D-Link looks forward to developing new tech as it celebrates 30 years in business

Networking vendor D-Link says it’s excited about what’s next from the company’s R&D division as it reaches its 30th anniversary. 

"With three decades of market leading experience under our belt, we’re incredibly proud to look back at our past achievements," said Kevin Wen, President of D-Link Europe. 

"Our business has been built on foundations of leadership, growth and passion, which have been evident since our first design. We continue this passion for connecting people as we embark on a new age of intelligent, automated services, where society will gain huge benefits from interconnecting the world’s information.

"It’s an exciting time, and we look forward to developing more innovative ways to connect consumers to the next generation of the Internet."

From a founding group of seven employees in 1986, the business has grown to a 2,700-strong workforce across 65 countries – and it says it has achieved double?digit growth year-on-year for more than two decades.

In 1986, Ken Kao founded D-Link, then known as Datex Systems, breaking the mould of the existing networking industry by developing affordable network adapters that were smaller and smarter than other available technologies. The firm helped boost the PC market and used custom chips that it designed itself.

The 30th anniversary milestone comes after the Taiwanese multinational ‘enters a new era’ following the recent appointment of chairman John Hsuan. 

D-Link’s product portfolio now spans from smart switches and Wi-Fi routers, to security systems, CCTV cameras and smart home automation products.

Here are some of D-Link’s ‘firsts’ as listed by the company:

• In 1988, D-Link – then called Datex Systems – launched the first peer-to-peer LANSmart Network Operating System
• The first networking company to invest in a dedicated cloud platform
• The first 10BASE-T Ethernet hub in 1990
• The first PCMCIA Ethernet adaptor for laptop PC
• The world’s first Fast Ethernet switch with an ISDN remote router
• The first 11MB wireless Cable/DSL router
• The first to offer 180-degree Wide Eye home surveillance cameras