Asante to Make Major New Product Announcements at MacWorld San Francisco.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 31, 1998--

Industry's First "Plug-and-play" Gigabit Switches

Plus A New Family Of "All-In-One" Multi-user

Internet Connectivity Solutions

Asante Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASNT), a leading provider of LAN networking products, plans to announce the industry's first "plug-and-play" Gigabit switches plus the company's first family of "all-in-one" Multi-user Internet Connectivity solutions at MacWorld San Francisco, Jan. 5-9, 1999.

Asante will also announce several additions to its dual-speed 10/100 hub and switch product lines plus new network adapter cards, including a 64-bit Gigabit PCI card for high-performance clients and workstations. All of the new products to be announced at MacWorld will be available during the first quarter of 1999.

As additions to Asante's popular FriendlyNET family of simple, easy to use hubs, switches and adapters, both the "plug and play" Gigabit switch family and the Multi-user Internet Connectivity family will feature impressive performance combined with easy installation. Because they are so easy to install, Asante's FriendlyNET products can be used in offices, schools and even home office applications without requiring on-site networking experts.

The Gigabit switches will feature multiple gigabit options and a variety of 10/100 port configurations plus easy "plug-and-play" installation. The "all in one" Multi-user Internet Connectivity products will include high-performance Internet access and network connections plus built in IP routing and security for multiple users.

Gigabit Features

Asante's FriendlyNET Gigabit switch family will initially include an "8+1" product with eight 10/100 ports plus one gigabit port, plus a 16-port version with two option slots. Two optional expansion modules will be available -- a one port Gigabit option module and an eight port 10/100 module.

With these option modules, the 16-port product can be configured as a 16+2, 24+1 or 32 port 10/100 switch. In addition, several units can be linked together via the Gigabit uplinks to provide even higher port count configurations with Gigabit connections to file servers or backbones. The new FriendlyNET Gigabit switches will also support 100FX fiber connections via an MII option slot in the back of each unit.

To enable users to take full advantage of the Gigabit switches, Asante will also announce at MacWorld the company's first Gigabit PCI adapter. Designed to automatically detect 64 or 32 bit PCI slots, the new adapter will provide up to two gigabits of bandwidth in 64-bit slots, and up to one gigabit of bandwidth in a 32-bit slot. Like Asante's other PCI adapters, the Gigabit card will feature support for both PC and Mac operating systems, and may be used in both clients and servers.

Internet Connectivity Features

Asante's family of Multi-user Internet Connectivity products will initially include versions with either "dual analog" or ISDN WAN connections. Designed to serve as "all-in-one" Internet and network connectivity centers in offices, schools and homes, these products combine the high-speed analog or ISDN Internet connections with a built-in router and Ethernet hub, plus phone and fax connections, and a "firewall" with IP filtering and security options.

The dual analog version includes two 56K v.90 modems that can be used individually or combined to give a single user or multiple users up to 112K of Internet bandwidth.

Unlike other products, Asante's dual analog model does not require special hardware or software at the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP) to take advantage of both modems simultaneously -- Asante's products are compatible with all ISPs with 56k v.90 capability. The ISDN versions offer up to 128k of digital bandwidth, and will be available in US and European configurations.

Other New Products

In addition to the Gigabit and Internet connectivity families, Asante will also announce several additions to its FriendlyNET and IntraSwitch managed switch product lines. The new FriendlyNET products will include a "palm-top" 8-port 10/100 hub and a new "dual platform" 10T PC Card with software support for both Mac and PC notebooks. The new addition to Asante's IntraSwitch product line will be the Model 6224M, a 24-port managed 10/100 switch with built in HTTP server for easy setup and management, plus two MII option slots for fiber uplinks.

Price and Availability

All of the new products announced by Asante at MacWorld will be shipping in the first quarter of 1999, and will be available through Asante's distribution and channel partners worldwide. Suggested list prices are expected to start at less than $1500 for the FriendlyNETGigabit switches, establishing a new level of affordability for switches with Gigabit performance. The IntraSwitch 6224M managed 24-port 10/100 switch with MII option slots will list for $2225.

List prices are expected to start at less than $800 for the Multi-user Internet solutions. Suggested list for the 8-port 10/100 palmtop hub will be $249, or about $31 per port.

Company Background

Founded in 1988, Asante Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASNT) is a leading provider of high-performance networking solutions. The company offers LAN switches, hubs and adapter cards, as well as web-based network management software and network acceleration tools. Asante's products are sold through an international network of distributors, value added resellers (VARs), system integrators, and retail channels. For additional information, contact Asante at 800/662-9686 or 408/435-8388, or browse the company's web site at www.asante.com.