D-Link thinks green for new wireless routers

This is the D-Link DIR-855, one of the three new D-Link routers that belong to the company's Green Initiative.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

D-Link claimed today to be the first company to offer green Wi-Fi home networking. While the "first" notion of the claim is debatable--I've seen routers from other vendors with an eco-friendly design--the green aspect is more than welcome.

The company said its green initiative that adds eco-friendly features to the Xtreme NT line of wireless routers could reduce the devices' power consumption by 40 percent without sacrificing performance.

These new features cut down the power usage by automatically detecting link status and network cable length then adjusting the power accordingly. The new routers also feature Wi-Fi scheduling that allows customers to easily program when the Wi-Fi radio signals are turned on and off to further save energy consumption. Though this is not really new, many other routers allows for selectively turning off the wireless signal, D-Link has made this a lot easier to use and provides a user-selectable radio shutdown option that's adjustable by day and start/end times.

D-Link's new environmentally conscientious routers include: D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router (DIR-655), D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router (DIR-855), and the D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router (DGL-4500). These prodcuts are RoHS- and WEEE-compliment, meaning they are certified to be safe from hazardous materials and are made of recycled materials that could be disposed of properly. Apart from the Green upgrade, these routers also support IPv6, a much larger address space that allows greater flexibility in allocating addresses and routing traffic.

All D-Link's new routers are now available for purchase with the price varying from $150 to $350.