The worldwide Ethernet switch market reached $5.36 billion in the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12), representing a 4.4% year-over-year decline compared to the very strong 3Q11. Meanwhile, the worldwide router market declined 0.2% year over year in 3Q12, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch and Router Tracker.

The 3Q12 results also show that the Ethernet switch market increased in the mid to high single digit range, year over year, in Latin America, Japan, Central & Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). On the other hand, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) was down overall with the market declining 3.5% year over year, whereas the U.S. declined 6.4% and Western Europe decreased more significantly just over 10% year over year in 3Q12.

Buffalo announced availability of the WZR-D1100H/U 802.11ac WLAN router in Japan. Due to regulatory restrictions local to the country, its wireless bandwidth will cap out at 600 Mbps when routing in the 802.11ac mode. It supports the 5.00 GHz band in addition to 2.4 GHz. Its upstream and downstream Ethernet ports support 1 Gbps bandwidth. Most common security features are supported. It is priced at 25,450¥ (US $310).

Japanese company Logitec announced the LAN-WH600ACGR, an 802.11ac compliant WLAN router. Due to local government imposed restrictions for home/office communication equipment, the router can only serve at speeds of up to 600 Mbps. The router supports the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, and uses three antennae to support MIMO. In order for upstream and downstream wired connections not to bottleneck the WLAN, the router features gigabit Ethernet on its lone upstream and three downstream ports. Its router component supports multi-session PPPoE, UPnP, and Dynamic DNS. Most standard security protocols are supported, including WPA-2 PSK AES, WPA PSK TKIP, 128-bit WEP. Measuring 190 x 210 x 45 mm, it weighs about 580 g, needs an external AC power adapter, and can by clung onto walls.

WD, a Western Digital company, and a world leader in external storage and solutions for today's connected life, today unveils the new My Net AC1300 HD Dual-Band Router and My Net AC Bridge as the latest additions to the acclaimed My Net family of HD dual-band routers. These products combine next-generation 802.11ac wireless technology with WD's exclusive FasTrack technology for automatically prioritizing high-bandwidth entertainment services like Netflix, YouTube, online games and Skype, to provide maximum streaming performance inside the home.

A leading product testing and analysis organization, The Tolly Group, conducted performance testing of the My Net AC1300 router and My Net Bridge amongst comparable products on the market today. Results show that the My Net AC1300 router is faster than leading competitive products averaged across ranges of 30 to 75 feet, demonstrating the strongest performance in providing stable wireless speeds over long distances, and cutting out buffering and lag times to provide a smooth HD entertainment streaming experience throughout the home.

MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia, today announced that its MT7620 Wi-Fi System-on-a-Chip (SoC) has been selected for the new ASUS RT-N14U N300 wireless router, debuting globally this quarter.

The MT7620 is the latest addition to MediaTek's family of highly integrated, single-chip Wi-Fi SoC products, currently being deployed by many wireless router and repeater makers worldwide. It incorporates advanced signaling technologies, giving device manufacturers robust tools to develop best-in-class energy-saving wireless routers, with particular benefit when connected to battery-powered devices such as smartphones, notebooks, and tablets.

To serve home and office users who need wider wireless coverage, the ASUS RT-N12HP high-power wireless-N300 router employs detachable 9dBi antennas and a unique hardware signal power amplifier. It extends Wi-Fi range by up to 300%, at the same time offering 3-in-1 utility as a router, access point, and range extender. The user-friendly interface also supports up to four separate networks, with different bandwidth and access privileges.

High-power technology generates up to 300% wider wireless coverage
The RT-N12HP utilizes a custom hardware architecture that augments wireless transmission and signal quality with detachable 9dBi high-gain antennas and a discrete signal power amplifier. These create a major increase in 802.11n wireless coverage, up to 300% longer-range compared to standard N300 routers. At the same time, the improved hardware ensures a more stable and consistent signal. The RT-N12HP is therefore a highly viable choice for homes and small businesses that want complete coverage via a single networking device.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the new NETGEAR Developer Program, a revolutionary, simple way for developers to create new apps to help customers get more out of the millions of NETGEAR devices purchased every month. In an industry first, NETGEAR has created a huge opportunity for developers to produce apps by leveraging the NETGEAR Smart Network architecture built into an increasing number of its consumer and small-business devices, including a selection of routers, gateways and network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

Developers simply register at the NETGEAR Smart Network website (here), where they can access all the Java-based building blocks they need to create apps. NETGEAR makes it easy for developers to share or sell their apps through the NETGEAR genie+ marketplace. For the first time, home and small business customers can remotely download apps directly to their connected NETGEAR devices just as they would to a smartphone or tablet - to expand functionality. No other network vendor offers an app development platform or app store for these types of devices.

