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I just wanted to share my experiences with Powerline as I figure there's a lot of people who are still saddled with Wi-Fi--a technology that can be equal parts convenient and frustrating. I've never been a fan of it, to be honest; give me a good, reliable LAN cable connection anytime! It's black-and-white, no grey area, it's either connected or not, it doesn't drop connections and is more secure--not to mention way faster.

I was planning to get my XBox 360 connected to the 'net; it's an older console lacking the built-in wireless. Micro$oft sells the Xbox Wireless-N adapter for a ridiculously rape-alicious $80 - $90. So, it was either buy that device--and still not have an optimal connection for online gaming--or run a lengthy LAN cable somehow from my upper floor, where my TV/home theater system/main computer are, to the basement, where my internet router/modem is located. I REALLY didn't want to have to spend $80 for a friggin' proprietary wireless adapter for the Xbox, I wanted a LAN cable that's optimal for performance & connection stability.

I did some research and learned about Powerline--a technology that lets you use your existing home wiring as network data transmission lines. It seemed so simple & intriguing!

This is the unit I purchased:

http://amplifi.dlink.com/products/DHP-541

The D-Link AV 500 Powerline kit includes a unit you plug into a power outlet near your router, then connect to the router with the included LAN patch cable. You then connect the Powerline 4-LAN-port switch to any other outlet in your house--press a button on each of the 2 devices, similar to synching a wireless mouse/keyboard with the transmitter, for example--and you're done! All that's left is to connect up to 4 different LAN devices to the Powerline switch and enjoy full-speed LAN networking (up to 500 gigabits-per-second, for this unit). No software configuration, no direct-connecting to routers to configure them, no running long cables all over the place!

I did about 10 speed-tests with my main computer prior to connecting the Powerline switch, using my USB wireless-G adapter, then did the exact same tests after powering off & disconnecting the wireless adapter and connecting to the Powerline switch. The results were very impressive, my network throughput was 2.5 to 3 times faster--basically it was maxing out my 2.5 Megabit connection, my DSLReports download speeds jumped from 944 Kbps to 2500+ Kbps!

Now I can connect my upstairs computer, XBox 360, internet-capable HDTV receiver and a fourth device to my home network where this was impossible without buying wireless adapters for each or running LAN cable all over the place.

This Powerline technology has been around since 2006 and it amazes me that more people don't know about it & aren't using it...heck, the Best Buy salesperson didn't even know what Powerline was when I asked him where they were located. If you have a room in your house where you want a LAN connection, i.e. if your router is located far away and you're forced to use wireless adapters, you should really consider this technology for its ease-of-installation, lack of messing around with software & router configuration, performance & stability improvements and affordable price.

I picked up a couple of those devices on ebay about a year ago. I bought a Slingbox...which basically plugs into my cablebox and transmits my TV to any computer or cell phone. When I bought it I put it in one of my spare bedrooms so it was out of the way. The problem I ran into, is that there is no wireless adapter for the Slingbox, and I didnt want to run a cable out of that room and into the room where my router is set up. I ended up finding out about Powerline connections just by randomly searching on the web. I found 2 of the units on ebay for $30 something bucks. It was a simple hook up...and like Coelacanth said...they work great!

sounds like a great bit of kit, thanks for the heads up price is certainly good

You're a network administrator and didn't know about power line networking?

I've known about it since around the time it came out. I was setting up a wireless network in a churches rectory around 5 years ago and no matter what I tried I couldn't get the signal to travel very far. It was possibly due to old lead paint on the walls or something. My last resort was to try power line networking but they never called me back to try it.

I don't think it ever really caught on due to a number of problems like both ends needing to be on the same circuit for example. Its probably improved though since the last time I paid any attention to it.

The big story is I've read that HDMI is being phased out for whats called HDbaseT which is supposed to be the wave of the future as its a do-it-all technology.

Lowgear wrote:You're a network administrator and didn't know about power line networking?

I guess it's impossible to be on top of every emerging technology--I only looked into it once I had the need for it.

Apparently older iterations of this technology had more issues with speed, and connected devices not getting anywhere close to the theoretical throughput...but this particular system exceeded my expectations. I was expecting to be happy with a 25% improvement, not a 250%-plus improvement.