NETGEAR Intros Eco-Friendly Network Switches

NETGEAR, a California-based provider of end-to-end networking solutions, reportedly will start shipping new versions of its unmanaged series of network switches, featuring new green system enhancements that facilitates in reducing the network energy requirements of small and medium-sized businesses.  

 

Designed to optimize power efficiency, NETGEAR’s latest version of both rack-mounted and desktop “green” unmanaged switches have been incorporated with new hardware that features new power management modes. These power modes help in reducing power consumption by as much as 52 percent along with considerable savings on network energy costs. The switches also help SMBs maintain productivity, a key to boosting businesses.

 

The multiple advanced power management modes present in the new hardware of the NETGEAR’s latest network switches - have the capability to intelligently detect power usage as well as reduce power needs, depending on the current state of the switch. This results in energy cost savings by more than 50 percent in some cases, said the company.

 

There are two power management modes featured in the new hardware of switches. First, “Auto Power-down mode” reduces chip power in each Ethernet port when the signal from the copper link partner is not present over cables and resumes normal operation when energy is detected. Second, “Auto Cable Length Detection” mode facilitates the switch to use lower power - if its connections cover a distance of less than 10 meters.

 

There are three series of new versions of energy-efficient unmanaged switches that feature green enhancement. They are: ProSafe JGS5xx series of 16- and 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switches (JGS516v2, JGS524v2); the ProSafe GS1xx series of 5- and 8-port Gigabit Ethernet desktop switches (GS105v3, GS108v3); and the GS6xx series of 5- and 8-port Gigabit Ethernet switches (GS605v3, GS608v3).

 

NETGEAR said that all the three series of new versions of network switches will be available in Q2 2009 via direct marketers, e-commerce sites as well as company’s value-added resellers. A demo of these switches has also been organized at CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany.

 

Sanjay Kumar (News - Alert), NETGEAR’s director of SMB switching products, said, “NETGEAR worked diligently to find new hardware that would meet SMB power needs and is one of the first to integrate green technology into its product lines. We already have dozens of products that have qualified for the ENERGY STAR (News - Alert) certification. Reducing the power consumption of our switches is the next milestone in our quest to make all of our products friendlier to the environment.”

 

According to Scott Scherer, a research analyst at In-Stat (News - Alert), SMBs are as interested as enterprises in limiting their impact on the environment – in some cases, more so.

 

“Lower network infrastructure costs, lower energy costs, and simple common sense make this is a prudent infrastructure choice for most businesses,” Scherer said. “As a result, vendors introducing green switching lines have significant opportunity to take an early lead in filling a clear market need.”