D-Link hops on bandwagon, introduces "Green Ethernet" technology

We're all for utilizing power-saving technologies to make our everyday computing a bit less taxing on Mother Earth, but the latest initiative from D-Link just reeks of gimmick. The firm is claiming to have introduced the "industry's first Green Ethernet technology" with a new series of environmentally-friendly Gigabit switches, which reportedly "decrease energy costs by reducing power consumption without sacrificing operational performance and functionality." Apparently, these intelligent devices "recognize when a port is active or inactive and adjusts its power accordingly," and they can also "analyze the cable's length" and only send out the necessary amount of juice. Granted, every little bit counts, but we wouldn't let the guilt trip convince you to go replace all of your networking gear or anything.

[geekmorgan @ Oct 24th 2007 3:34PM]

Replacing old equipment with newer more efficient models will likely use more energy unless the new equipment is EXTREMELY efficient. Think of all the energy to produce the new device, package it, and deliver it. What a waste! Keep using your old technology as long as you can and you're really helping to lower energy usage.

[Andrew ? @ Oct 24th 2007 4:23PM]

We need the guilt trip to actual make people change. Otherwise, people will keep using their old equipment. Make green choices is not about immediate results, it's about the future benefits. Don't just think green - do green.

[mragrotime1 @ Oct 24th 2007 3:38PM]

Green Ethernet is a step in the right direction for Dlink. I'm happy to see companies take a stance that reduces our power/fuel consumption in any manner possible. I don't believe your green Ethernet switch/hub/router will save you hundreds on your electricity bill, but if more and more industries take this approach, it will benefit us all.

http://agrotime.wordpress.com

=) mragrotime

[Simon @ Oct 24th 2007 3:54PM]

D-Link should try to impress us all by showing how much energy would be saved if every company and consumer were to switch (heh) to these new devices. At least it would hilight how much money is being spent keeping networks humming.

[juan @ Oct 24th 2007 4:03PM]

These guys better focus on producig bugless stuff rather than this stupid marketing. I've never seen so many bugs in any product line for a single company: routers, adsl, wireless hubs, yuo name it. Some of them are really green as they never turn on.

[justin @ Oct 24th 2007 4:04PM]

I think calling this a gimmick is a little too cynical, don't you think? I would applaud D-Link for stepping in the right direction, rather than just passing this off as another cash grab.

I could be wrong, but I'm looking at the bright side here.

[John Stracke @ Oct 24th 2007 4:37PM]

Agreed.

For a gadget lover point of view: if this tech makes it into laptops, we can expect to get longer battery life when plugged into an Ethernet. Admittedly, it's only a few minutes longer...and it's at a time when we probably have access to wall power.

[Jared Wilkinson @ Oct 24th 2007 4:10PM]

Wow, just wow...

[javo @ Oct 24th 2007 4:11PM]

Why would the older equipment save more energy? I understand your logic that making/replacing/configuring newer components does take energy, but in actual operation it can be less. By having the device detecting the length of the cable and changing the drive strength on the port will save power. I have just recently talked with a vendor about this type of technology, granted it was 10G ethernet, but he showed me power numbers and they did reduce by detecting a smaller cable then the standard 100M cable that it is designed to work up to.

This technology is nice and will save power, but D-Link can not estimate one's savings because they dont have an idea what one's network looks like... all 3M cables or 100M cables...makes a difference.

Would it make a huge difference at your house...prob not. Would it make a huge difference if you had 1000 switches, i would say yes...

[Peter @ Oct 24th 2007 6:56PM]

javo - But as the first poster said, you can't discount the environmental cost of making and shipping those 1000 new switches or the "cost" of discarding the 1000 old switches.

I agree with the first poster, unless the new equipment is several orders of magnitude more efficient, keep the old stuff until it dies or doesn't meet your needs and then replace with more efficient.

[Kamal @ Oct 24th 2007 5:02PM]

One or two models of green networking equipment may not amount to much but if every networking equipment manufacturer adopted this type of philosophy and technology it could/would make a big dent in the amount energy consumed by these devices.

[Shawn Garringer @ Oct 24th 2007 6:41PM]

Except that the power supplies these things often use (wall worts) waste more energy in heat than you'd ever recover by Green Ethernet. We'd save a lot more power by switching to a 12V distro system in our homes instead of 120V. Very few things still require the raw 120V, and those that do could be wired separately (like your stove is today, running on 220v)

[iain @ Oct 24th 2007 6:05PM]

An 8 port GigE switch can burn 10W. The usual use mode is to plug it in an leave it on forever. Each year, the device burns about $10 of electricity.

In the usual home, the device's duty cycle is essentially zero. If they can keep it to one watt of standby power except when in use, they can save about $9/year.

That's pretty significant on a device which costs $50.

[Colin Jensen @ Oct 24th 2007 8:20PM]

I agree it's a waste of time, money, and energy to replace net equipment, but if I were picking up something new I'd be happy to get an energy-saver.

[Ed @ Oct 24th 2007 8:53PM]

Just because it MIGHT not be practical to go buy a new one to replace your network, it doesn't mean the whole thing's worthless...Not everybody in the world has a similar device, and products do break eventually. Also, even if somebody does replace their current setup, their previous setup may be given to somebody that doesn't have one or doesn't want to buy one. Whether it's for the money or not, I'm glad to see one of the major companies make something more environmentally friendly. After all, if a new device came out without this technology, nobody would call it environmentally harmful (unless it really was).

[TEM @ Oct 24th 2007 9:21PM]

I guess that explains why my old DLink rebooted every sixty seconds.