PRESS RELEASE
Voice-control your music and smart home while enjoying award winning WiFi everywhere through an Orbi Voice WiFi System combining WiFi mesh and voice-activated premium audio smart speaker for incredibly rich, room-filling sound
IFA, Berlin — August 31, 2018 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), the leading provider of networking devices that power today’s smart home and small business connectivity, today announced at the IFA trade show in Berlin, the world’s first mesh WiFi System with Orbi™ Voice Smart Speaker and WiFi Mesh Satellite with Built-In Amazon Alexa™. Orbi Voice as part of any Orbi WiFi System creates expansive whole home WiFi coverage up to 4,500 square feet (186 square meters) or more of high-performance WiFi up to 3Gigabits per second combined WiFi speed, along with premium audio by Harman Kardon® for incredible sound in any room. With the built-in Amazon voice assistant capability fully integrated into Orbi Voice Satellite, Alexa can be asked to play music from the most popular music services as well as set alarms, control IoT devices, check traffic, weather, sports scores, and so much more, without needing a separate Amazon Echo device.
“The two fastest growing consumer trends for Smart Home technology have been the popularity of the voice assistant control and the growth of WiFi mesh systems. NETGEAR, the established leader of WiFi Mesh with our award-winning Orbi Whole Home Tri-band Mesh WiFi systems and Nighthawk Mesh WiFi extenders, today, is driving the next step in innovation with a built-in Alexa assistant and WiFi mesh satellite in a single consumer solution,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “Orbi Voice is the result of combining the three key technologies used in the Smart Home environment in order to deliver both exceptional WiFi and quality sound from our audio technology partner Harman Kardon. It is also widely known that the most popular skill employed with smart speakers is to enjoy streaming music services. To address this need, we have taken our expertise in WiFi and married it with a legend in the industry, Harman Kardon, to deliver superior sound quality while aligning with the leading providers of streaming music to give our customers the best WiFi and HiFi in one package.”
Orbi Voice will delight your friends and family with superior sound clarity providing a captivating listening experience.Premium audio by Harman Kardon® creates exceptionally rich, room-filling sound. A built-in four-microphone array and far-field voice recognition enables Orbi Voice to hear you from across the room. To easily adjust the volume and equalizer controls, simply use the Orbi mobile app to adjust the treble and bass emanating from the 3.5-inch front-facing woofer and 1-inch tweeter.
“Products that solve multiple consumer needs are increasingly in demand, and the exquisite sound quality of Harman Kardon elevates the dynamic Orbi Voice Smart Speaker,” added David Rogers, president of HARMAN’s Consumer Audio Business Unit. “We’re pleased to partner with NETGEAR to bring this product to consumers looking for a single device that offers tremendous audio, in addition to its voice intelligence and WiFi capabilities.”
With its sleek, modern design, Orbi Voice is the perfect smart speaker to display on a bookshelf, side table or kitchen counter, so you can listen to your favorite music and podcasts in any room, without missing a beat. The combination of a voice assistant, high-end audio and high-performance WiFi in one device, eliminates the clutter of three individual products to deliver the same features. With Orbi Voice, you will be able to enjoy music from the most popular music streaming providers, such as Spotify®, Amazon® Music, Pandora®, iHeartRadio®, TuneIn, Deezer and other services. Orbi Voice is also capable of playback of audiobooks from Audible, podcasts, radio stations, news briefs, and more – all you have to do is ask.
The Orbi Mesh WiFi System
WiFi Systems are designed for a broad range of home environments, from apartments and lofts to single family homes and sprawling estates. The new Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi System with Orbi Voice Smart Speaker and WiFi Satellite (RBK50V) delivers up to 3Gbps* high-performance WiFi coverage for homes up to 4,500 square feet (418 square meters) for a nearly zero buffering and no dead zones WiFi experience.
The new Orbi System is ready right out of the box and will work with current internet service providers. Setup for an Orbi System is easy using a mobile device through the free Orbi app. It offers easy network management and helps to keep the device current with automated Orbi software updates for new features and WiFi enhancements. Through the Orbi app, set Circle® Smart Parental Controls on NETGEAR to manage content and time spent online on a per-child or per-device basis. You’ll also benefit from a separate guest WiFi network and other advanced router features.
Each Orbi Voice Satellite offers two Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting wired devices for even faster file transfers and reliable connections.
Pricing and Availability
An Orbi Mesh WiFi System (RBK50V) consisting of the Orbi Tri-Band WiFi Router plus one Orbi Voice Smart Speaker and WiFi Satellite will be available later next month at an RRP of £399.
For those who have an Orbi WiFi system, the add-on Orbi Voice Smart Speaker and WiFi Mesh satellite (RBS40V) by NETGEAR will be available this Autumn through authorized NETGEAR partners and other reseller channels, ecommerce sites, and major retailers, at the RRP of £279.
Orbi products are available through authorized NETGEAR partners and other reseller channels, ecommerce sites, and major retailers. Please visit the NETGEAR website to see other models available in the Orbi Tri-Band Home WiFi System family.
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQ: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. The Company's products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless (WiFi and LTE), Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. The product line consists of wired and wireless devices that enable networking, broadband access and network connectivity. These products are available in multiple configurations to address the needs of the end-users in each geographic region in which the Company's products are sold. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 27,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 23,000 value-added resellers, as well as multiple major cable, mobile and wireline service providers around the world. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in approximately 25 countries. More information is available from the NETGEAR investor page or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR on Twitter, Facebook and our blog.
* Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE standard 802.11 specifications. 3Gbps or AC3000 equals 400Mbps at 2.4GHz 802.11n with 256 QAM support + 1733Mbps at 5GHz 802.11ac with 256 QAM support + 867Mbps at 5GHz 802.11ac with 256 QAM support. Actual data throughput and wireless coverage will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate and wireless coverage. NETGEAR makes no express or implied representations or warranties about this product’s compatibility with any future standards.
