Apps come to the network as Netgear launches Smart Network

Netgear is bringing apps to the home network with support for an open development platform in its next wave of networking devices.

The company announced its Smart Network scheme at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and said the move would extend the value of the home network in the same way that apps had done for smartphones and tablet PCs.

The open platform means that any company can write apps for routers, media streamers and other devices from Netgear launched in 2012.

Home users will be able to browse a range of apps in an online store, and Netgear said they could expect to see applications to do everything from managing smart home devices, such as Wifi thermostats, to ensuring priority and performance for streaming media entertainment.

Other apps will make it easier to set up print sharing and cloud printing capabilities for tablets or sharing pictures and home videos with friends and family on social networks without having to upload any files to public web sites.

The company also announced the launch of a router with built-in storage. The Netgear Media Storage Router provides incremental back up of any device attached to the home network, including support for Apple's Time Machine application, and has two USB 3 ports for connecting other storage devices.

There was also an upgrade for the company's network-management application, Genie, with a new mobile that app that can be used to view and block or allow devices to connect to the network, set up parental ontrols for web access and stream media from DLNA-compatible products such as TVs.

Netgear said 2012 would see it release products capable of handling far higher bandwidth, as provided for by the emerging 802.11LC standard for wireless networks that can reach a theoretical maximum of 1.3Gbits/sec, along with faster Powerline products for connecting to the web and home storage and entertainment devices via electricity sockets.