The wireless router, a small but nearly ubiquitous element of business and home networking, has been the focus of a series of green announcements in recent days.
First off, at the beginning of August D-Link announced that it would release a firmware update to two of its wireless routers that would shave energy use on two if its routers anywhere from 30 to 40 percent. Part of the company's "Green Ethernet" program, the firmware update allows the routers to both adjust power use according to connectivity status and cable length, and schedule uptime and downtime for the router, allowing the hardware to save energy use when it's least needed.
Siemens AG followed that announcement with its own stating that the company's new 802.11n wi-fi routers are the first to operate at that speed using lower Power over Ethernet standards, which specify that the hardware can use no more than 12.95 watts. Last year, Siemens released a series of ethernet base stations that shut down when network connectivity demands are low, saving an estimated 40 percent on energy costs.
And last but not least, router OEM Linksys last week touted a host of green developments. In addition to manufacturing Energy Star rated routers and modems, the company said it was greening the packaging that its products are shipped in, eliminating its products' shipping sleeves, shrinking the box size and reducing use of plastic bags and moving to more recyclable materials "wherever possible." Linksys estimates that the 40 percent reductions in packaging materials will save the equivalent of 790 acres of pine forests per year. |
