Western Digital, a company best known for its internal and external hard drives, is entering the wireless networking market: as of today, it is offering a range of simultaneous dual-band wireless N routers. There are three basic models: the $79.99 My Net N600, which includes 4 fast Ethernet ports and 300 Mbit wireless on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands; the $119.99 My Net 750, which gets you gigabit Ethernet as well as 450 Mbit wireless on the 5 GHz band; and the $179.99 My Net 950, which includes a whopping seven gigabit Ethernet ports and 450 Mbit wireless on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.
The real feature of interest, given Western Digital's extensive experience in both the hard drive and home NAS market, is included in the My Net N900 Central, which combines the features of the N900 router with a built-in 1TB or 2TB hard drive (for $299.99 and $349.99, respectively). Devices outside the user's home network can access files stored on these routers either through Western Digital's web portal or the company's iOS and Android apps. The WD SmartWare software will also provide computer backup for Windows computers, while Time Machine compatibility is included for Macs.
Western Digital's press release for the routers also highlights a technology called "FasTrack" that prioritizes video traffic from sites like YouTube and Netflix, though most routers in this price range already offer quality of service (QoS) features that do essentially the same thing.
from Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com