Securifi, an innovative consumer electronics company best known for developing Almond, the world's first Wi-Fi router and range extender with an intuitive touch screen interface, today announces that the highly anticipated product is now available with Japanese language support.

Almond will be showcased at the upcoming CEATEC show in Tokyo at Securifi's booth (#2B38). First introduced at CES 2012, Almond made headlines for its modern design and simple touch screen interface that configures in seconds and does away with PC or Mac or CD based setup or maintenance. Almond's range extender functionality has delighted customers who wanted an easy way to extend the range of their existing routers.

TP-LINK believes that everyone should be able to experience high performance wireless Internet access using dual band technology at the lowest price possible. The N600 Wireless Dual Band Router provides simultaneous stream on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, great for bandwidth intensive applications like HD video streaming and online gaming. As of 9/26/2012 on Newegg.com, the NETGEAR N600 WNDR3400 retails for $79.00 while the comparable TP-LINK N600 TL-WDR3500 retails for only $47.00, a 40% savings in price.

"This router provides cost-conscious consumers a chance to experience the advantages of dual band technology that they otherwise may not have been able to invest in," says Lewis Wu, Director of Sales at TP-LINK USA. "No other competitor can beat our combination of the latest technology for the lowest everyday price."

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the N150 Wireless Router, model TEW-712BR, a performance oriented entry level router with the power to easily stream HD video to your television while surfing the internet.

The TEW-712BR is designed for moderate Internet users who live in an average sized home. Connect computers, NAS drives, and printers to the four Ethernet ports on the back of the router. The router supports 150 Megabit per second (Mbps) theoretical wireless speeds -- the same speed as embedded wireless cards in most tablets, laptops, and smart phones. The latest encryption protocols protect your valuable wireless network.

D-Link today announced its latest addition to its family of SharePort mobility products - the SharePort Go (DIR-506L), giving families and mobile professionals a simple-to-use and feature-rich solution for easy media streaming to a range of devices and Wireless networking on-the-go. Featuring a compact design and rechargeable battery, the portable SharePort Go (DIR-506L) allows users to easily share and stream across a range of devices, add wireless storage to a smartphone or tablet, or turn any Internet connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

"Internet access is ubiquitous in public places across the globe - hotels, coffee shops, airports and more - however, often times these connections are not secure and they don't offer an easy way to share an Internet connection with multiple devices," said Ken Loyd, director, consumer products, D-Link. "The new SharePort Go not only provides easy and secure networking wherever you are, but enables you to share all types of media with any number of devices, effortlessly."

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced a refreshed lineup of the AirStation HighPower line of wireless routers and access points with the introduction of WZR-600DHP, WZR-300HP and WHR-300HP. This comprehensive refresh includes firmware enhancements to Buffalo's award-winning HighPower technology along with a new setup process that allows router configuration from smartphone and tablet devices, further improving performance, range and usability.

The refreshed trio of AirStation HighPower wireless routers ships with an updated version of DD-WRT firmware pre-installed and Buffalo firmware is available for free from the Buffalo downloads site. These updated firmware versions, also available to select legacy models as an example of Buffalo's commitment to existing users, provide greater stability and increased performance for better overall functionality. Additionally, the refreshed collection touts a new user setup and a printed admin and access card designed for simple configuration in just a few steps. Once the router is physically connected and powered, the unit will automatically detect the Internet connection allowing users to set the SSID and password along with administrative credentials. Within minutes of opening the box users will have a secure, stable, high speed wireless network without the pains of configuring complicated settings.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the industry's first ADSL2+ 802.11ac integrated router, the NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router.

The latest addition to NETGEAR's family of high-speed 802.11ac wireless devices, the D6300 is designed to meet growing customer demand for a highly integrated WiFi ADSL modem router for better and faster wireless on Internet-enabled WiFi devices in the home. Supporting both integrated ADSL and a gigabit WAN Ethernet port, the NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router is a single, power-packed device that enables consumers to access ADSL/fiber/cable broadband - with the world's fastest next-generation gigabit WiFi.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the NETGEAR N750 Dual Band Gigabit WiFi Router - Premium Edition (WNDR4300), a wireless solution that combines a rich feature set with blazing fast 750 Mbps (300 + 450 Mbps) speed to stream HD video, support multiplayer gaming and handle large file transfers. Featuring secure NETGEAR ReadyShare Cloud service and compatibility with Apple Time Machine, the NETGEAR N750 is a cost-effective router that makes home networks faster, more reliable and easier to manage in medium-to-large homes.

