Small Network Equipment

About ENERGY STAR Small Network Equipment

ENERGY STAR certified small network equipment (SNE) on average use 20 percent less energy than conventional models. A variety of products are covered by SNE specification:

• Cable and DSL modems
• Optical Network Devices
• Cable and DSL integrated access devices
• Routers
• Switches
• Access points

These products allow users to connect to the internet or connect to other devices on a local or wide area network. SNE can be purchased in retail stores or may be supplied by an internet service provider.

Since SNE tends to be on all the time, spends most of the time idling and uses about the same amount of energy regardless of activity, there are opportunities for these devices to use energy more efficiently. Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), IEEE standard 802.3az, was developed to scale power to match activity on the network. The ENERGY STAR program is encouraging the adoption of EEE by providing an incentive for products which include this feature. The specification also provides incentives for External Network Proxy which furthers network system efficiency.

When purchasing network equipment look for the ENERGY STAR label and save energy and help protect the environment. If your service provider includes network equipment in its service, ask them to supply you with a product that has earned the ENERGY STAR.