Orange County Register

Who knew that Ethernet could go green? That’s apparently what D-Link Systems has produced.

The Fountain Valley company, known for its home networking products, sells Ethernet switches with special power-saving features. The switches can detect cable length and the activity of attached devices. When a computer, for example, becomes inactive, D-Link’s switch puts that port into a low power mode.

The smart switch knows when a computer connected to one of its ports goes to sleep or even if the cable is 20-meters instead of 100 meters (which would require full power). It adjusts power to the port accordingly.

Energy savings could be substantial, says the company. Up to 80 percent, if everything connected to the switch is off. But even in mixed mode — an office where PCs are on 10 hours a day and powered off for 14 hours a day — D-Link’s Green Ethernet products could cut energy use by 44 percent for each system.

Today, the company added “Web Smart” technology so the switches can be configured online. Available to buy in the third quarter, the D-Link Web Smart products, the DGS-1200T series, include the 16, 24, 48-port network switches.

And for all the bargain hunters out there: D-Link just reduced the price of the switches by 25 percent (starting around $50). Why? “Weakening economic conditions and uncertainties surround the business climate in particular,” said Steven Joe, D-Link’s president.

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