Hardware is intended to enhance home networks SMC Networks Inc. launched a new wireless router Wednesday, aimed at users who want to share multimedia files on different computers over a home network.The SMC2304WBR-AG EZ-Stream Universal 2.4GHz/5GHz Wireless Cable/DSL Broadband Router supports multiple wireless standards that allow it to communicate with 802.11a, b or g wireless devices on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless spectrums, the company said in a statement.The router has a treble 802.11a, b and g wireless access point and a four-port 10/100M bps (bits per second) dual-speed switch. The router acts as an Internet gateway and can stream voice, data, audio and video over a home network or the Internet. The new router can work with SMC Networks’ EZ-Stream Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver, the company said. The multimedia receiver enables a TV or stereo system to play back music and video and view photos stored on a single PC.SMC’s new router will enable the receiver to access multimedia files stored on multiple PCs on a home network for play back on a TV or stereo system, the company said.The router supports transfer rates of up to 108M bps in 802.11a and g modes — ten times the data rate and throughput of standard 11M bps WLAN products, the company claimed. The router has parental controls in the form of Web site blocking by URL (uniform resource locator) or keyword, IP (Internet Protocol) filtering and MAC (Media Access Control) address filtering, which allows the router to block certain hardware on a network or the Internet identified by their unique hardware number, the company said.The device also has Stateful Packet Inspection firewall security, which analyzes individual data packets as they pass through the router, helping to protect against hacker invasions and Denial of Service attacks. The router supports 802.1x for authorization and authentication, Wi-Fi Protected Access and 152-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy encryption.The $199 router began shipping in the U.S. this week and is available through retailers. Technology Industry