Networking company D-Link brought a cloud strategy to CES, introducing...

Networking company D-Link brought a cloud strategy to CES, introducing a cloud-based router, a cloud-based camera and a new category of “mobile companion” that offers wireless access and content sharing to iPad, iPhone and Android devices. The device, smaller than a mouse, was designed to give mobile device users access to content from an external hard drive or thumb drive and to sync videos, music and photos, said Daniel Kelley, associate vice president of marketing at D-Link. The Mobile Companion includes Wi-Fi Protected Setup and a free SharePort Cloud app for Android and iOS devices that gives users access to their music, videos and photos from anywhere, Kelley told us in a product demo. The USB port can be used to view and sync data stored on a connected thumbdrive on a tablet or smartphone, or it can be used to charge a smartphone, Kelley said. Price is $75 with April availability, he said. In its wireless camera line, D-Link added a microSD card slot to enable users to record video and a pan-and-tilt functionality up to 340 degrees, Kelley said. Users can control up, down, left and right camera movement remotely from a mobile device using a D-Link app, he said. The Cloud Camera 5000 records at 720p/30 frames per second, Kelley said, and can record in daylight or up to 15 feet in the dark using night vision technology and motion sensing. The company also showed a cloud-based router, which Kelley said allows users an easier way to view what’s going on in their home networks than through traditional PC software. The HD Media 3000 router includes HD Fuel, which provides automatic bandwidth prioritization to ensure the quality of HD media streaming, Kelley said. The router will be available in April for $169, he said.