Netgear

Summary

Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries.[3] It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service providers. The company operates in three business segments: retail, commercial, and as a service provider.

Netgear, Inc.
Company typePublic
IndustryNetworking equipment
FoundedJanuary 8, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-01-08)
FoundersPatrick Lo, Mark G. Merrill[1]
HeadquartersSan Jose, California, U.S.
Key people
  • Charles Prober (CEO)
  • Bryan Murray (CFO)
Products
RevenueDecrease US$741 million (2023)
Negative increase US$−33 million (2023)
Decrease US$−105 million (2023)
Total assetsDecrease US$847 million (2023)
Total equityDecrease US$535 million (2023)
Number of employees
635 (2023)
Websitenetgear.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

Netgear's products cover a variety of widely used technologies such as wireless (Wi-Fi, LTE and 5G), Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. The products include wired and wireless devices for broadband access and network connectivity, and are available in multiple configurations to address the needs of the end-users in each geographic region and sector in which the company's products are sold.

As of 2020, Netgear products are sold in approximately 24,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 19,000 value-added resellers, as well as multiple major cable, mobile and wireline service providers around the world.[4][5]

History edit

Netgear was founded by Patrick Lo in 1996. Lo graduated from Brown University with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering.[6] Prior to founding Netgear, Lo was a manager at Hewlett-Packard. Netgear received initial funding from Bay Networks.[7] On January 31, 2024, NETGEAR announced Patrick Lo's retirement from CEO and the Board of Directors, and CJ Prober became CEO. [8]

The company was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2003.[7]

Product range edit

 
The AC1900 dual band, wireless router.

Netgear's focus is primarily on the networking market, with products for home and business use, as well as pro-gaming,[9] including wired and wireless technology. Netgear also has a wide range of Wifi Range Extenders

ProSAFE switches edit

Netgear markets network products for the business sector, most notably the ProSAFE switch range. As of May 2007, Netgear provides limited lifetime warranties for ProSAFE products for as long as the original buyer owns the product. Currently focusing on multimedia segment and business product.[10]

Network appliances edit

 
Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Firewall FVS336G.

Netgear also markets network appliances for the business sector, including managed switches and wired and wireless VPN firewalls. In 2016, Netgear released its Orbi mesh Wi-Fi system, with models for business as well as household use. The system uses a tri-band architecture, similar to the traditional dual-band, but with a dedicated 5 GHz connection between the router and a provided satellite. The addition of a second 5 GHz channel allows the network to distribute its traffic, easing congestion caused by the increasing number of 5 GHz compatible wireless devices present in many household networks.[11] In September 2017, Netgear exited the VPN firewall product category.[12] At CES 2021, the company unveiled the world's first WiFi 6E router that takes advantage of the 6 GHz frequency band in addition to the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. The 6 GHz frequency increases network capacity where there is high utilization of the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.[13][14][15][16]

Network-attached storage edit

Netgear sells NAS devices to small businesses and consumers under the product name ReadyNAS. With this storage hardware line, Netgear vies with competitors like Buffalo, Zyxel and HP.[17] Netgear entered the storage market in May 2007 when it acquired Infrant (originator of the ReadyNAS line).[18][19] In March 2009, Netgear began to offer an integrated online backup solution called the ReadyNAS Vault.[20] In June 2022 all ReadyNAS product pages was removed and replaced with a link to warranty and support information. Netgear has not yet (August 2022) confirmed that they have withdrawn from the network connected storage market and discontinued the ReadyNAS product line.

Network surveillance cameras edit

Netgear created home surveillance camera brand Arlo, which was spun out into a separate company in August 2018.[21] Arlo is now publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.[22]

Netgear chipsets edit

Netgear uses Realtek chipsets which can run in monitor mode and perform wireless injection. For this function, a special driver is needed.

Manufacturing edit

Netgear outsources all manufacturing to other electronics companies, including Askey Computer Corporation, Cameo Communications, Delta Networks, Flex, Foxconn, Taicang T&W Electronics, Pegatron Corporation, SerComm, Wistron Neweb Corporation and USI Electronics (Shenzhen).[23][24][25]

Manufacturing occurs primarily in mainland China, Vietnam, and Indonesia with pilot and low-volume manufacturing in Taiwan on a select basis.[26]

To maintain quality standards, Netgear has established its own product quality organization, based in Hong Kong and mainland China, that is responsible for auditing and inspecting process and product quality on the premises of ODMs and JDMs (Joint Development Manufacturers).[27]

Netgear was unaffected by US President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Chinese imports. Because all manufacturing is outsourced, the company was able to shift its production lines from China to Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.[7]

Product security concerns edit

In 2014,[28] various Netgear products that were manufactured by SerComm were found to contain a backdoor that allowed unauthorized remote access to the affected devices.[29] Netgear, along with other companies with products manufactured by SerComm that were affected by the aforementioned backdoor, issued firmware updates for some affected products. However, it was shortly found that the updates merely hid the backdoor but did not remove it.[30]

