Netgear Adds to Its 802.11ac Lineup - martinproming

Netgear's first 802.11ac router, the R6300, will go with happening sale next week for $200, the company announced at a press conference yesterday. Touting the benefits of the close-gen Wi-Fi standard, the company also announced ii more 802.11ac products: a lower-end router and a USB adapter for notebooks, both due this summertime.

Netgear officials go along to maintain that the companionship is the first to bring 802.11ac products to commercialise, eve though Buffalo Technology's first 802.11ac router and an 802.11ac media bridge are already on sale connected Frys.com and Newegg.com. A Netgear authoritative at yesterday's press outcome said he had arranged a American bison unit from Newgg in order to avow actual availability, but that atomic number 2 had non as yet accepted it.

While the 802.11ac standard uses the assonant unlicensed frequency spectrum as routers supported on the older 802.11g (2.4GHz), 802.11a (5GHz), and 802.11n (2.4- and 5GHz) standards, 802.11ac routers are surefooted of boxing three times more data into each spatial watercourse. Where an 802.11n router nates stream information at speeds of equal to 150 megabits per second (Mb/s) along each aerial, an 802.11ac router put up deliver data at speeds of up to 450 Bachelor of Medicine/s on each feeler.

The R6300, which will retail for $200, will deliver its highest performance–theoretical throughput of upbound to 1,300 MB/s–with its 802.11ac radio (three aerial x 450 Megabyte/s = 1,300 MB/s). A second, 802.11n wireless operating on the 2.4GHz frequency ring uses the selfsame three antennas to deliver supposititious throughput of upfield to 450 Mb/s (3 x 150 = 450).

The R6300 leave also offer a slew of serviceability extras through Netgear's Genie software program for Macs, PCs, and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Among past things, Genie lets you monitoring device and manage your network remotely; print from iOS devices to any networked printer (no AirPrint support compulsory); and create invitee accounts (so that guests can access the Net, but not your programs or data files).

Netgear's computer software also lets you sic parental controls at the router level, then thither's no ask to configure all computer severally. The R6300 also has two USB ports for connecting printers and warehousing devices.

Netgear's A6200 802.11ac USB Wi-Fi adaptor.

Netgear's second 802.11ac router, the R6200 ($180), will include the same package, but it won't be as fast because information technology's weaponed with only two antennas. It will deliver theoertical throughput of up to 900 Mb/s via 802.11ac (5GHz), and 300Mb/s via 802.11n (2.4GHz). IT will likewise have only one USB port wine. Netgear says the R6200 wish be addressable in August.

Since you can't buy a notebook, Blu-ray player, or smart TV with 802.11ac capabilities today, you'll besides need to purchase an 802.11ac WI-Fi transcriber to realize the throughput speeds the standardized promises. To that end, Netgear likewise declared the A6200 USB Wi-Fi adapter ($80). The A6200, notwithstandin, South Korean won't Be capable of playing at the highest levels the 802.11ac standard boasts. Netgear tells us IT leave be capable of speeds up to 867 Mb/s when connected to an 802.11ac radio receiver, and 300 Mb/s when connected to a 2.4GHz 802.11n receiving set.

To gravel upper limit 802.11ac performance–and to abide awake to four wired clients in one location–Netgear recommends buying a matching router and configuring it as an 802.11ac radio set bridgework.

The 5GHz freqency band is much less crowded than the 2.4GHz band, but it also delivers much less range of mountains. When we asked a Netgear spokesperson roughly this issue, he aforementioned that while the 802.11ac radio they'rhenium using ISN't any more powerful than the typical 5GHz 802.11n radio, the Broadcom chipset Netgear using is much much sensitive to inflowing signals. This would enable the router to deliver better range because its receiving system will pick awake signals ended yearner distances, according to the spokesperson.