Netgear Announces the First 802.11ac Wi-Fi Router [Video]

Netgear today announced the availability of the Netgear R6300 WiFi Router; the first 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling 5th generation WiFi (5G WiFi) at gigabit speeds. The router is also backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n which provides optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices.

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The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router, powered by Broadcom's 5G WiFi IEEE 802.11ac chips, is up to three times faster than today's 802.11n routers. With an elegant new design that fits perfectly in consumers' living spaces, the router increases the coverage area for HD streaming in the home. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router has speeds of up to 1300 Mbps on 5GHz and 450 Mbps on 2.4GHz enabling consumers to download web content from any device in the home in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device.

The upcoming 802.11ac wireless standard is the world's fastest WiFi, providing gigabit WiFi speeds allowing for web content to download faster, and large video or music files to synch more quickly. The increased speed of 802.11ac technology is ideal for mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, by providing three times the performance for a similar amount of battery consumption of devices utilizing the current 802.11n WiFi standard.


Other advanced features of the NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router include:
● NETGEAR Genie: This free app for PCs, Macs, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets enables home users to control, monitor, repair, and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard. NETGEAR customers can download the utility at http://www.netgear.com/genie or from the Google Play or App Store.
● NETGEAR MyMedia: The NETGEAR Genie mobile app feature provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on a DLNA media player.
● AirPrint Support: The NETGEAR Genie app enables users to print on any USB or networked printer directly from an iPad or iPhone.
● Guest network access: The NETGEAR Genie app makes setting up a guest network simple. Guests and visitors can go online through the router without the need for secure login information. The guest network also prevents users from seeing and accessing a household's computers, printers, storage devices and other home network devices.
● ReadySHARE Printer: Makes it easy to turn any existing USB printer into a fully functional networked printer that is fully compatible with Macs and PCs.
● Media Server-DLNA: The R6300 Router is DLNA ready and can stream to any DLNA compatible device in your house, including the latest Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
● NETGEAR Live Parental Controls: Centralized, flexible, and reliable parental control solution for all the devices on the network, including Macs, Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets, for a safe online environment for children and teenagers. No subscription is required.
● Automatic WiFi Security: Comes with wireless security turned on out-of-the-box, complete with a pre-configured network name and password, protecting home WiFi networks by default.
● Easy Installation: No CD required so users can set it up with smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, and even MacBook Air.
● 2 USB ports: To simultaneously support USB storage and USB printer on the router.

Pricing and Availability
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router will be available in May starting at $199.99.
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Apple has yet to announce support for 802.11ac in its upcoming devices; however, many are hoping the rumored MacBook Pro and iMac updates will feature the new technology.

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