StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of the IES8100POEGB - an 8-port IEEE Power over Ethernet switch capable of delivering up to 15.4 Watts of power, as well as network data, to up to 8 PoE-compliant devices - double the capability of most IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet switches to date. The switch can be used as a PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment), eliminating the need for peripheral power supplies for end-point powered network devices such as IP phones, wireless access points and video cameras.

The new PoE switch features a compact, yet rugged metal design that makes it suitable for industrial environments and other applications that require durable equipment. The switch can be used with existing network wiring (Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6), making it easy to situate without having to re-run network cables.

Today, Intel announced the Intel Ethernet Controller X540, the industry's first fully integrated 10GBASE-T controller. This space-saving single-chip solution delivers outstanding performance for low-cost, low-power LAN on motherboard (LOM) and Converged Network Adapter (CNA) designs. The Intel Ethernet Controller X540 will help drive broader 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) adoption by providing connections that are backward-compatible with existing Gigabit Ethernet networks. Like other Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit products, the Intel Ethernet Controller X540 features advanced I/O virtualization, supports Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and takes advantage of platform I/O enhancements in the Intel Xeon processor E5 family.

NEC Corporation of America (NEC), a leading provider of innovative IT, communications, and biometrics solutions, today announced the launch of NEC's new generation of servers based on the new Intel Xeon E5-2600 product family supporting ProgrammableFlow networking.

The new generation of Express5800 E5 Generation Series servers will benefit from the performance boost and energy-efficiency of the new Intel Xeon processor E5 family combined with NEC's own innovations for higher manageability, energy efficiency and higher scalability. Combined with NEC's new ProgrammableFlow support, these new features will become an important factor to help accelerate cloud computing by maximizing the effectiveness of operational expenditure, especially business critical applications and database consolidation at corporate data centers. The Express5800/R120d-2M and R120d-1M family of platforms will be powered by these innovative features.

Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), announced today the launch of its 802.11ac Wi-Fi ecosystem. With the growing number of devices and bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications placing greater demands on wireless networks, 802.11ac-the newest chapter in the Wi-Fi technology evolution-expands performance and coverage to enable HD video-grade connectivity across increasingly crowded networks. Qualcomm's portfolio of 802.11ac products target mobile, home and office networking, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops, televisions, home routers, gateways and enterprise access points. Qualcomm is introducing its multi-channel portfolio to enable end-to-end 802.11ac performance benefits to speed adoption of the new Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking technology.

"Qualcomm Atheros is enabling a client-to-infrastructure 802.11ac ecosystem by combining its Wi-Fi expertise across virtually all segments with Qualcomm's position in mobile channels," said Craig Barratt, president, Qualcomm Atheros. "By enabling client devices, such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, with easy migration from 802.11n to 802.11ac, Qualcomm Atheros is paving the way for rapid adoption of products based on the new Wi-Fi standard. This should provide for a smooth, full-scale transition to Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking within the next two years."

Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking, today announced a suite of Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions that allow consumers to use their home network by using their existing home electrical wiring. The HomePlug AV Powerline standard provides speeds of up to 200 Mbps* to bring streaming video, gaming, and other data-intensive applications to computers, tablets, consoles, televisions and other Ethernet-enabled devices.

"Cisco's Linksys products set the standard for great home networking experiences with their ease of use and outstanding performance," said Scott Kabat, director of marketing, Cisco Home Networking business unit. "Our new Powerline products deliver on this promise. Just plug them in, and they start working."

TrendNet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, announces today from 2012 International CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapter, model TPL-406E, and the 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapter Kit, model TPL-406E2K, which comes with two TPL-406E adapters. These high performance 500 Mbps adapters come in the smallest form factor to date.

New media center devices such as Internet televisions, network video recorders (NVRs), receivers, and game consoles are now network ready-meaning they are capable of streaming large HD files directly from the Internet. TRENDnet's ground breaking 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapters connect media center devices and computers to the Internet using existing electrical lines.

Broadcom Corporation, a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced its first family of 802.11ac (5G WiFi) chips designed for a broad range of product segments. The new IEEE 802.11ac chips are three times faster and up to six times more power efficient than equivalent 802.11n solutions. Visit Experience Broadcom @ CES for more news, blogs and multi-media from CES and www.5GWiFi.org for more information on consumer advantages of 802.11ac.

5G WiFi is the next generation Wi-Fi standard required for today's mobile and video era. Based on 802.11ac, 5G WiFi is a major evolutionary step from the existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks. Broadcom's 5G WiFi dramatically improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously. The increased speed enables consumers to download web content from a mobile device faster and quickly synch large files, such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device. Since 5G WiFi transfers the same volume of data at a much faster rate, devices enter low-power mode faster, which results in significant power consumption advantages.

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of the (SKU: ST1000SPEXD2) Low Profile Dual Port PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Network Card - a PCI Express Network Adapter Card that supports high performance, dual-channel networking and maximum data transfer speeds of 1000 Mbps in each direction (2000 Mbps total) - up to 10 times faster than 10/100 Ethernet.

The network card is ideal for adding two separate Gigabit network ports to any PCI Express-enabled client, server or workstation, which enables the host system to connect to two networks simultaneously. The network card features a low profile design that makes it suitable for small form factor computers (servers, desktops), and includes an optional full profile bracket for installation in full-sized computer systems and larger servers.

