Sunnyvale, California — June 20, 2002 — Newnex has announced that it will be releasing the new 1394 FireNEX Cat5 repeater at the 1394 Developer's Conference next week. It provides a cost-effective solution for the 1394 long-haul connections in home and small office environment.

For a 1394 network in the home or a small office, 1394 had to enable transmission past the 4.5-meter length limit originally set by 1394a. This newly approved 1394b standard specifies a higher data rate with much longer distance for 1394 connectivity, which also serves a variety of home network demands and potential requirements through a set of specifications for a multitude of cables. These include unshielded twisted pair CAT-5 cable; plastic optical fiber (POF); hard polymer clad fiber (HPCF) also known as glass optical fiber (GOF); and shielded twisted pair (STP). Each cable type is specified for specific lengths and associated data rates.

Compared to the Newnex FireNEX optical repeater which is mainly used for professional applications such as remote camera control, distance data storage, etc., the Cat5 repeater is geared more towards home and small office users typically need to transfer data within 50 meters at speed less than 100 Mbps. The compact casing and easy set-up of the optical repeater is still maintained in the Cat5 repeater. Its low power consumption is suitable for bus power operation if needed. This Cat5 repeater has a 1394a port and 1394b beta port for long haul connection. It is designed to transfer 100 Mbps at lengths up to 100 meters.

Newnex brings to the market the latest interconnect products in IEEE 1394 technology, including 1394 cables and connectors. Over the past nine years, Newnex has developed a reputation for reliability and innovation that has made it possible to ensure quality performance in all its products. Visit Newnex at www.newnex.com and find out how to apply faster, easier connectivity on the latest consumer electronics and computer products.