NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of networking devices that power today's smart home and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), is growing its category of switching products for homes and small offices/home offices (SOHO). The NETGEAR 8-port Unmanaged Gigabit Switch (GS908) and the NETGEAR 8-port Smart Managed Plus Gigabit Switch with two USB Charging Ports (GS908E) are industry-first consumer-friendly switches with built-in cable management. The stylish and thoughtful design eliminates the unsightly tangle of cables, distracting lights and fan noise, enabling these new switches to be proudly displayed in full view for all to see.

Filled with a growing number of Internet-connected devices, the homes and offices of today would greatly benefit from -or even require- a direct, wired Ethernet connection. Devices that stream video perform better with a wired connection. Connected via Ethernet, high bandwidth devices will no longer place an undue burden on mobile devices utilizing WiFi on the network. Video streaming and high bandwidth devices include smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming video players, network attached storage (NAS), VoIP telephone adapters, and some connected video security systems.In addition, customers are increasingly finding that wireless routers and the new WiFi Mesh Systems often do not have enough Ethernet ports to provide wired connections to nearby high bandwidth devices. With these scenarios, a switch becomes a necessary add-on solution. Traditionally, however, switches have not had the design aesthetics to make them appropriate for a living room, bedroom or office. Distracting LEDs, unattractive cases and a tangle of wires plague the majority of off-the-shelf switches.

NETGEAR is a leader in designing award-winning application appropriate network solutions. To address this specific issue, NETGEAR has thoughtfully designed two sleek, 8-port Switches, the GS908 Unmanaged Gigabit Switch and the GS908E Smart Managed Plus Gigabit Switch with built-in cable organization that will keep your entertainment cabinet, home office or networking closet neat and tidy. The contoured shape and slim design allow them to seamlessly blend in with home office decor, and the lightweight enclosures means the switches can be mounted anywhere, whether atop a gaming console or on an office wall.

"With the multitude of connected devices now in the home, switches have moved into the living room, and should not disruptive to the aesthetics of the space," said Richard Jonker, vice president of product line management for SMB products at NETGEAR. "The sleek casing and quiet operation of the new GS908 and GS908E 8-port Switches, along with their powerful feature sets, will make them a welcome addition to any home or office. It is a perfect marriage of form meeting function, where essential technology tools should not be an eyesore for the well-designed modern home or office of today."

The GS908 and GS908E Switches are thoughtfully designed to integrate seamlessly with their environment, whether in the family room, home office, or small business. With a fan-less design and on/off button for the port LEDs, the GS908 and GS908E Switches operate silently to keep your environment quiet without blinking lights that disturb your movie, work or sleep.

Expanding Wired Connectivity for Home and Small Office Networks
The NETGEAR 8-port Smart Managed Plus Gigabit Switch (GS908E) offers two conveniently placed USB ports for charging your smartphone or tablet. It has an intuitive web browser-based graphical user interface (GUI), simple enough for those less technically inclined, but with the rich features of other NETGEAR Smart Managed Plus Switches for IT professionals, all accessible from your computer or mobile device. With one-click optimized advanced preset configurations, the GS908E brings low latency, port and traffic prioritization and Quality of Service (QoS) management into your home or office network without expecting you to be an IT networking expert.

The pre-configured presets automatically configure each Gigabit Ethernet port for gaming, media streaming, or as a standard LAN port for seamless surfing, VoIP or video calls. In addition, link aggregation (LAG) or "port trunking" enables you to use multiple ports to create an aggregated connection of up to 4Gbps to any other link aggregation capable devices, such as NETGEAR ReadyNAS storage. Furthermore, you can define your own one-click personalized configurations to be saved on the switch and accessed from the management GUI for a completely personalized network setup.

The 16Gbps non-blocking switching architecture enables congestion-free connectivity at wire speed for your devices, while IGMP snooping support for multicast optimization and Port-Based VLAN and 802.1Q VLANs increase your network performance and security.

Like the more feature-rich GS908E, the NETGEAR 8-port Unmanaged Gigabit Switch (GS908) offers integrated cable management and plug-and-play connectivity to your router, modem or WiFi mesh system without a complicated user manual. Jumbo packet support, auto-negotiation for automatic connection between the switch and end devices at the highest common speed, and non-blocking switching architecture with 16Gbps of maximum throughput make the GS908 a perfect switch for any home or business.

In addition to their user-friendly design and silent and concealed operation, both the GS908 and the more feature-rich GS908E Switches share several key capabilities and benefits:

• Port-based and preconfigured 802.1p/DSCP-based QoS (Quality of Service) for prioritization of voice and video traffic over data
• Auto "denial-of-service" (DoS) prevention
• Broadcast storm controls
• Rate limiting and priority queuing for better bandwidth allocation
• Energy-efficient technology for power savings (IEEE 802.3az and short cable power reduction)
• Industry-leading 3-year hardware warranty with technical support options

Pricing and Availability
The new switches are available now worldwide through authorized NETGEAR partners and other reseller channels and ecommerce sites. Expected MSRPs in the U.S. are:

• NETGEAR 8-port Unmanaged Gigabit Switch (GS908) - $49.99
• NETGEAR 8-port Smart Managed Plus Gigabit Switch (GS908E) - $69.99