NDC SOHOware Fast Ethernet System Endorsed by Planet Quake as Best Networking Solution for PC Gaming.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 1998--

SOHOware Plug-n-Switch(TM) and Fast Ethernet LAN Adapter Chosen by

Leading Web site for Ease of Installation, Speed, and Dependability

The officials at Battle Command, the group that manages the internationally recognized Planet Quake Web site for players of the game Quake, recently conducted in-house testing to determine the leading Fast Ethernet LAN (local area network) solution to network multiple PCs.

NDC's SOHOware Fast Ethernet system, which consists of a SOHOware Plug-n-Switch 10/100Mbps autosensing switch and SOHOware Fast Ethernet LAN adapter card, was selected over several other competitive products.

According to Trey Ratcliff, the president of Battle Command, "NDC's SOHOware Fast Ethernet system was the easiest to install, the fastest, and the most dependable of all the products that we tested."

When playing an interactive game that requires a tremendous level of skill and exact timing, every millisecond literally counts. Computer users who are serious about the games that they play are always searching for newer and better ways to play, and in virtually every case that means finding computer and networking systems that are faster and more responsive. For Battle Command, the SOHOware Fast Ethernet system delivered the fastest game play and the least lag time due to network traffic.

"We are very pleased to be chosen by a leading PC gaming entity such as Planet Quake as its official network product provider," said Andy Chang, vice president of business development for NDC. "Their selection validates the superior performance, usability, and reliability of our SOHOware product line for PC gaming applications."

For many skilled PC gamers, playing intricate games such as Quake over the Internet is becoming a difficult proposition due to the variation in the pinging that occurs during an Internet connection. This pinging checks to ensure that the line is still active.

Two opposing players can experience as much as a 100-millisecond difference between pings, meaning that the faster-pinging gamer may see and react to a game event up to a tenth of a second faster than the slower-pinging gamer. While this variation in pinging may seem inconsequential to a layperson, for a skilled player who is acting on instinct and reflex, it can be the difference between winning and losing.

"It can be extremely frustrating when two evenly skilled players are on an uneven playing field because of the difference in pinging. Superior players can easily lose to less-experienced ones just due to their inability to react as quickly," Ratcliff noted.

To eliminate this ping-variation issue and other Internet-related problems (e.g., data packet loss), Planet Quake highly recommends playing Quake over a LAN. According to Ratcliff, "Once you start playing on a LAN, the game is completely different. Your game is taken to a whole new level."

Evaluating Different LAN Solutions

In considering which LAN network solution to recommend to Quake users, Planet Quake assessed several retail Fast Ethernet network packages for their ease of installation, documentation, performance, data integrity, and technical support.

For its testing, Planet Quake used between four and eight PCs, with varying types of processors ranging from an Intel(R) Pentium(R) 90 up to an Intel(R) Pentium(R) II 450. Network cards and hubs were tested in both homogenous and heterogenous environments. In the homogenous setup, all the devices were from the same manufacturer. In the heterogenous setup, products from different manufacturers were mixed to determine the level of interoperability.

With both types of setups, Planet Quake gathered regular and measured ping measurements along with cumulative packet loss figures. Based on the findings, the SOHOware Fast Ethernet system received the best overall rating.

"We were encouraged by the extent to which Planet Quake evaluated all the competitive products," stated Chang. "They applied comprehensive scientific methods to back up their findings."

According to Ratcliff, playing Quake is a lot like NASCAR -- the gamer who comes with the best equipment has a pretty good chance of winning. "NDC's SOHOware Fast Ethernet system definitely gives gamers the edge in terms of better speed, which allows them to hone their skills and become better players," added Ratcliff.

In addition to the SOHOware Fast Ethernet LAN adapter card, Planet Quake uses the SOHOware Plug-n-Switch 10/100Mbps Autosensing Switch to connect multiple LANs together on its network. The SOHOware Plug-n-Switch product alleviates potential network congestion with five- and eight-port 10/100Mbps autosense switches that provide up to 1Gbps/1.6Gbps aggregate bandwidth.

Pricing and Availability

The SOHOware Fast Ethernet Convenience Pack (model no. SFE100B) carries a U.S. list price of $49 and a street price of $39. The pack includes a SOHOware autosensing 10/100Mbps PCI Fast Ethernet adapter card and a color-coded 25-foot UTP category 5 cable. The product is currently shipping at select retailers.

The 5-port SOHOware Plug-n-Switch (model no. NSH500S) carries a U.S. list price of $400, with an estimated street price of $340. The 8-port SOHOware Plug-n-Switch (model no. NSH800S) has a list price of $540, with an estimated street price of $480. Both products are now available through select retailers.

The complete line of SOHOware networking products is available through retailers including CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, J&R Computer World, Micro Center, and Datavision as well as mail-order catalogs such as CompUSA Direct.

All SOHOware products come with a lifetime limited warranty, toll-free live technical support and free software upgrades.

About Battle Command

Based in Costa Mesa, Calif., the officials at Battle Command administer the internationally recognized Planet Quake Web site, which contains news, popular links, and gaming information for players of the game Quake. Among the attractions of the Planet Quake site is the Quake League where as many as 1000 gamers from around the world come to play Quake competitively in tournaments. For more information on Planet Quake, visit the Web site at www.planetquake.com.

About NDC Communications Inc.

NDC Communications is a leading worldwide supplier of small office/home office and small business networking products, workgroup networking solutions and wireless LAN connectivity products. The company's SOHOware product family was developed to provide consumers with the most user friendly networking products available on the market today and embody the SOHOware slogan -- More Net. Less Work. SOHOware products provide an easy-to-use and, in some cases, intelligent network setup to ensure the utmost convenience and enable consumers to maximize the networking power of the Internet and corporate intranets for their own business applications.

NDC Communications' U.S. headquarters is based in Sunnyvale. The company is privately held. For more information on NDC Communications and its products, call 800/632-1118 or visit the company's Web site at http://www.ndclan.com. For more information and specific details about NDC's SOHOware product line visit the Web site at http://www.sohoware.com.