Netgear has announced a brand new router – the N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router; or, by the much shorter name, WNDR4500. It promises to have total combined speeds of 900Mbps under Wi-Fi, and have a much greater range so more devices can receive most of the speed.
The N900 will support 450Mbps in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, which are used to handle multiple applications simultaneously. It is also touting the fact that it has six “highly-sensitive” antennas with powerful radio amplifiers to extend the Wi-Fi’s range. It also has two USB ports, making it easier to share a printer or a USB portable or external hard drive across the network
It will be available in mid-December for $369. The full press release is below.
NETGEAR introduces the world’s most advanced wireless home router
The new NETGEAR N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router delivers the fastest WiFi speed at up to 900 megabits per second combined, along with maximum wireless range and premium features.
SYDNEY – 1 DECEMBER, 2011 – NETGEAR® has today launched the N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR4500). Compared to competing home routers, the N900 offers more wireless speed at any given distance. With up to 900 megabits per second of combined WiFi speed and greater WiFi range, it is ideal for demanding applications such as wireless 3D and HD video streaming, multiplayer gaming, and backing up large files.
The NETGEAR N900 supports a full 450 Mbps in both its 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, giving households the capability to handle multiple applications simultaneously. Six highly sensitive internal antennas, boosted by high-powered radio amplifiers, provide more WiFi range and speed than any other home router on the market, making it ideal for large or multi-storey homes.
“This is the world’s most advanced wireless home router, continuing NETGEAR’s tradition of delivering cutting-edge wireless technology to consumers. Greater reliability and reduced dropouts are the key benefits of the N900 for Australians looking for an improved internet experience. This router’s combined speed of up to 900Mbps means Australians can enjoy all the possibilities of a modern home network,” said Brad Little, Director of Consumer Channels, NETGEAR Australia and New Zealand.
Beyond speed and range, the NETGEAR N900 offers a long list of advanced features that make home networks more useful and easier to manage. There are two USB ports for example, to simultaneously share a printer and a USB hard drive or flash drive across the home network. Thanks to a more powerful processor, saving and retrieving files through the network from a USB drive is up to 30 per cent faster than any other router currently available.
The NETGEAR N900 is easy to install and simple to use. There’s no CD required for installation, and the router can be configured through a browser on PCs, Macs, smartphones, the iPad and other tablets. Also bundled with the NETGEAR N900 WiFi router is NETGEAR Genie, a free utility for PC and Mac users that is a simple dashboard for monitoring, controlling and repairing home networks as well as viewing devices connected to the router through a network map. NETGEAR’s live parental controls is free and gives parents a centralised, reliable method for monitoring the sites their children visit and the ability to restrict usage times for all the devices connected to the home network.
Additional premium features of the NETGEAR N900 include:
- ReadySHARE® Printer – USB printers plugged into the NETGEAR N900 can be accessed by any computer linked to the home network to print wirelessly
- Guest network access – allows visitors to go online without the home network password and without gaining access to computers, printers, storage drives and other home-network devices
- DLNA – a USB hard drive plugged into the router becomes a powerful DLNA media server for sharing entertainment content stored on the drive to DLNA-certified, Internet-ready consumer electronic devices including televisions, Blu-ray™ players and game consoles
- Advanced Quality of Service – by prioritising video streams over other home network traffic, advanced Quality of Service (QoS) provides the best possible viewing experience for online video
- Future Proof – (1 WAN, 4 LAN) high-speed gigabit Ethernet ports to accommodate high-speed internet services
- Security – supports WPA and WPA2 protocols for WiFi, has double firewall (SPI and NAT) protection against Internet threats, and provides Denial of Service (DoS) attack prevention
- Scheduled WiFi off – to conserve power, the WiFi radios inside the N900 can be turned off on a custom schedule
- Access Point mode – Through the browser interface, the N900 can be set to function as a WiFi access point, which can be connected to any router. This allows the N900 to connect to a gateway from an Internet service provider, for example, to expand household WiFi coverage and increase home network speed among networked devices.
- Usage meter – monitors Internet data consumption and sends customised alerts when usage is close to monthly bandwidth limits
Pricing and availability
The NETGEAR N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR4500) will be available from mid-December for RRP AUD$369.