Powerline adapters can be used in your home when you have a networking device you need connected but have no way to run a network cable to it. Typically you would use wireless networking for this sort of thing, but depending on how far the device is located from your wireless access point, it may not be reliable enough for you to use.
In his article “HomePlug AV 500 Adapter Roundup”, Mr Higgens takes a look at some the new 500 Mbps Powerline Technology products. He does a complete review of these products along with performance testing. The products analyzed include:
- Belkin Powerline AV500
- D-Link Powerline AV 500
- NETGEAR Powerline AV 500
- TRENDnet 500 Mbps Powerline AV
- ZyXEL 500 Mbps Powerline Gigabit Ethernet
- ZyXEL 500 Mbps Powerline 4-Port Gigabit Switch
Along with complete pictures of these products, he describes the admin features and performance statistics for each unit.
His conclusion is that these newer 500 Mps offer better throughput than the 200 Mps predecessors. They also provide better throughput than any of the current wireless technology products. However, given the increased price difference these newer products do not justify the additional cost. Stick with the 200 Mps power line adapter technology for now.
What we think at NextGen Digital Home:
I’ve personally used a leading manufactures network powerline adapter in a condominium scenario when it was impossible to pull in a new network cable. Since the TV was located in a sunroom on the opposite corner from the wireless adapter, wireless connection was either hit or miss – mostly miss. The powerline adapter was a breeze to install and worked perfectly the first time. This was using the powerline adapters prior to the 200 Mps throughput. The homeowners now enjoy internet TV programs. We even added a small networking switch to the remote end where we plugged a laptop and printer which had problems connecting wirelessly. It worked perfectly. However, it was not an inexpensive solution. The home electrical wiring was also fairly new – built within the past 10 years.
