From correspondents in Delhi, India, 06:23 PM IST

NETGEAR, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR) today announced its ProSafe(TM) 48-port Gigabit Smart Switch (GS748T) for small to medium-sized business networking was awarded "Certified Green" status by Miercom, a consultancy specializing in networking and communications-related product testing and analysis. NETGEAR's innovative and energy-efficient 24-and 48-port switches also earned the company a top-three ranking among numerous competitors in independent research firm In-Stat's recent study, "Green Networking Equipment: Who Leads and Who Lags."

Recent testing by Miercom evaluated over a dozen switches for power consumption. NETGEAR's ProSafe 48-port Gigabit Smart Switch was one of the few switches that consumed 90 watts or less at full utilization of all ports. According to Miercom calculations, this lower consumption produces a reduction in heat dissipation, which in turn helps reduce data center cooling loads and associated energy costs.

"We were pleased to find that the NETGEAR GS748T used even less energy than its specifications stated," said Miercom CEO Robert Smithers. "During our lab test of the device, we observed it drew only 75 watts at maximum capacity when the vendor rated the product at 90 watts.

Additionally, NETGEAR earned a top-three ranking among thirteen competing networking vendors in a study published by In-Stat titled, "Green Networking Equipment: Who Leads and Who Lags" (#IN0804265LS), which addressed the energy efficiencies of Gigabit Ethernet, fixed and managed Layer 2 and 3 switches. While In-Stat concluded that fixed-configuration 24- and 48-port switches vary by more than 600% in terms of switching capacity and respective electrical power usage -- as noted by Network World Magazine --NETGEAR's ProSafe 48-port Gigabit Smart Switch (GS748T) and 24-port Gigabit Smart Switch (GS724T) were among the select few products lauded for both high performance and power efficiency.

Mr. Atul Jain, said , "We're very proud and privileged that our 24- and 48-port Gigabit Smart Switches are credited for their distinctive energy efficiencies and being acknowledged as a leader in this area says volumes about our parallel dedication to achieve industry-leading switch performance and value, as well as environmental responsibility. We design our SMB networking products with intelligent power-saving capabilities at the top of our priority list, and are committed to continue doing so to develop competitive advantage in this arena.”

NETGEAR's ProSafe 24- and 48-port Gigabit switches are part of NETGEAR's growing family of Smart Switches that include no-cost management and maximum bandwidth and density -- providing industry-leading overall value. With 24or 48 10/100/1000 Mbps ports, each capable of powering 2000 Mbps of data throughput in full-duplex mode, plus four optional fiber ports, NETGEAR's switches provide a 96 Gbps backbone. Four hot-swappable Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) slots provide optional fiber connectivity for greater distance. Advanced features include performance monitoring, security, port configuration, VLAN for traffic control, port trunking for increased bandwidth, and Class of Service (CoS) for traffic prioritization. NETGEAR's switches are specifically designed to consume less power for the entire networking ecosystem, which is essential for SMBs looking to reduce the total cost of ownership. More information on NETGEAR's commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility can be found at: http://netgear.com/About/Environmental.aspx.

Source: Press Release Distribution via India PRwire