New Cayman 3346 Smart Gateway Integrates Home Networking with DSL Internet Access; Single-Box Solution Allows Multi-PC Households to Securely Share One Broadband Connection

Business Wire, Dec 3, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2002

Netopia, Inc. (Nasdaq:NTPA), a market leader in broadband gateways and service delivery software, today announced the general market availability of the Cayman(R) 3346 Smart Gateway. In a single solution, the new Cayman 3346 integrates the best of broadband connectivity with robust networking capabilities enabling residential DSL subscribers to share Internet access with every household PC.

The self-installable and remotely manageable Cayman 3346 Smart Gateway incorporates a built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch plus full routing capabilities allowing broadband carriers and service providers to deliver an all-in-one broadband home networking solution. Designed to take the complexity out of connecting and installing a broadband home network, DSL subscribers benefit from the Cayman 3346 Smart Gateway's user friendly self-installation tools such as a setup wizard and auto-sensing connectors for LAN and WAN connectivity. For service providers, Netopia's single-point broadband home networking solution eliminates the need for a multi-device installation in the subscriber's home, and includes proven remote management capabilities which significantly reduce the cost of deployment and support.

"Consumers are flocking to the stores to buy cable/DSL gateways that allow them to share a single DSL line with all of their household computers," said Jeff Porter, vice president of marketing at Netopia, Inc. "Our service provider partners want to share in this incremental revenue stream as well as eliminate the cost of supporting un-certified secondary devices. The Cayman 3346 is designed to drive profitability for our partners by addressing these specific needs."

To help keep the home network safe, the Cayman 3346 provides users with top-notch security for the home or small office. NAT is turned on by default hiding networked PC addresses from the Internet to prevent unwanted attacks while still enabling users to play games online, download music or share files over the Internet from any networked PC.

With the Cayman 3346 Smart Gateway, installing and maintaining the home network is easy. The Cayman 3346 Smart Gateway's consumer-oriented Web-based user interface takes the work out of establishing the DSL connection and adding, moving, and securing PCs on the home network. Auto-sensing connectors insure that wiring the network is fool-proof and the embedded seven layer self-diagnostic tool pinpoints connectivity issues for service providers and DSL subscribers alike.

The Cayman 3346 is complemented by Netopia's netOctopus(R) software suite of broadband management tools that let broadband service providers easily manage and support customer premise equipment and subscribers at the edge of their networks. The netOctopus suite includes three integrated modules: (1) netOctopus EdgeManager, which permits network operations teams to proactively support large installations of modems and gateways, (2) netOctopus GatewaySupport, which enables technical support agents to identify remotely and resolve quickly specific modem and gateway issues, and (3) netOctopus DesktopSupport, which provides instant online customer service and assistance by enabling technical support and customer service agents to view and operate a customer's PC remotely and securely.

The Cayman 3346 is the latest addition to the Cayman 3300 Series of smart modems and gateways. Based on the same hardware platform, the entire product family employs a shared software architecture that allows service providers to ensure compatibility and performance on their networks and deploy, maintain and upgrade the entire product family easily.

Availability

The Cayman 3346 smart gateway is available immediately from carriers, service providers, catalogs and distributors in North America.

About Netopia

Netopia, Inc. develops, markets and supports hardware, software and services that simplify and enhance the delivery of broadband services to residential and business-class customers. Netopia's offerings enable carriers and broadband service providers to improve their profitability with feature rich modems, routers and gateways, software that manages to the edge of the network to reduce costs, and value added services to enhance revenue generation. Netopia's broadband equipment is interoperable with all major central office equipment suppliers, including Alcatel, Cisco, Copper Mountain Networks, Ericsson, Lucent Technologies, Nokia, Paradyne, Siemens, and Zhone Technologies. Netopia has established strategic distribution relationships with leading carriers and broadband service providers including BellSouth, Comcast, Covad Communications, EarthLink, France Telecom, Hong Kong Telecom/PCCW, MegaPath Networks, Netifice, SBC Communications, Telecom Italia and Verizon.

Netopia's service delivery platform includes the netOctopus suite of gateway/PC management and customer support software solutions, and the Web eCommerce server software. netOctopus server software products enable remote support and centralized management of installed broadband gateways and end devices, allowing carriers and broadband service providers to "manage to the edge" of the network. netOctopus Desktop Support and eCare software enable broadband service providers and enterprises to support customers by remotely viewing and operating the customer's desktop computer.