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.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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