Netgear's MBR1000 a 3G/4G mobile router for Verizon users
updated 11:00 pm EST, Wed January 5, 2011
Supports expected downstream of 5-12mb/sec on LTE
Netgear and Verizon Wireless have teamed up to produce the MBR1000, a mobile broadband router that receives 3G or Verizon's 4G LTE cellular data and creates a local 802.11n Wi-Fi hotspot, also supporting Fast Ethernet ports and dual WAN capability. The unit, the same size and style as a conventional broadband router, is aimed at businesses that may rely on cellular data to get internet connectivity out in the field, such as in construction, logging, mining, moving vehicles like busses and trains, or rural area use.
While Verizon's current wireless LTE network supports downstreams of 5-12mb per second and 2-5mb/sec upstreams, the MBR1000 is designed to handle the theoretical maximums of 100mbps downstream and 50mbps upstream. The router also handles conventional broadband connections, and can switch between the two connections if one fails thanks to dual-WAN capability. The 802.11n network created can deliver up to 270mbps speeds in the local network.
Verizon says the 4G LTE network is up to 10 times faster than its current 3G network, and that 4G service is available for about one-third of Americans, and plans to match the company's 3G coverage over the next three years. Pricing on the MBA-1000 has not yet been announced, but more information about the unit is available now on Netgear's website.
