Wi-Fi routers from D-Link can now power down at night to save energy of up to 41 percent, compared to energy used by the router if it didn’t utilize the green settings.

The routers automatically adjust energy usage based on link status and the length of the cable connecting it to the internet. The longer the cable, the more power the router needs to broadcast Internet. If no one is using the Internet or network, the link status becomes inactive and the router goes into low-power mode.

Users can also schedule when they use the Internet so, for example, at night when the router is not in use, it’ll shut down the power-hungry Wi-Fi radio.

At their most energy efficient — with no active connections and the Wi-Fi radio turned off — the routers use up to 41 percent less energy than in full-power mode. According to D-Link, energy savings are:

• Up to 32 percent:  D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router (DIR-655)
• Up to 41 percent: D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router (DIR-855)
• Up to 31 percent: D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router (DGL-4500)

All this, says D-Link, “without sacrificing performance.”

These D-Link routers require an upfront investment, between $150 (for the DIR-655) to $360 (DIR-855).  But these are the suggested prices. The 655 router is $100 at Amazon, Buy.com and BestBuy.com.

Then again, if you really want to save money in the short term, you can just buy a cheap $10 router from Fry’s or whoever has one on sale this week.

Related:

• Every thing is going green, even Ethernet

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