Actiontec Combines ADSL Modem and Wireless Networking in New Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway; Broadband Internet Access and Wireless Networking in One Convenient Package

Business Wire, Jan 9, 2002

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

CES 2002

Booth No. 16851

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2002

CES Booth No. 16851-- Actiontec Electronics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of broadband-based application and Internet access products, announced today the availability of its Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway, incorporating broadband Internet access and wireless networking.

Actiontec's Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway offers a complete broadband home networking solution in one flexible package. The Gateway provides broadband DSL Internet access at speeds up to 8 Mbps and allows you to share the Internet connection, files, printers, and multiplayer games across the 10/100 Mbps wired network as well as an 11 Mbps wireless home network. The Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway includes a basic firewall for network security and is expandable via two PC Card slots. It is easy to install and can be configured in minutes through a simple web browser interface.

The inclusion of a DSL modem allows all desktop and notebook PCs in the house to be online simultaneously without having to attach an external modem, ensuring compatibility and ease of installation. Because it offers a complete home networking solution and a DSL modem in one package, every PC equipped with the proper wireless network adapter can share the same Internet connection from any inside location up to 330 feet away from the gateway or any outside location within 990 feet of the unit.

The Actiontec Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway also allows users to create home and small office networks incorporating both wired and wireless devices. With a built-in Ethernet LAN port as well as wireless capabilities, up to 35 notebook and desktop PCs, printers, scanners, CD-ROM drives, handheld computers and other devices can be connected to the network, enabling users to share files, printers and other resources.

Using the ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) service now rapidly becoming available throughout the United States, the Actiontec Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway offers lightning fast Internet access -- up to twenty-five times faster than conventional dial-up modems -- over ordinary phone lines. It also offers the industry's broadest service provider compatibility, allowing an unprecedented number of consumers to enjoy high-speed, always-on Internet access.

Its ADSL modem supports simultaneous voice and data traffic over the phone line, enabling it to operate without interfering with ordinary telephone conversations. Because ADSL is "always on," the new modem eliminates the annoying delay normally required for modems to dial-up the service provider.

Users only need to plug the Actiontec Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway into a power outlet and install Actiontec's 802.11b-compatible PCMCIA Wireless Network Card in the first of two PCMCIA slots. The gateway then becomes a wireless access point and a modem in one unit, allowing users to surf the Internet wirelessly.

The second slot, unique in the industry, gives users the flexibility to add new capabilities to their home network. Actiontec is currently developing options that in the near term are expected to include a print server card enabling printing from a computer connected to the network, and a Voice over IP card enabling voice phone calls over the Internet.

Other features include:

-- Simple installation with a Web-based wizard that asks for little more than
user name and password, but also allows advanced configuration as an option for
technical savvy users.

-- Support for the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), simplifying
network administration by eliminating the need to assign a unique address to
every computer on the network.

-- Anti-hacking protection via Network Address Translation (NAT) that hides
internal computer addresses from potential intruders.

-- Support for Virtual Private Network (VPN) clients, allowing remote users to
access their VPN-based corporate networks securely.

-- Advanced security features such as the ability to block specific Internet
sites and web services.

Pricing and System Requirements

The price of the Actiontec Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway is determined based on quantities. The gateway is compatible with Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP and will be sold through national Internet Service Providers and phone companies throughout the U.S.. Actiontec will also offer a 2nd version of this product that includes a 4 Port Ethernet Router.

About Actiontec

Actiontec Electronics, Inc. is a leading supplier of analog and broadband devices designed to facilitate or leverage Internet access. The company's complete line of DSL, router, wireless LAN, Internet telephony, and analog products includes the industry's first call waiting modems, home DSL modems and wireless home gateways. Actiontec products have been recognized with a Best of Show award at Retail Xchange, Editors Choice awards from CNET's computers.com and homePCnetwork.com, and Top 100 Products of the Year from Computer Shopper. Actiontec products are available through national distribution, retail outlets, and Actiontec's online store as well as through private label and Tier 1 OEM relationships. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, and maintains branch offices in Arlington, VA; Austin, TX; Colorado Springs, CO; Irvine, CA; Reading, United Kingdom; China and Taiwan. For more information, phone 408-752-7700, fax 408-541-9003, or visit http://www.actiontec.com.