The NETGEAR N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Premium Router includes NETGEAR ReadyShare Cloud service, which enables the creation of a highly secure private cloud for easily accessing and sharing files wirelessly. NETGEAR ReadyShare Cloud keeps all your files stored securely at home but available to transfer, edit or share anywhere, anytime remotely via your smartphone, tablet or PC. Simply and securely drag and drop files and folders without the hassle of using multiple file sharing sites or uploading.

Belkin, creator of people-inspired consumer technology products, today launched its new line of advanced wireless routers featuring 802.11ac technology for speeds up to three times faster than existing 802.11n technology. As one of the first to market with routers that support the new 802.11ac networking standard, Belkin's AC1000 DB and AC1200 DB Wi-Fi Dual-Band AC+ Gigabit Routers provide enhanced reliability, greater speeds, and enhanced streaming capabilities.

"With a majority of video content being consumed on devices such as smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets instead of a home computer, today's tech-savvy families have an increasing need for simultaneous connections to multiple devices throughout their homes," said Mike Chen, senior director of Belkin's networking business. "The enhanced speed and expanded coverage of Belkin's AC routers enable families to achieve the truly seamless online experiences they crave."

The ASUS RT-AC66U router integrates dual-band Gigabit wireless with fifth generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, also known as 5G WiFi, which enables speeds up to three times faster than existing 802.11n. As one of the first routers to achieve this, it tops Gigabit wireless requirements with a combined 2.4 GHz/5 GHz bandwidth of 1.75 Gbps. This massive data rate makes it an excellent high speed router for demanding online applications, coupled with exclusive ASUS AiRadar signal amplification and shaping technology. Easy ASUSWRT setup, multiple SSIDs, and IPv6 support further enhance networking, while strong USB-based capabilities turn the RT-AC66U into a 3G, FTP, DLNA, and printer server for genuine multi-role functionality.

TP-Link launched its newest premium wireless home router, the TL-WDR4300 N750. This 802.11 b/g/n router is capable of running 450 Mbps over 5 GHz and 300 Mbps over 2.4 GHz bands simultaneously (dual-band), hence the number "750" in N750, derived out of combining the two bandwidths. With wired networking, the TL-WDR4300 provides four downstream 10/100/1000 Mbps (GbE) ports, and a GbE upstream (WAN) port.

The TL-WDR4300 even provides two ubiquitous USB 2.0 ports, to which USB mass-storage devices and printers can be connected, and shared over the network. With a storage device attached, some basic NAS functionality is provided, such as FTP access, and media streaming over UPnP. The TL-WDR4300 from TP-Link is expected to retail for around US $90.

Logitec Japan unveiled the LAN-W300N/RS line of compact wireless internet routers. Measuring just 56 x 42 x 13.5, weighing 23 g (excluding the light AC adapter), the router is ideal for carrying around, when traveling. Its WLAN module supports 802.11 b/g/n with 300 Mbps transfer rates supported in 802.11 n mode. Its wired interfaces include a 10/100 Mbps downstream Ethernet connection, and a WAN uplink. Wireless security standards such as WPA/WPA2-PSK with 64-bit and 128-bit AES encryption, WPA2-PSK with TKIP, and WEP are supported. The router is available in two color choices, black and white. Slated for late-May, the LAN-W300N/RS from Logitec, is expected to sell for 3,570 JPY (US $44.4) a pop.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced a new line of products that provide access to next-generation high-speed 802.11ac wireless to meet growing customer needs for better and faster wireless on Internet-enabled WiFi devices in the home. The products-two wireless routers and one wireless USB adapter-make 802.11ac WiFi available to laptops and PCs, even before this capability has been built into these systems.

The previously announced NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router is the industry's first 802.11ac router. Following up on the introduction of that product, NETGEAR is pleased to announce that it will be expanding its 11ac range with a second 11ac router and a USB adapter. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router supports combined WiFi speeds up to 1750 Mbps, while the NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router announced today supports approximate combined WiFi speeds up to 1200 Mbps and has a lower price point. Both are backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n to provide optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices and maintaining maximum performance on Wireless-n.

