Ethernet Power Study of Cisco and Competitive Products

Every Ethernet switch requires electricity to function. Efficiency is the measure of power relative to amount of work performed. When products use more power to perform the same amount of work, they are by definition less efficient. Low efficiency creates increased costs for a customer. Other factors that should be considered are heat dissipation and the power required to cool down the system. Heat dissipation is calculated in British thermal units (Btus)2 and is calculated as 3.41 Btus per W of power consumption. An efficient cooling system would consume approximately 0.33 Btus for every Btu cooled, leading to a power consumption of 0.358W for cooling the heat dissipated by 1W.