NETGEAR, Inc. the leading provider of networking products that empower your gaming experience, today announced NETGEAR Game Booster, a feature-packed service that provides Orbi customers the tools found on Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers to enhance network performance and minimize lag for the ultimate gaming experience.

About two-thirds of Americans, 227 million total, report playing video games regularly. The pandemic and related lockdowns have spurred these numbers to even greater heights as shown by the associated growth in game streaming platforms such as Twitch. NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers, which are purpose-built with game-enhancing software, have long been a mainstay of the pro or hard-core gamer, but recent research among Orbi users has shown that greater than 60 percent of surveyed households have at least one gamer, with a significant number of those gamers playing on a console or PC. For these players, NETGEAR's Game Booster service can help provide a winning advantage.Gamers know that timing is everything, and now along with a powerful PC or premium game console, quality WiFi is an equally important part of the experience and can mean the difference between winning and losing, even by a fraction of a second. This is why NETGEAR Game Booster, powered by DumaOS, includes three core components all easily controlled from the Orbi App, that directly influence gamers' number one pain point - lag. With a Ping Heatmap and Geo-Filter, the service gives players the power to identify and choose the fastest game servers for their preferred games, thereby reducing ping by up to 93 per cent. It also helps prioritize network bandwidth to gaming devices and applications with a Network Priority feature.

Game Booster also includes Adblocker, a new feature on the router, benefiting any device on the network, not just the gaming console or PC. Not only does Adblocker block unwanted ads, but it also limits tracking from various web sites. The blocklist is updated regularly and users can customize both the domains to be blocked and the devices it is active on through the Orbi app.

"We are constantly expanding our portfolio of services to add value to our customers' online experiences," said David Henry, President & GM of Connected Home Products and Services at NETGEAR. "Our Orbi customers have taught us that you don't have to be a pro gamer to want to play like one and we're happy to put the power to affect gaming performance in their hands with NETGEAR Game Booster."

Key Benefits of NETGEAR Game Booster Include:

• Ping Heatmap: View ping rates of servers for your preferred games, create a ping schedule for them, and see servers' historical data to better strategize your Game server pick.
• Geo-Filter: Dramatically reduce lag by controlling the server that you connect to. Choose servers based on distance and ping rate in Geo-Filter or Geo-Fencing mode. Outline boundaries on a map to save the best-performing servers and block undesirable ones.
• Network Priority: With multiple devices needing bandwidth, congestion slows you down. Now, you can eliminate lag, by allocating and prioritizing bandwidth usage across your home, and move your game apps to the front of the line.
  • Bandwidth Allocation: Control bandwidth across all applications and connected devices. Control the amount of bandwidth each receives, as well as setting download and upload speeds.
  • Traffic Prioritization: Gaming traffic is automatically detected and prioritized. Apply rules to services and ports based on data usage.

Pricing and Availability
NETGEAR Game Booster will be available initially to Orbi Tri-band WiFi 6 mesh systems (series 750 and 850) and on the Orbi Quad-band WiFi 6E system (series 960) soon after with membership on the Orbi App. The service launches in Q1 2022 and will cost $49.99 per year after a 30-day free trial.