Netgear Centria Router Offers Automated Backup

The Centria router, media center and data storage drive is Netgear's latest effort to offer advanced home networking.

Networking solutions specialist Netgear announced the release of its Centria all-in-one automatic backup, media server and high-speed WiFi router. Two versions, the WNDR4700 and the WNDR4720, which sports an internal 2-terabyte hard drive, are available.

The appliances are sold worldwide through retail stores and online for $229.99 (WNDR4700) and $349.99 (WNDR4720). Both models have two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports for adding even more storage, a company data sheet noted.

Centria uses ReadyShare Vault for Windows PC for backup, and supports Apple Time Machine for Mac to deliver wireless backup to the appliance’s integrated hard drive or to a USB-connected external hard drive. An SD card reader allows single-click backup of media to the internal hard drive. The router component of Centria uses simultaneous dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) technology with extended WiFi range. The 900M-bps router is designed to handle high-definition streaming of video and gaming content, the company noted. On the security side, Centria offers double firewall protection and denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention.

The router also features a dashboard to monitor, control and repair the home network, and comes packaged with Netgear’s Genie platform, which includes the MyMedia app to use smartphones—including Google Android and Apple iOS devices to find and play media remotely on any Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) device. The Centria router is also compatible with AirPrint, which lets users print on any USB printer from an iPad or iPhone. Rounding out the package are live parental controls, guest-network access capability, a broadband usage meter and one-click fix for common network issues.

“With increasing reliance on their computers to store important data and irreplaceable family photos and videos, it is imperative for consumers to back up their PCs and Macs so that if their computer crashes or is lost, then their important files will still be safe and accessible on Centria,” Sandeep Harpalani, senior product line manager for wireless networking for Netgear, said in a prepared statement. “After the fast initial setup, Centria will automatically back up PCs and Macs every time they connect to the home network. This makes data backup a simple set-and-forget operation and simplifies digital life for consumers.”

The company also announced a family of three NeoTV streaming players, among the first to support the HTML 5 standard. All three players--the NeoTV (NTV300), NeoTV PRO (NTV300S) and NeoTV MAX (NTV300SL)--offer Internet connectivity through built-in WiFi or a wired Ethernet connection, and each player includes a remote control with one-touch Quick Start buttons. The base NTV300 model is priced at $49.99, while the NTV300S Pro player is priced at $59.99, and the MAX (NTV300SL) is priced at $69.99.