Powerline Networking Adapter

Is a Power Line (Powerline) connection worth looking into?

I just heard about the networking system capable of sending an Ethernet signal through AC power lines.

I use powerline ethernet in my household. I originally purchased it because I had a “dead spot” in my home that no WiFi signal could seem to pierce, even with the access point a mere 35 line-of-site feet away (and I even had access to a -14db unidirectional Yagi antenna). Since this dead spot coincided with where I needed my desk to be, I had to find another option.

I was able to purchase a Netgear Powerline of Ethernet kit that contained two units (both are transmitters/receivers that interconnect) and have to say I’ve been QUITE impressed with the results. So much so that I removed the WiFi cards from desktops in other rooms and linked my whole house with these kits. I now have four operational units and will be adding two more.

**LIMITATIONS OF THE TECHNOLOGY**
My house is less than 10 years old with modern wiring throughout. If you have an older home with older wiring, it is possible that you will have poor connectivity or, possibly, no connectivity at all between the devices. Also, I’ve heard of cases where a single home had multiple electrical phases and the signal would not cross phases.

Also, remember that your house is part of the electrical grid. It would be very easy for someone in another home on the same grid as you to attempt to steal your network signals by plugging in another Ethernet over Powerline device. So it becomes very important, just as it is with wireless, for you to buy an Ethernet over Powerline kit that has encryption. The Netgear kit I bought does support encryption.

**SPEED**
While there are kits that claim to reach speeds up to 200MB, I would think that about half that is the best you can expect… but that is right at normal 10/100 ethernet speeds. All I know is that the kit I am using is plenty fast enough to stream full high-definition audio/video.

**ACCESS**
As I mentioned above, whether or not you can access throughout the house is entirely dependent on the wiring in your home and other potential sources of interference.

**FINAL THOUGHTS**
In my case, Ethernet over Powerline with the last-ditch effort before I pulled a Cat5 cable through the walls. WiFi just wasn’t working and I needed connectivity. This did the trick for me, so much so that I completely abandoned WiFi (except for laptops, of course) and now have all my remote desktops and other ethernet devices (such as an XBox 360) all connected via Ethernet over Powerline. I even have an office in one corner of the house with one of these devices hooked to a switch so I could connect and share a PC, scanner, and printer. It works like a dream.

The best thing is, though, you can purchase these kits at any local big-box electronics chain, like a Best Buy. The Netgear kits I’m using cost me around $140 retail (they can be found cheaper on-line). However, I spent the extra money to buy them locally so, if in the scenario where they didn’t work in my house, I could easily return them with no loss to myself.

So, if you have an application where you think these would help you, go ahead and buy a kit from a local store. SAVE THE RECEIPT!! If it works for you, fantasic! If not, you can return them and get your money back.

Good luck!

Monster Cable PowerNet PowerLine Network Adapter

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