Netgear today announced the award of CNET's Editors' Choice to the FWG114P ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Firewall with USB Print Server, the first such product available to the small and medium business market. The CNET Editors' Choice seal is awarded to products that display excellence in performance, quality, product design, and value. Products bearing this distinction are endorsed by CNET as outstanding in their category.
The CNET Editors' Choice designation was awarded in a December 2003 product review that praised the Netgear Wireless Firewall for delivering "solid performance and the right array of features." According to the review, "its integrated access point, firewall, and print server are all easy to set up on any platform using a standard Web browser, making the Netgear wireless firewall a good choice regardless of whether you're networking Linux, Apple, or Windows machines."
Setting itself apart from the competition in the performance testing, the high-speed Netgear Wireless Firewall placed in the top three in all CNET Labs throughput tests to date. However, CNET's range tests are where the FWG114P truly shined. "In our range tests, the wireless firewall takes its place at the head of the pack," stated the CNET article. "It had the best performance-over-distance curve we've seen so far and outperformed all three of our top range contenders."
"We are very excited about the award of the Editors' Choice to our FWG114P as it validates our efforts to provide the SOHO and SMB markets with high-performance, versatile, easy-to-use networking solutions," explained Kevin Allan, Netgear Director of Product Marketing and Management -- Business Products. "Because small businesses require a unique blend of flexibility, functionality and security in their network infrastructure and don't typically have large IT budgets and dedicated network administrators on staff, they need network solutions that are cost-effective, easy-to-manage, secure, and able to accommodate rapid growth. The FWG114P was specifically designed to meet those requirements. And though the product is great value to our customers, we will be providing even more by adding VPN end-point functionality in January."
The FWG114P combines a router, four-port 10/100 switch, 802.11b/g compliant 54 Mbps wireless access point, USB 2.0-upgradable print server, an SPI firewall, and advanced industry-standard wireless security features including Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), via a free firmware upgrade now available, making it one of the most secure, complete networking products available for small businesses.
The feature-rich Netgear Wireless Firewall also incorporates an RS-232 serial port to accommodate many popular ISDN or analog modems for automatic fail-over backup connection. Available now via a firmware upgrade at the Netgear support site, the serial port also supports single-user remote access server (RAS) functionality, enabling a remote user to access resources on the LAN. Another update available early next year will enable support for two IPSec-based VPN end-point tunnels, complete with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) support.
A powerful detachable 5dBi antenna optimizes wireless performance and is compatible with Netgear's line of antennas and accessories. Easy-to-install and manage, the Netgear Wireless Firewall includes the browser-based Smart Wizard Install Assistant, which automatically detects the ISP connection type and guides users through each step of the installation process.
Netgear designs technologically advanced, branded networking products that address the specific needs of small and medium business and home users.