New NETGEAR SMB Switches Claim 50% Energy Savings

NETGEAR will soon start shipping new versions of its unmanaged series of network switches that can reduce the power consumption by as much as 53%, according to the company. Aimed at SMBs and delivered via NETGEAR's reseller partners, both rack-mounted and desktop "green" switches incorporate new hardware that optimizes power efficiency. The enhancements include an "Auto Power-down" mode that reduces chip power in each Ethernet port when the signal from the copper link partner is not present over cables, thus saving power, but instantly resumes normal operation when energy is detected. Another "Auto Cable Length Detection" feature enables the switch to use lower power if its connections cover a distance of less than 10 meters.
NETGEAR has applied these green system enhancements to the 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).
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