Asante introduces low-cost Gigabit switch

As further proof that Gigabit Ethernet is the new standard for desktop connectivity, Asante Technologies last week unveiled a workgroup switch priced at $25 per port.

The FriendlyNet GX5-800P is aimed at small offices and home offices, and Asante is touting its ability to quickly transfer large files “such as DVD-sized contents.” The switch is aimed at those businesses that work with digital graphics or scientific activities, the company says.

The switch has eight ports of 10/100/1000M bit/sec Ethernet. Asante says it is compact, and the switch is intended to sit on a desktop. Other features include convection cooling for quiet operation and an external power supply that generates low heat and consumes low power.

This model is the latest in a line of switches aimed at small offices. Others in the GX5 line have the small footprint of the new model, in four- and five-port versions. Still others are 1U-high rack-mountable devices, and they range from eight ports to 24 ports.

It’s kind of funny to think of a multi-port Gigabit Ethernet switch sitting on your desktop and connecting only a few PCs in a workgroup, but that’s how far down the technology has come in price, and that’s how small the components have shrunk.

The GX5-800P is available now for $200.