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.
Circuitboard cufflinks are safe.
(Credit: Circuitboard cufflinks are safe.)Castoff computer parts can make for quirky jewelry, if you feel like flashing keyboard button earrings or circuitboard cufflinks.
Unlike these models of creative recycling, some costume jewelry imported from China contains heavy metals from discarded electronics and could make you sick, as the Wall Street Journal reported last week.
No lead in these button earrings.
(Credit: Etsy)Some novelty necklaces and earrings are laced with lead and antimony that likely came from e-waste thrown away by consumers in the United States and other developed nations, then shipped to China for unsafe recycling. "Best Friends Forever" necklaces from Claire's mall shops and stud earrings from Kmart were recalled here in recent months. Accidentally swallowing such leaden baubles could kill a child.
Keeping lead close to your heart.
(Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)The story is a strange twist of fate for the materials inside some of the tens of millions of pounds of computers, monitors, cell phones, and countless other gadgets discarded each year. Watchdog groups want U.S. companies to stop shipping e-waste overseas, where poor people in China, India and elsewhere smash and burn the trash to sell gold, copper and other valuable components, but can get sick in the process from the poisonous metals and plastics. On the flip side, some consumer groups fear that the lack of federal laws around toxic tech in this country will lead to more imports of products rejected as unsafe by Asian and European markets.
When recycling your tired gadgets, it can be hard to tell what their final destination may be. This list of recycling programs from the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is a good guide.
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