Netopia Expands Internet Router Family With New R3100; Business-Class ISDN Router, Fully Upgradeable to DSL, Allows ISPs and VARs to Customize for Unparalleled Ease of Use.

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1998--Netopia, Inc. (Nasdaq:NTPA), a market leader in providing Internet presence to small and medium-sized businesses, today announced a new class of routers for Internet connectivity.

The Netopia R3100 ISDN Router is distinguished by innovative ease-of-use features such as its customizable, "no IP address required," SmartStart Wizard configuration utility; by its rich array of business-class management and routing capabilities; and by its fully upgradeable, modular architecture, which allows end users to upgrade easily to DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), Frame Relay and other broadband technologies as their bandwidth needs increase.

The Netopia R3100 is also the only product of its kind that can be enhanced with an optional Analog Dial-in Kit, which allows remote access to the resources of the LAN (Local Area Network) over ordinary modems.

"Personalization" for Ease of Use

The Netopia R3100 includes a number of features that greatly simplify router setup and configuration, making it a uniquely practical solution for small and mid-sized businesses, which typically lack in-house technical resources. It comes equipped with the SmartStart Wizard, a Windows or MacOS application, which uses several key technologies that allow customers to set up their router without even entering an IP (Internet Protocol) address.

SmartStart includes dynamic and static NAT (Network Address Translation) that allows the router to acquire its IP address automatically from the ISP (Internet Service Provider), and an integrated DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to allocate IP addresses automatically on the LAN.

An ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) Wizard, running in the background, simplifies configuration of ISDN parameters by automatically detecting switch type, SPIDs (Service Profile IDs) and, where available, directory numbers.

SmartStart builds on these technologies by incorporating a mechanism that enables customization of the remalize" the Netopia R3100's configuration softwathe R3100 should be of interest not only to smachnologies," said Alan Lefkof, CEO of Netopia, INetwork Address Translation to 'hide' the entir of new firmware versions.

Integrated cosrop one channel to allow an incoming or outgoing voice or fax call. Additionally, POTS models support supplementary services, including Hold, Drop, Transfer and Conference, that are offered by ISDN providers.

The Analog Dial-in Kit, offered as an optional add-on, allows the router to serve as a RAS (remote access server), by connecting an external analog modem to the Netopia R3100's auxiliary port. This unique functionality allows end users with ordinary modems remote access to the print, file and mail resources of the LAN.

Fully Upgradeable, Modular Architecture

As a small business grows, its bandwidth needs increase -- which can render its routing equipment obsolete. Like all Netopia router models, the Netopia R3100 has a future-proof, modular architecture that allows for easy-to-install and cost-effective upgrades to different WAN connections such as Leased Line/Frame Relay, SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line), ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) or Cable.

The Netopia R3100's capabilities can also be enhanced by a range of inexpensive add-on kits that give growing businesses unmatched flexibility: in addition to the Analog Dial-In Kit (see above), an AppleTalk Kit can be ordered which offers LocalTalk to Ethernet routing, transparent Internet connections for LocalTalk or PhoneNET, as well as the ability to interconnect two remote AppleTalk networks via an IP tunnel (AURP).

"The design of our routers has always been based on meeting the practical needs of small and medium-sized businesses," said Didier Cop, vice president, worldwide marketing for Internetworking Systems, Netopia, Inc. "The Netopia R3100 gives growing businesses an unparalleled degree of flexibility, such as the option of upgrading to a DSL connection when that service becomes available in their area."

Pricing and Availability

The Netopia R3100 is available to North American customers immediately in ISDN U, U/POTS, and S/T configurations. Estimated street prices range from as low as $410 for a router for up to 12 users, to as low as $570 for a router with POTS and unlimited users. Similar models in S/T and S/T-POTS configurations are available outside North America.

Optional add-ons include the Analog Dial-in Kit and the AppleTalk Kit, with estimated street pricing as low as $149. For customers who start with 12-user models, additional user upgrades are available from $199.

Netopia's optional Up & Running, Guaranteed! service program extends to the Netopia R3100 ISDN router models in North America with street pricing as low as Web site services and high speed Internet connectivity solutions. Netopia's innovative products and unique customer support provides users with "What the Internet Experience Should Be." The Company has been successful in helping millions of Internet and Intranet users increase their productivity.

With its Netopia Virtual Office platform, Netopia has established strategic partnerships with Netscape (Nasdaq:NSCP), Earthlink (Nasdaq:ELNK), and GeoCities (Nasdaq:GCTY). With its Netopia Internet Router family, Netopia has established strategic partnerships with France Telecom (NYSE:FTE), Bell Atlantic (NYSE:BEL), PSINet (Nasdaq:PSIX), UUNet (Nasdaq:WCOM) and Verio (Nasdaq:VRIO).

Headquartered in Alameda, Netopia's common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "NTPA." Further information can be obtained via phone [phone], fax [phone] or Internet at www.netopia.com.

Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements. Netopia, Inc.'s actual results could differ materially from the results discussed in this release. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to product development, product acceptance and general economic conditions. A complete description of Netopia, Inc., including related risk factors is discussed in Netopia, Inc.'s public filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission which are available by calling Netopia at 510/814-5260 or online at www.sec.gov. The Netopia logo design, Netopia, "What the Internet Experience Should Be," and SmartStart and SmartIP, are trademarks of Netopia, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.