Netgear goes for gamers with dedicated routers at CES 2018

Gamers want to shave every microsecond from response times – they have a thing for ping, and think lag is a drag. They are wont to win.

So Netgear has released two highly tuned gamer’s routers that make the most of internet bandwidth and Wi-Fi network response.

Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 router is an AC2600 dual band with five-gigabit ethernet ports, MU-MIMO for simultaneous teaming and 15 more channels in the 5GHz band to reduce band congestion.

The router runs the acclaimed NetDuma (DumaOS has been in development since 2011) operating system with advanced QoS, anti-buffer bloat, bandwidth allocation and traffic prioritisation.

Features include

  • Gaming Dashboard — On a single screen, view real-time bandwidth utilisation by device, ping delays, and many other parameters.
  • Geo Filter — Fix your gaming lag by limiting distance to servers or other players, get a guaranteed local connection, and create black/white lists of your preferred servers.
  • Quality of Service (QoS) — Prioritise gaming devices and allocate bandwidth by device to eliminate lag due to queuing at the ISP network.
  • Gaming VPN — Protect your network identity, prevent a DDoS attack, and use the VPN client to connect to the VPN server.
  • Network Monitor — Check on bandwidth-hogging devices and identify the applications which could be causing lag.
  • Gigabit Ethernet Ports — Maximise speed with four (4) GbE LAN ports for wired connections, ideal for fast-paced gaming and high-quality streaming.
  • Wi-Fi AAC 2600 — Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) for simultaneous streaming, Quad-Stream, and 160MHz for faster speeds.
  • Dual-Core 1.7GHz Processor — Support more devices for better 4K streaming, VR gaming, surfing, and more with this powerful, faster processor.
  • High-Performance Antennas — Get better Wi-Fi coverage and faster speeds with four external antennas.
  • Memory — Enjoy plenty of headroom with 256 MB flash and 512 MB RAM.
  • Beamforming — Enjoy more reliable connections for fewer drops, providing jitter-free network performance.

“All online gamers, whether they are casual, avid or professional, have one thing in common — the need for responsive, reliable, low-lag gameplay. With the introduction of Nighthawk Pro Gaming, NETGEAR is demonstrating our dedication to gamers to deliver products that enhance gaming performance,” says David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home for NETGEAR.  “We have worked tirelessly with gamers to engineer features that deliver best-in-class performance, customisation and ease-of-use for the ultimate gaming experience. There should not be anything on your network that prevents you from having the ultimate game experience. With Nighthawk Pro Gaming, you will now have the power to win.”

Nighthawk SX10 Pro Gaming Multi-Gig Ethernet Switch has eight Gigabit Ethernet ports and allows for individual bandwidth allocation as well as 20Gb/s port aggregation.

Features include

  • Two (2) 5-speed 10Gigabit/Multi-Gig Uplinks — Increase speeds and expand the bandwidth of your network with ports that automatically adapt to deliver 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps or 10Gbps.
  • Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports — Connect more wired devices for fast action gaming parties though the provided 8 LAN ports.
  • Gaming Dashboard — Get real-time insight on performance and configuration in a unified view.
  • Customisable RGB LED Controls — Personalise every light on your switch by colour for better visibility, and easily adjust brightness and frequency.
  • Up to 20Gbps Port-Trunking/Link Aggregation (LAG) — Aggregate Gigabit or Multi-Gigabit ports for even faster speeds.
  • Advanced VLAN & QoS Configuration — Give your gaming devices the priority they deserve.
  • Intuitive Interface — Take advantage of a mobile-optimised GUI and “one-click” pre-configured settings for all media needs.
  • Low Latency — Experience the smoothest gaming and fastest action.
  • Auto-Diagnostics — Troubleshoot instantly, so you get back into the game faster.
  • Silent/Fan-less operation — Enjoy silent operation, thanks to an aluminium enclosure that dissipates heat, so there’s no need for vents or a fan.
  • Integration with Nighthawk — Combine with NETGEAR Nighthawk routers for a top-notch home networking experience perfect for gaming.
  • Warranty — Enjoy peace of mind with your 3-year hardware warranty and free technical support options.

“Designed to meet the specialised needs of the gamer, the new Nighthawk Pro Gaming SX10 10GbE LAN Switch comes equipped with dedicated features designed to eliminate laggy gameplay,” said Richard Jonker, senior vice president of SMB for NETGEAR. “With the Nighthawk Pro Gaming SX10 Switch, we made it easy to offload high-bandwidth applications to reduce congestion for your network. The gaming dashboard offers real-time insights into bandwidth utilisation by device, so you can ensure optimum performance and know where your bandwidth is being used.”