Ladies and gentlemen, your hopes for a combined high speed wireless modem router look like they have finally been answered, with Netgear talking up a new product combining the two technologies.
We’ve been itching for a product like this ever since 802.11ac was first announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, and now – nine months after the chips were announced – we’re finally seeing the results.
Netgear is this week introducing an updated version of the industry’s first readily available 802.11ac router, the R6300.
This new version – the D6300 WiFi Modem Router – is the same high-speed R6300 router we saw earlier this year, but with an ADSL2+ modem thrown in for good measure, cutting down on the amount of products tech savvy homes will need.
“With an integrated ADSL modem, the D6300 offers a simple and convenient solution to make the most of high-speed internet with the best WiFi network in the home,” said Netgear’s Brad Little, Senior Director of Consumer Channels for the company’s Australia and New Zealand divisions.
The router features DLNA access, USB port for plugging in storage and printers, AirPrint support for Apple iDevice wireless printing, and an easy installation that doesn’t require a CD and can be run on any device, including tablets and Ultrabooks that lack optical drives.
One thing we still don’t have a lot of is adapters for the 802.11ac high-speed wireless connections, a network technology that’s primed to deliver up to 1.3Gbps and extend wireless networks even further throughout the home.
Announced in June, Netgear’s A6200 USB 3.0 dongle (above) is finally making its way out to retailers, with the first readily available 802.11ac dongle out for $139 in October.
Meanwhile, you’ll be able to find the Netgear D6300 802.11ac WiFi ADSL2+ Modem Router in stores next week for $399.
The matching A6200 wifi USB device won’t work with Win8 unless you download the beta patch from the Netgear site