During the holidays, about half of all TVs sold are likely to be web-connected. That calls for a reboot in home networking technology and it's why Netgear is launching 13 new products today for consumers and small businesses.
The products include three new product families and a new service, all aimed at creating a new generation of devices to hook TVs up to the web and store growing collections of movies and videos.
"We've connected consumers to the web via iPads and iPhones," said Patrick Lo, chief executive of Netgear, in an interview. "Now it's time to connect the TV."
The idea is that TVs are getting smarter and the devices that connect to them have to connect is smart ways without confusing users.
San Jose, Calif.-based Netgear is a publicly traded company with the No. 1 market share in retail home networking in Western markets. It also has the top market share for certain kinds of switches used in small businesses. Its products span the security, data backup, switching, and wireless networking markets. The company sells products by the millions as web-savvy consumers learn to use its products to download or stream video and then store it or play it back on a variety of electronic displays around the home.
Lo (pictured) said that the design philosophy behind all of the products is to simplify networking so that consumers can just plug it in and make it work. Networking devices used to be a bear to install, even for techies. Now the products are more consumer friendly, but the problems are getting more complex as users connect their different devices together and to the internet.
This year's TV models combine web connectivity and stereoscopic 3D. One of Netgear's new products -- the 3DHD Wireless Home Theater Networking Kit -- lets you stream high-quality 1080p high-definition video throughout the home without wires. You can use this device when you want to watch a movie in a bedroom and still view it in 3D.
Netgear also has a number of home network storage devices for recording digital video under its ReadyNAS brand name. The new ReadyNAS devices serve both consumers and small businesses. All of the devices use a combination of cloud and local technologies. The company previously refreshed its line-up in July and is expanding it further now.
Netgear is also introducing a network management software to centrally manage a bunch of networked storage devices, and it will also provide free on-site replacement for many of its business products. Rivals include D-Link, Western Digital and Seagate.
Netgear has also become a licensee for Roku. It will make a set-top box that uses Roku's movie-streaming technology.