Netgear Looks for Larger Role in Connected World with ‘Major Shift’ in Internet Use

Netgear is repositioning the home router as a “platform” rather than just a hardware gateway into the home, Phil Pyo, director of product marketing, told Consumer Electronics Daily last week. “The role of the router is changing,” he said, because of the increasing number of Internet-based apps available and advanced features that the company is building into its products to address different consumer needs. “It’s not just about the router anymore,” he said. The home router of the future, he said, will have “different things” and be more of a hybrid network, to “give people choices about how they connect” with extenders, bridges and powerline options.

The connected home was one of the recurring themes of the recent CES, where Netgear introduced eight products designed to address the “major shift in how people use the Internet (CED Jan 6 p7).” Pyo said that with so many new devices apps connecting to the Internet -- notably entertainment-oriented apps involving gaming and video -- and as consumers can “load and offload different types of features that are more applicable to what you want to do in the home,” the router’s role is increasing. The role will continue to grow as consumers expand their connected world with security cameras inside and outside homes and add connected home controls for lighting and temperature, he said. The next stage of home control will include security features with electronic locks, nanny cams and perimeter IP cameras, along with energy-based features including programmable thermostats and lights. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what might happen in the next five or 10 years,” Pyo said, “and all that information needs to go through the wireless router."

Security, speed, range and reliability will all be key as more devices connect over the Internet. The proliferation of video downloads and streaming requires much higher speeds and reliability, to prevent video dropouts and buffering that hurts the experience, especially as HD and 3D content comes online, Pyo noted. He said dual-band routers have been around for several years, but the company is renewing a focus on the technology to encourage users to employ the 5 GHz band for demanding video and reserve the 2.4-GHz band for Web browsing and e-mail.

Getting consumers to think about upgrading routers to handle additional devices will be a challenge. Som Pal Choudhury, director of product marketing, said user experiences with previous-generation routers could lead to upgrades. Heavy video streamers will likely experience delays, data bottlenecks and frequent reboots as they add devices and resulting traffic to networks running on older routers with slower 100 MHz processors, Choudhury. Newer, high-speed 680-MHz processors have the “extra horsepower” to run demanding applications, Choudhury said.

In May, Netgear will ship its flagship dual-band router, the WNDR3800, a $179 model packed with a cluster of next-gen features. They include the 680-MHz processor, a channel selector that automatically finds the clearest radio frequency to avoid interference, a guest network access mode and a usage meter to keep users informed of data usage in markets where ISPs limit users’ upload or download activity. The router is DLNA-certified, can be used to expand storage for TiVo users when connected to a USB drive and is compatible with backup software for use with a connected USB storage device. To help users navigate the features, the company built in Netgear Genie, a graphical interface designed to simplify network setup, monitoring and control.