Netgear, Inc. has introduced the next generation of faster, all-purpose WiFi connectivity to New Zealand, with the arrival of the Orbi RBKE963 Quad-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System and Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi Router.
The launch coincides with national 6GHz certification from the MBIE and will ensure, fast, smooth and easy WiFi connection for homes across New Zealand.
Working, learning, and video streaming from home have placed greater demands on home WiFi networks. Devices in these ultra-connected households have been in a constant contest for bandwidth on crowded WiFi networks. WiFi 6E resolves these congestion issues by adding a previously unavailable 6GHz WiFi spectrum that can be used to broadcast WiFi signals and connect to more devices with faster speeds and reliability. Up until the introduction of WiFi 6E, WiFi routers have been limited to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The new third 6GHz band will dramatically increase the capacity of networks to support more devices.
"As a leader in networking for more than 25 years, Netgear is committed to creating best-in-class WiFi products that maximise the benefits of the latest WiFi technology. This next technological leap represents everything we’ve been striving for,” said David Henry, President & GM of Connected Home Products and Services at Netgear. “From the moment multi-Gigabit Internet enters your home through our 10 Gb Ethernet port, to our quad-band architecture, 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports and improved 5GHz performance all the way down to your latest WiFi 6E devices, there’s not a single bottleneck in this system. Our new Orbi RBKE963 Quad-Band WiFi 6E Mesh and Nighthawk WiFi 6E systems deliver top-of-the-line performance for not only today’s needs, but also the future requirements of even the most demanding and sophisticated smart homes.”
The new Orbi Quad-Band WiFi 6E system builds on Netgear’s top-of-the-line Orbi Tri-Band WiFi 6 system (RBK853) by adding a fourth band for the newly available 6GHz WiFi. This new band provides the much-needed additional WiFi spectrum to handle multi-Gigabit WiFi speed on new smartphones and laptops, free of interference from other devices on the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Devices running on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands will also experience an improvement in coverage and increased speeds of up to 30 per cent with the Orbi RBKE960, due to the system’s upgraded WiFi radio and antenna designs relative to the previous flagship model.
The industry’s first quad-band WiFi 6E system, Orbi ensures maximum throughput with 16 WiFi streams – the highest specification available -- at all 3 bands, 2.4, 5 and 6GHz. Furthermore, similar to the previous tri-band Orbi systems, the RBKE963 uses a dedicated WiFi 6 backhaul, pioneered by Netgear, for data exchange between the router and satellites without impacting the performance of connected devices.
For added peace of mind, Quad-band Orbi WiFi 6E includes a free 30-day trial of Netgear Armor service to protect the connected home from online threats. Unlike traditional endpoint Internet security products, Netgear’s Armor is built into the router as a comprehensive security solution to monitor activity going to and from the Internet, protecting all the devices on a network, including Smart TVs, security cameras, game consoles, smart speakers, streaming players, and other smart home gadgets which typically would not be able to be loaded with Internet security protection software by users. Netgear’s Armor also protects traditional computing devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, while eliminating the need for multiple security subscriptions or software on each of these computing devices.
Also available as a paid subscription on the new system is Netgear’s Smart Parental Controls, which help parents easily manage their children’s time and access online across all connected devices– ultimately promoting safe and healthy screen habits.
The Orbi devices have a 10 Gbit Ethernet port for the Internet, and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port for wired connections.
The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router is designed to provide the fastest WiFi speed possible with higher capacity, lower latency, and the latest WPA3 security. With cutting-edge technology, the new WiFi 6E router expands WiFi for more capability, capacity, and experiences for a new world of uninterrupted connectivity for distance learning, video conferencing, and 4K/8K video streaming. With the new 6GHz band, this Nighthawk performance router delivers faster speeds, smoother streaming, and less interference, compared to previous Nighthawk models. This means that consumers can enjoy an overall enhanced experience for their array of WiFi-hungry applications and smart devices.
With 12-Streams Tri-Band WiFi (four streams of 6GHz, four streams of 5GHz, and four streams of 2.4GHz), the Nighthawk offers more bandwidth and less congestion for all devices on WiFi. Powered by a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor, users can enjoy smooth 4K/8K UHD streaming and gaming.
The Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E System and Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router are available for preorder from mid-October through leading retailers JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming.
Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E System:
• RBKE963: Router and 2 Satellites – 3 pack, RRP NZ$ 3,199
• RBSE960: Add-on Satellite, RRP NZ$ 1,149
Nighthawk RAXE500Tri-band WiFi router has an RRP of NZ$ 1,249.
