Netgear HD Home Theater Adapter & Ethernet Gaming Adapter Pack WiFi-N

Netgear have outed two new wireless home networking products at CeBIT 2010 today, the High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Adapter (WNHDB3004) shown here, and the Ethernet to Wireless Adapter (WNCE2001) for easily bridging wired devices to a wireless network.  The Home Theater Adapter is apparently capable of supporting multiple simultaneous Full HD 1080p streams, and comes with pre-configured security settings so that, after a single button push, the two towers are linked.

As for the frequencies it uses, there's a WiFi a/n chipset on the 5GHz band, paired with a 4x4 MIMO antenna.  Netgear reckon it's stable enough to guarantee 40Mbps HD streams 99.9-percent of the time, and it'll work with your Xbox 360, PS3, Apple TV, Wii, Blu-ray deck or PC, among other devices.  The Netgear High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) will go on sale in Q3 2010; pricing to be announced closer to the time, but both the pair of towers and individual units will be available.

The Netgear Ethernet to Wireless Adapter (WNCE2001), meanwhile, connects via ethernet but gets its power via a USB port; that means you can – assuming the device you're plugging into has a power USB free – avoid having to find an AC outlet for a separate PSU brick.  It also uses WiFi-N technology, and will go on sale in May 2010 priced at $79.

Press Release:

NETGEAR Supercharges Home Theater Experience with New Class of WiFi Products to Support Internet-Enabled Set-top Boxes, TVs, Blu-ray Players and Gaming Consoles

High-Performance HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) Wirelessly Streams Multiple HD Videos Flawlessly Throughout the Home; Industry-First Compact USB-powered Universal WiFi Internet Adapter (WNCE2001) Wirelessly Connects Ethernet-enabled Consumer Electronics to the Internet

HANNOVER, Germany — March 1, 2010 — NETGEAR, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced two new networking accessories for home theaters. The High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) is a carrier-grade, tested and proven solution for wirelessly playing multiple jitter-free 1080p HD video and audio streams to every room in the house flawlessly, and at double the performance and range of solutions in the market today. The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) delivers Wireless-N performance of up to 300 Mbps through the Ethernet port of consumer electronic (CE) devices such as Internet TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players and more.

NETGEAR will display these new products at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany, March 2-6, 2010, in the Wick Hill booth (Hall 11, Stand D03) of the Hannover Exhibition Hall. Related CeBIT announcements can be found here (http://www.netgear.com/About/PressReleases.aspx).

A growing number of multimedia devices in the home theater are enabled with network connectivity, but oftentimes there is not a wired network connection available in the living room. While many of the available wireless solutions, either embedded or external, offer basic connectivity to the home network to play rich media to the HDTV, no other wireless solutions provide the reliability required for playing multiple, simultaneous, Blu-ray quality HD streams across multiple walls in a large home.

"High-Performance HD Home Theater Kit provides wired-equivalent connectivity and whole-home coverage using wireless," said Som Pal Choudhury, NETGEAR director of product marketing for Core Networking Products. "The technology is way ahead of the competition. With its groundbreaking speed, range and reliability, it is like WiFi on steroids."

High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004)

With performance doubling that of competing products, the NETGEAR carrier-grade High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) delivers multiple, simultaneous, jitter-free 1080p HD video streams wirelessly throughout the home. It is the only solution that has been tested to provide sustained throughput of HD streams in excess of 40 Mbps 99.9 percent of the time, through multiple walls, throughout an above-average single family home.

The kit consists of a pair of two High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Adapters (WNHD3004). The set-up is truly plug and play; consumers simply plug the first adapter into the existing router or gateway, and the second adapter into any home theater device with an Ethernet port. The kit is pre-configured with security, so a single touch of a push-button securely connects additional adapters. IPTV customers and video enthusiasts can now wirelessly stream multiple 1080p HD streams with wired-equivalent reliability from the network, Internet or IPTV service provider to their home theater devices, including IPTV set-top boxes, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Blu-ray players, Internet-enabled TVs, Apple TV, NETGEAR Digital Entertainer products and more. The NETGEAR High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit supports point-to-multipoint HD video streaming and the multicast streaming protocol that IPTV service providers demand.

The High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit eliminates the need for expensive structured wiring or messy Ethernet cables. It is also designed to overcome the common problems — wireless signal strength, quality and reliability — associated with interference, frequently changing WiFi environments, and areas of the home that are notoriously difficult to reach. The kit combines 4x4 multiple-input, multiple-out (MIMO) antenna signal processing, real-time spectrum analysis and dynamic digital beamforming with the industry's highest performance IEEE 802.11a/n 5GHz wireless LAN chipset, providing an unprecedented level of reliability and wireless performance in terms of data rates and range.

"With the rising demand among consumers for HD-quality video, IPTV service providers are increasingly looking for carrier-grade solutions to wirelessly connect IPTV set-top boxes to the home network," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at The NPD Group, a leading market research company. "Likewise, VARs, resellers and system integrators specializing in home audio and video automation are looking for ways to cut costs in expensive cabling to connect their customers' whole home entertainment systems. Wireless devices that are capable of reliably playing multiple HD audio and video streams, like those of NETGEAR, are an ideal solution for the customers, as well as the service providers."

The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter (WNCE2001) for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles

NETGEAR is also introducing the industry's first compact USB-powered Universal WiFi Internet Adapter (WNCE2001) that works with Internet TVs, game consoles and Blu-ray players. The first of its kind, the adapter is the only affordable solution in a small form factor that delivers optimal Wireless-N performance and works universally with any Ethernet-enabled CE device. This saves consumers from the confusion and expense of purchasing separate WiFi USB adapters for each CE device in their home theater.

The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter is powered by the USB port, avoiding the need for a long wire to the power outlet and making it more visually pleasing in the already congested home theater environment. With NETGEAR Push Connect technology and CD-less set-up, it is truly a plug and play experience.

Pricing and Availability

Backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, the new NETGEAR products are available worldwide through leading retailers, direct marketers, e-commerce sites and value-added resellers. The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) will be available in May at an MSRP in the U.S. of $79. The High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) will be available in Q3 of 2010, with pricing for the kit and for single adapters to be announced at the time of market availability.

Photos and Other Product Information:

High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004):

Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001):

Note: Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput will vary from maximum signal rates stipulated. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.