Get Connected: 8 New Home Networking Products From CES

D-Link at the Consumer Electronics Show 2009 showcased its forthcoming Xtreme N450, an 802.11n wireless device that the company is touting as its "fastest router ever." The N450 features a new chip design that allows dual-stream technology. The result is that the WLAN router provides speeds of up to 450 Mbps, a significant jump from the 300-Mbps performance offered by previous products, the company said. D-Link did not disclose pricing or an expected ship date for the new offering.

It's a router, it's a storage device, it's both. D-Link's new Xtreme N DIR-685 is an 802.11n Wi-Fi router that also includes NAS capabilities. It also includes D-Link's SharePort technology for networking printers and scanners and, in an odd twist, a 3.2-inch LCD monitor the company said can be used for viewing network diagnostics, digital photos, streamed video or weather forecasts. Pricing was not disclosed.

Buffalo Technology has been embroiled in a patent infringement lawsuit that has kept it from selling wireless gear in the U.S. since 2007. But now the wait is over. A federal judge in December stayed the injunction, opening the door for the company to re-enter the market, and it's wasting little time in doing just that. At CES 2009, Buffalo unveiled its new Nfinity line of home networking products. At the top of the line is the Wireless-N Nfinity High Power Router & Access Point (WZR-HP-G300NH), which includes a built-in amplifier the company said boosts performance and range. It can act as a router or an access point, and features an external switch to jump between the two modes. It will be available for an estimated street price of $99.99.

Cisco's latest push into the consumer market includes the rollout of the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub, a product designed to help home users manage their digital media libraries. The hub provides a single interface -- accessible in the home and via a Web browser -- for retrieving video, photos and music spread across multiple devices throughout the home, the company said. Pricing starts at $299.

Zyxel showed off its X550NH Wireless-N Gigabit Router, a WLAN offering that features detachable, high-gain antennas and automated bandwidth provisioning to support gaming and multimedia applications. The 802.11n router offers networking speeds of up to 300 Mbps. It also features built-in IPSec VPN capabilities.

Netgear unveiled several new routers at CES, including the 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router, which promises to create an instant Wi-Fi network for users on the go. Just plug a compatible 3G USB modem to the router and users can create a Wi-Fi hotspot to share their 3G Internet connection with co-workers or friends.

Netgear's newest Gigabit wireless router offers Wi-Fi access across the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands, Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as a USB port to connect to an external storage device. Netgear said the device's 680-MHz MIPS process, high-performance amplifiers and eight antennas provide top performance and long-range coverage. It also features a four-port Ethernet switch and dedicated quality of service capabilities for streaming video.

Another new Netgear offering, the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Modem Router, combines an ADSL2+ modem with a dual-band wireless router. It incorporates double firewall protection, including Network Address Translation and a Stateful Packet Inspection firewall that denies outside requests for personal information. It can also be configured as a wireless repeater to double the range.