Xiaomi introduces new smart router

The battle to occupy users' living rooms with smart gadgets escalated as Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi Corp launched a new smart router product and promised better multimedia content for smart TVs.

The company launched a Wi-Fi router with a built-in 6TB hard drive on Wednesday, the latest move to cement the company's entry into the 'Internet of Things' market.

In addition to offering high-speed connectivity, the router is designed to store all of users' multimedia content. "The 6TB disk is big enough to store all data one may produce in a lifetime," Xiaomi founder Lei Jun said at a press release in Beijing.

With a hard drive inside, the router can automatically make backups from cameras and smartphones. Media stored in the router is also accessible remotely via the Android and iOS apps. A 1TB variant has also been launched.

Lei illustrated one of the new products applications in home settings. "Due to limited Internet bandwidth, most of us have had a bad experience in watching high-definition movies on smart televisions because we have to wait for a long time before the movie is ready," Lei said.

"But with the new router, when we're on subways, we can first use smartphones to download movies to the built-in hard drive. And when we arrive at home, with no further settings, we can directly and smoothly watch them on TVs." Lei said.

The 6TB Mi Wi-Fi is priced at 2,999 yuan ($483) while the 1TB variant is 699 yuan, lower than that of products with similar hardware configurations.

The humble router is becoming a fierce battle ground for smart home gadgets manufacturers. In mid-2014, top Internet security company Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd introduced a smart router similar to the first router product launched by Xiaomi, but the former is at a far lower price.

At the press event, Xiaomi also said it will soon launch video news, sports programs and live concerts on its smart TV platform to cater to consumers' growing appetite for various quality content.

The company showcased the progress it has made in finding content producer partners.

"A great change has taken place on our TV platform," Lei said, adding that within a half year, the company has established a content-sharing alliance with 100 video streaming and content producing websites

According to a report from industry consultancy EntGroup Inc, 10 of the top 12 video websites in China are Xiaomi partners. One of the exceptions is the company's major rival, LeTV.com, a subsidiary of LeTV Holdings Co Ltd, which also sells TV sets and smartphones.

"Xiaomi is not an online video provider so we can cooperate with all video streaming sites," Lei said. "The multimedia content on our TV platform is double the size of our competitor."

According to the company, users of its smart TVs can now access over 18,000 authorized multimedia products, including 7,700 movies and 2,800 TV dramas.

Movie director Feng Xiaogang said at the release, "I am willing to support Xiaomi with my films." Also present at the event were Wang Changtian, president of TV content, film producer Beijing Enlight Media Co Ltd and Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group.

Xiaomi has made a string of investments to beef up its media content resources. In November, it invested 1.8 billion yuan ($294 million) in online video provider iQiyi and injected an undisclosed amount in Youku Tudou Inc.