Amped Wireless, the leading manufacturer of high-power, long-range wireless communications products for the home and office, today unveiled its new flagship, high-performance, long range router - the R20000G High Power Wireless-N Gigabit Dual Band Router.

Engineered to deliver exceptional levels of performance, power and flexibility, this new router is designed for use in large homes and offices. The R20000G brings unprecedented, simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi to home and office users of up to 10,000 square feet of coverage or a quarter of an acre, the same size as a major league baseball diamond.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the availability of the NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router; the first 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling 5th generation WiFi (5G WiFi) at gigabit speeds. The router is also backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n which provides optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices.

The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router, powered by Broadcom's 5G WiFi IEEE 802.11ac chips, is up to three times faster than today's 802.11n routers. With an elegant new design that fits perfectly in consumers' living spaces, the router increases the coverage area for HD streaming in the home. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router has speeds of up to 1300 Mbps on 5 GHz and 450 Mbps on 2.4 GHz enabling consumers to download web content from any device in the home in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device.

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's first 100 Gbps full duplex network processor unit (NPU). Enabling the next wave of 100GbE optimized switches and routers for service provider networks, the fully programmable BCM88030 family features 64 custom processors running at 1GHz, delivering more than 2X the throughput of any NPU on the market. With the industry's highest level of integration, the BCM88030 solution eliminates costly external components, dramatically reducing system cost and power by up to 80 percent per 10 GbE port.

In 2012, the number of connected devices is set to exceed the world's population with an estimated 7 billion devices connected to the network(1). By 2015, 90 percent of content viewed on mobile devices will be streaming video and application downloads are expected to reach 47 billion per year(1). To satisfy this overwhelming appetite for bandwidth, service providers around the globe are racing to transform their networks by adopting higher bandwidth links. Analysts estimate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 170 percent from 2011 to 2016 for 100G Ethernet ports as service providers rush to meet this demand(2).

Aerohive Networks, the pioneer in cloud-enabled enterprise networking infrastructure, today announced the general availability of its newest addition to the Branch on Demand solution - the BR200. Building on the success of its BR100, announced last November, Aerohive's BR200 ushers in an era of rapid time-to-revenue and operation for retail stores, long-term healthcare facilities, and mid-market and commercial enterprises with highly dispersed remote locations that have little to no IT support.

Aerohive's Branch on Demand solution leverages the Aerohive Cloud Services Platform to automate remote provisioning and deployment and provide enterprise class network visibility and remote remediation capabilities that would normally be expected in much more expensive and complex solutions. It also delivers HQ-like network experience and corporate policy enforcement to every user regardless of location or device at a cost that allows it to scale to hundreds or thousands of branch offices or remote locations. With the release of the BR200, retail outlets and larger enterprise branches for the first time have an ideal solution for rapid deployment of highly secure, repeatable branch networks.

Here's a unique device that renders three others obsolete, the TVPlug, by a Korean manufacturer of the name. This device combines the functionality of a WiFi-N router, a NAS server, and a home media center into a single device. The device includes a MIMO-capable 802.11 b/g/n wireless router with one WAN and two LAN ports. It provides two USB 2.0 ports, which connect to any USB Mass Storage-compliant devices (be it flash drives, portable hard drives, or even drive boxes. The device can act as a media server for all your iOs/Android devices (smartphones, tablets, and smart media players). Lastly, it can also play back videos to a TV.

Cisco today unveiled a new line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers with app enabled capabilities for consumers to power and enjoy their connected homes of today and tomorrow. The three new Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers offer exceptional wireless performance and maximum throughput, as well as support for Cisco Connect Cloud, the next generation of Cisco Connect software, which provides simple anytime, anywhere management of multiple home networks. Cisco also announced it is working with top device manufacturers to simplify their networked products, (such as TVs, entertainment devices and home appliances) enabling new consumer experiences in the future.

"The proliferation of wireless devices and the explosion of video streaming have redefined the importance of the home network. Today's connected consumer has high expectations for reliability, simplicity, and software and apps that grow with them over time," said Brett Wingo, vice president and general manager, Cisco Home Networking. "Our new Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers are game-changing products that put intelligence into the home network so consumers have a platform that makes it easy to manage and optimize their devices, and enjoy apps that deliver great new experiences."