IFA 2019: New W6 Mesh Network Gear Announced By Netgear

Netgear is looking to flex their muscle in the fast-growing Mesh network market with a range of new products released at IFA 2019.

Among the new products is an all new Orbi W 6 Mesh System that has been specifically designed to support faster throughput from multiple devices.

The US network Company has introduced a new bar for performance with 4×4 radios on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz fronthaul, as well as a 5Ghz backhaul.

The new Orbi has been described as ideal for running high-bandwidth applications like streaming 4K/8K Ultimate HD connections across multiple screens.

It also supports throughput traffic generated by the multitude of new connected devices that are appearing in Australian homes as more than ever moved to Connected Home technology.

Netgear claim that the performance difference between old model Orbi and the new models is like ‘driving on a congested four-lane highway compared to that of a sixteen-lane superhighway’.

The new Orbi has been described as the industry’s best performing WiFi 6 mesh solution with the manufacturer claiming that they see growth in internet speeds from service providers where gigabit speeds have become available nearly everywhere.

Orbi WiFi 6 scales to provide these gigabit internet services to multi-gigabit using a 2.5 Gbps WAN port or using link aggregation to combine two ports together.

A key contributor to the increased speed is the Companies patented tri-band mesh technology with a patented dedicated backhaul to provide the ultimate smart home experience with seamless roaming. With 4×4 radios on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz fronthaul, as well as a 5Ghz backhaul, Orbi WiFi 6 is designed to cover any home with a host of connected devices the Company claims.

Pricing for Australia has not been announced.

Also introduced is a new Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi 6 Mesh Extender.

This new Extender delivers maximum capacity, speed and the strong coverage.

With WiFi 6 added to a wireless network, consumers can experience broadband connectivity at the furthest corners of the home with blazing-fast performance up to 6 Gbps claims Netgear.

The 8-stream WiFi delivers more spatial streams, maximises bandwidth and minimises congestion for all devices on the WiFi network. Nighthawk WiFi Extender is available for pre-order at an RRP of AUD $449/NZD $499.

Another interesting Netgear product is the introduction of what is described as an Insight Management Solution.

This is a 4-port integrated gigabit Ethernet switch WiFi mesh access point, a 10-port gigabit switch with greater PoE capacity,

Insight support on more Smart Pro Managed switches and the addition of Instant Captive Portal.

Previous models have proven to be a powerful tool for small businesses to manage their networks remotely or for managed service providers to better keep tabs on the health of their client networks.