Netgear claims R6300 as first 802.11ac Wi-Fi router
updated 10:00 am EDT, Thu April 26, 2012
Netgear R6300 router to hit 1.3Gbps
Netgear on Thursday staked out its position as the first to have an 802.11ac Wi-Fi router. The R6300 will use the full potential of the spec and run up to 1.3Gbps on the 5GHz band, effectively removing the router as a bottleneck. It can still support earlier Wi-Fi standards and will run 802.11ac at up to 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.
As the company's most advanced router, it carries four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired clients and has a pair of USB ports that let it both serve as network-attached storage and as a printer sharing source, including AirPrint for iOS devices. It can provide DLNA media sharing and has support for the extras like guest networks as well as remote administration either through the web or through the Genie app on desktops, Android, and iOS.
The router will carry a premium, costing $200, but should ship in May. Getting the full 1.3Gbps speed will need not just an 802.11ac device but one that uses a full multi-antenna array. Some mobile devices and notebooks are likely to use chipsets that connect at lower speeds.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2005
Need adapters
Hopefully someone will make Thunderbolt adapters to enable all those slightly older machines to get connected. WOuld be very nice to have that as the second connection for LANs where ethernet is either not usable or already in use for other purposes (i.e. SAN)