Thecus is well known in the market for always putting innovative hardware and state of the art technology on the table for a fair price in order to guarantee our customers the best value. Thecus's new N4100EVO NAS offer a broad range of advanced features and differentiate themselves with low-energy hardware for those who place strong value on cutting down their electricity costs and carbon footprint. This cost-effective hardware is the first four-bay NAS on the market to feature the speedy and efficient dual-core Cavium CPU to get the quick transfer speeds necessary for large backups and heavy use. The N4100EVO is designed to change the way you run your office, at home or at work.

Bigfoot Networks, the technology company behind the Killer line of high-performance networking products, today at Computex announced that ASUS has expanded its line of Killer E2100-based motherboards with their new ROG Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt Motherboard.

The new ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt Motherboard supports AMD FX Series CPUs with up to 8-cores, DDR3 Memory with overclocking speeds up to 2133 MHz, multi-GPU technology for CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI, 8-ch HD, SupremeFX X-Fi 2 audio from Creative Labs and more. Powered by Bigfoot Networks' Killer E2100 networking platform and a host of other gaming-centric features, this AMD FX-based motherboard combines innovative design and technical intelligence to make the PC gaming experience more rewarding and accessible. This is the second motherboard offering from ASUS to incorporate Killer E2100 gaming network capabilities, preceded by the ROG Rampage III Black Edition.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the launch of the 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter, model TEW-684UB-the world's first ultra-high performance 450 Mbps wireless USB adapter.

The 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter upgrades laptop and desktop connectivity to the highest wireless performance available today. Computers purchased with integrated wireless are most often outfitted with either 150 Mbps Wireless N or even slower 54 Mbps Wireless G technology-which bottlenecks performance to 150 Mbps or 54 Mbps respectively when connecting to a 450 Mbps router. TRENDnet's TEW-684UB is the first wireless USB adapter that has the capability of connecting to a router at 450 Mbps speeds.

DisplayLink Corp., the market share leader with more than three million USB graphics users worldwide, today provided a glimpse at its new SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) chip platform for next generation displays, docking stations and other integrated devices to be showcased next week at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, California, in booth #948.

The new DisplayLink single-chip family, DL-3000 and DL-1000 series, includes integrated display and networking connectivity, high performance audio and HD video support, as well as third generation DisplayLink adaptive real-time compression technology that dynamically manages bandwidth, taking full advantage bi-directional throughput of SuperSpeed USB. This means multiple full HD videos, high resolution graphics and networking data can be processed simultaneously, while also substantially increasing today's HighSpeed USB (USB 2.0) graphics performance and enabling graphics delivery over gigabit Ethernet.

ASUS has unveiled a comprehensive suite of portable, multimedia, and productivity solutions that places it at the forefront of cloud computing. ASUS strives to offer optimized cloud computing experiences by harnessing innovation and a broad range of cloud-enabled solutions. Professionals can enhance their productivity with access to real-time applications while on the go. At home, the entire family can enjoy rich multimedia entertainment with cloud-optimized solutions and services.

ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. Engineered for the future, the ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's" that fulfill users' all-around networking needs that no other brand can provide-Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks. Such an unprecedented integration of powerful performance and user-friendly operation makes the RT-N16-and ASUS' full range of routers-the best choice on the market.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms will showcase the VIA EITX-3000 Em-ITX board at ESC Silicon Valley 2009. Designed for ultra-thin, high-performance, fanless embedded systems at temperatures ranging from -10o to 70o Celsius, the VIA EITX-3000 uses unique processor placement to deliver leading performance in remarkably hot and cold environments.

The VIA EITX-3000 places the energy-efficient VIA Nano processor and VIA VX800 media system processor on the reverse side of the board, making greater real-estate available for passive cooling apparatus and thus negating the need for system fans. This makes the VIA EITX-3000 an exceptional choice for high performance systems in always-on applications such as high-end POS, Kiosk, ATM, HMI, factory automation, POI and digital signage.

D-link has announced Ethernet desktop switches that, it claims, use up to 44 percent less power than existing 5-port switches. It said it was the first company to bring such green Ethernet switches to the market. The power saving is accomplished in two ways. First, the new switches measure when PCs connected to them are turned off and then power down into standby mode. Secondly, they analyze cable lengths and can adjust power usage for different cable lengths accordingly. Most existing switches are powered up to support 100m cable lengths all the time, but many small systems use only 5-10m of cable. The IEEE standards body has an energy-efficient Ethernet study group, known as 802.3 A ratified standard is not expected for a couple of years or more and D-Link has introduced its products well before this. D-Link does not appear to be involved with this standards effort. D-Link will deliver Green Ethernet switches across its range of desktop, smart and xStack managed switches. All of the company's sub-24 port desktop switches will be green by the end of 2007. The smart and managed switches will evolve to Green Ethernet products through 2008.

D-Link recently created two router/adapter kits, each geared around customers who do not really understand how to configure a wireless network. The secret behind the ease of configuration is a new driver installation wizard called Click'n'Connect, which supposedly makes installing a wireless network really easy. This has yet to be confirmed by review sites or technophobes. The first model, the DKT-710, uses the tried-and-true 802.11G protocol. The router is compatible with ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ connections, and has a USB 2.0 port. For people that need a little more oomph in their network, D-Link offers the DKT-810. This uses the faster and more powerful 802.11N protocol, and is compatible with the same connections, and also has a USB 2.0 port.

Like most routers, both routers have a built-in firewall and four Ethernet ports. You can get the DKT-710 and DKT-810 for £60 (€88/$121) and £160 (€237/322), respectively.