How to Buy a Green Wi-Fi Router

There are lots of Wi-Fi routers in any computer shop, and there is at least one of them in almost any house, office or apartment. People use them to connect their computers, tablets and phones to the Internet in order to communicate with others, exchange data or stream media. But how many of these routers use energy efficiently? If you care about our Planet, read on to discover the key aspects you should be aware of when purchasing a new router for your home or business.

First of all, are you sure that you need a router? If you plan to share an Internet connection with a device in your home, you may be able to do that by using a device’s hotspot or tethering option. This will help you save money and preserve the environment.

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Then, look for routers that have switches which can turn the Wi-Fi signal off. This way, you will be able to turn off an important part of the router, which uses quite a bit of power, whenever you aren’t using it. If you need wired connections for your computers, this is a no brainer! Most routers will have the option of disabling Wi-Fi in their menus, of course, but it is much more convenient to have a router switch.

When have you updated your router firmware last time? It is wise to do that every six months or so; new updates may provide significant improvements, strengthening the signal, and thus allowing you to reduce the Wi-Fi signal power, which in turn helps save electrical power.

What are the devices that need the strongest Internet connection in your home? Make a list with them, and then try to determine the ideal position for your router – put it as close to them as possible. When the signal is weak, the router will try to boost its Wi-Fi amplifiers, and this will lead to an increase in power consumption.

Did you know that the wireless security protocol can affect your router’s power intake? The CEO at DA has a wide expertise in routers and security protocols. He agrees that weaker Wi-Fi security protocols like WEP are not only dangerous, but also make the routers draw more power in, because many people (especially neighbors) will gladly use these “free” Internet connections, overloading the network.

Are you using the proper router model? There are single, dual and now even three band routers. The more bands, the more radios in your routers, of course, and this leads to more power being drawn from the mains. Does this mean that you should be stuck with an ancient router? Not at all, but try to purchase one that allows you to use each radio separately. In other words, don’t purchase a router whose radios work in parallel, because you will simply waste energy.

Is there a lot of interference in your home? If the answer is affirmative, turning off or replacing that wireless phone and even microwave oven will help lower your energy bill. Not to mention that microwave cooking isn’t healthy at all!

 

Green Trends at Home

More and more aspects of our lives are positively affected by the general green trend that can be easily noticed in all the countries where people have become increasingly aware of their responsibility towards the environment. It is happening also in the renovation industry and even in the bathroom renovation sector, where more and more people are replacing their bathtubs with walk in showers.

One of the easiest things you can do to demonstrate care toward the environment is to replace your old fixtures in the bathroom with completely new ones. The new faucets will be more efficient thus eliminating any unnecessary loss of water. You can also save water buying new low flow toilets, which provide two flushing options: a large and a small amount of water.

More and more companies have begun to sell these toilet models, as people have started to ask about them, since they also represent a quick, inexpensive way of saving a considerable amount of water. The same aspect is reflected in the way the showers are created nowadays, with some of them using various technologies that in the end help reduce the quantity of water that any person uses while taking a bath or having a shower.

The water droplet size, its velocity, the spray coverage and thermal dynamics are combined, so that the flow of water is wisely spread and lowered. For an even greener bathroom, you could use recycled glass tiles that will provide your bathroom a modern update, especially when used for the shower walls. More and more people give up their old bath tubs, so that they can install walk in showers, which are saving a lot of water when compared to the old bath tubs.

green home renovationPeople are also getting interested in investing in environmentally safe flooring. There are diverse eco friendly surfaces that have become more and more popular: bamboo, cork or even recycled linoleum. These surfaces are modern, look good and they do not cost a lot of money.

Green buildings use solar energy. Despite the high price associated to installing the necessary panels, people invest in them knowing that their money will be recuperated over a short period of time. It is true that the costs associated to the installation are high at the moment, but in the long term the investment will prove more than useful.

Old recycled denim jeans are nowadays used by homeowners to insulate their houses. There is no waste in the process of producing it, and chemical substances are not used at all. Time has already proved that this insulation has cut down the costs associated to cooling or heating bills all through the year.

Making larger windows so that one can benefit more of the natural light is another modern trend that cuts down the electricity costs. Large windows are also used in bathrooms, as this also means less use of electricity.

If you are interested in renovating your house, this should not necessary mean that you should start replacing things - you could re face instead of replace things! Don’t throw away objects that are still working and helping in the house on the sole reason that they are old. Repaint them, refresh the color and you will still be able to use them. As an example, this is a good idea when it comes to older kitchen cabinets that could last an entire life provided that their paint is freshened up from time to time.