Netgear has released what it calls an "industry first" with its new R6300 Wi-Fi router. So far it's the first 802.11ac dual band Gigabit Wi-Fi router enabling 5th generation Wi-Fi (5G WiFi) at Gigabit speeds. Naturally you'll need a compatible network adapter to reach those speeds, but legacy W-Fi devices will still be able to connect thanks to its support for the older 802.11 a/b/g/n specification.
"The Netgear R6300 Wi-Fi Router, powered by Broadcom’s 5G WiFi IEEE 802.11ac chips, is up to three times faster than today’s 802.11n routers," the company said on Thursday. "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 5 GHz 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."
In addition to the speedier Internet access, Netgear's new router provides two USB ports for sharing storage and printers on the network. There's also guest network access, live parental controls, automatic Wi-Fi security, and DNLA support. The latter feature will stream content to any DLNA compatible device in the house including the latest Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
Some of the technical specs include five 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports with auto-sensing technology (1 WAN, 4 LAN), 128 MB of flash memory and 128 MB of RAM, Advanced Quality of Service, support for IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack prevention, Wi-Fi Boost with high-powered radio amplifiers and more. IEEE 802.11 b/g/n signals will reside on the 2.4 GHz channel whereas the zippier IEEE 802.11 a/n/ac will reside on the 5 GHz channel.
As previously mentioned, the router is capable of sharing a connected printer via ReadySHARE. An additional Netgear Genie app for iOS and Android devices allows users to print directly to that "personal cloud" printer. The Genie app -- which also comes in Windows and Mac flavors -- also provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on a DLNA media player. Overall the Netgear Genie app enables home users to control, monitor, repair, and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard.
"802.11ac is the next-generation of WiFi connectivity and is set to revolutionize the way we consume content wirelessly by delivering Internet speeds up to three times faster than consumers are used to experiencing," said David Henry, vice president of product management, retail products at Netgear. "Netgear’s leadership in the industry, and collaboration with Broadcom to introduce the first 802.11ac router, will future proof your network by ensuring your home is capable of supporting new faster 802.11ac devices as they begin to roll out this year."
The Netgear R6300 WiFi Router will be available in May starting at $199.99.