A backdoor also existed on the DG834 series. Any person who can access the router using a web browser, can enable "debug" mode using [IP_ADDR]/setup.cgi?todo=debug and then connect via Telnet directly to the router's embedded Linux system as 'root', which gives unfettered access to the router's operating system via its Busybox functionality.[31][32]

In January 2017, various Netgear products were found to be vulnerable to an exploit that allows third-party access to the router and the internal network and to turn the router into a botnet.[33]

This vulnerability occurs when an attacker can access the internal network or when remote management is enabled on the router. Remote management is turned off by default; users can turn on remote management through advanced settings. Firmware fixes are currently available for the affected devices.[34]

In 2020, a vulnerability was discovered that affected many Netgear home WiFi routers. The problem was in a web server built into the router's firmware. When launching the administration interface, the owner had to enter their password, which was not protected by security. The exploit was posted on GitHub.[35][36][37][38][39] Netgear issued a security advisory and firmware update to address the issue.[40]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "MANAGEMENT". netgear.com. NETGEAR. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "US SEC: Form 10K Netgear, Inc". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 16, 2024.
  3. ^ NETGEAR. "Contact Us". NETGEAR. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "NETGEAR, Inc. - Investor Relations". investor.netgear.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "NETGEAR® Reports First Quarter 2020 Results" (Press release). globenewswire.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Form 10-K, Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021" (PDF). Netgear, Inc. p. 15. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Netgear創辦人憑天線發圍". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). December 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "NETGEAR Appoints Technology Leader Charles (CJ) Prober as New CEO - NETGEAR". NETGEAR Hub. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "Netgear launches Nighthawk Pro gaming router to reduce lag for console players | VentureBeat". March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "ProSAFE Lifetime Warranty". Netgear.com. May 1, 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  11. ^ "ORBI TRI-BAND WIFI SYSTEMS | 2017 | Press Releases | About Us | NETGEAR". www.netgear.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  12. ^ "VPN Firewalls Series | Security | Business | NETGEAR". www.netgear.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  13. ^ "Netgear unveils the Nighthawk RAXE500, its first-ever Wifi 6E router, at CES 2021". techradar.com. January 11, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Logging In To Your Netgear Router". router-passwords.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  15. ^ "Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 Router launched as the brands first WiFi 6E router". gizmochina.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Netgear's new Nighthawk RAXE500 is its first Wi-Fi 6E router". theverge.com. January 11, 2021. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Computer Network Attached Storage Market Brief Analysis And Application, Growth By 2026| Western Digital Corporation, Netgear Inc, Synology Inc – KYT24". Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  18. ^ "NETGEAR, Inc. - NETGEAR® Completes Acquisition of Infrant". investor.netgear.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  19. ^ "Today @ PC World Netgear Acquires Infrant Technologies". Blogs.pcworld.com. May 3, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  20. ^ Ngo, Dong (March 3, 2009). "Netgear's ReadyNAS Vault taps into cloud storage | Crave - CNET". News.cnet.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  21. ^ Wollerton, Megan (August 3, 2018). "Netgear spins its Arlo smart home security brand off as a public company". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Schubarth, Cromwell (July 30, 2018). "The Funded: Arlo Technologies is next Bay Area IPO, coming Friday". Silicon Valley Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Netgear Form 10-K (2015)". www.sec.gov. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2018.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  24. ^ "Username and Password list Netgear Router". router-net.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "Manufacturing Partner ISO Certifications | Regulatory/Export Compliance | NETGEAR". www.netgear.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  26. ^ "Netgear Form 10-K (2016)". www.sec.gov. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2018.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  27. ^ "FORM 10K (2018) Year". www.sec.gov. 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2018.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  28. ^ "Faulty Sercomm router patch leaves backdoor intact". Archived from the original on June 7, 2014.
  29. ^ "TCP-32764 GitHub repository". GitHub. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  30. ^ "How Sercomm saved my Easter: Another backdoor in my router: when Christmas is NOT enough!" (PDF). fr:Synacktiv. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  31. ^ "Netgear DG834G telnet". Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  32. ^ DG834G Embedded Linux
  33. ^ "Netgear exploit found in 31 models lets hackers turn your router into botnet". January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  34. ^ "Web GUI Password Recovery and Exposure Security Vulnerability".
  35. ^ "SOHO Device Exploitation". blog.grimm-co.com. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  36. ^ "Unpatched vulnerability identified in 79 Netgear router models". zdnet.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  37. ^ "Netgear Zero-Day Allows Full Takeover of Dozens of Router Models". threatpost.com. June 19, 2020. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  38. ^ "Dozens of Netgear routers can easily be hacked — what to do right now". tomsguide.com. June 26, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  39. ^ Routerlogin.net, is login page for Netgear Router.
  40. ^ "Security Advisory for Multiple Vulnerabilities on Some Routers, Mobile Routers, Modems, Gateways, and Extenders".

External links edit

  • Official website