. The device has four hard-drive bays and can handle up
to 4 terabytes of data.
By simply connecting any digital camera to the front-mounted
USB port, ReadyNAS Duo quickly and easily copies the photos, and makes them
available to computers, PDAs and other network-enabled devices in the home or
across the Internet. In addition to the users' personal stored digital audio
and video content, ReadyNAS Duo also provides integrated support for BitTorrent
enabling users to download digital entertainment content directly to the
ReadyNAS Duo.
The company unveiled the HD/Gaming 5GHz Wireless-N
networking kit, which essentially upgrades an existing network to deliver high-
performance video.
The kit comes with two units. Users attach one to their
current router, which could comply with the older Wireless B or Wireless G
standards. The other device connects to other clients such as a gaming console
or HD-TV to create a wireless connection.