5 stars
Price: $99.99
www.amazon.com
After seeing 500Mbytes/s HomePlug AV
adaptors from Netgear, Solwise, Devolo, Edimax, and D-Link, we are not sure
what Zyxel version can bring to the party. The adaptors are not very compact
like Edimax HP-5001K, and have no power sockets like Solwise PL-500AV-Piggy
adaptor, so you will take 2 sockets for your network kit.
However, they are very fast. When we
connected them together through normal button security method, we saw that data
throughput usually reached nearly 149.1Mbytes/s. It is faster than 10Mbytes/s
compared to the fastest rivals of the kit and faster 50Mbytes/s compared to
10/100 Ethernet, so you will need gigabyte Ethernet network to take advantage
of the speed; with 10/100 switch, we can be faster than 93Mbytes/s transfer
speed. At the range of 10m throughout a laboratory with quite many electronic
devices plugged in, we saw 51.4Mbytes/s, which can be compared to 500Mbytes/s
adaptors from competitive producers.
The kit is accompanied by a utility to set
up network name for adaptors, so you can connect them to HomePlug adaptors from
other producers by giving them the same network name. What a pity, while it
could see all HomePlug AV adaptors we have online, the untility was unable to
set up password for Zyxel adaptors.
To make everything work, we changed to
Atheros Power Pack utility, a free download from support website of Solwire. It
had no problem in finding our adaptors and changing password on each adaptor,
and we soon had a network including two PLA4205 adaptors and one 500Mbytes/s
Solwise NET-PL-500AV-Piggy. As estimation, data transfer speed reduced to
139.8Mbytes/s with the Solwise adaptor, which is the best speed it is able to
manage.
Zyxel Adaptor PLA4205 is the fastest
500Mbytes/s powerline socket we have ever seen. However, if you do not like
socket, we suggest you sacrifice a bit of speed and buy two Solwise
NET-PL-500AV-Piggy adaptors.
Summary
Verdict. It is the fastest Homeplug AV kit so far, but keep in mind that
there are no power sockets.
Homeplug AV adaptor. 2 HomePlug AV adaptors (500Mbytes/s), 2 Ethernet ports
(10/100/1000), 95x71x65mm, three-year RTB warranty.
Energy consumption: 3W at active mode
Choose wireless router
Follow
these steps to find your ideal specs:
Standard:
802.11n (300Mbytes/s)
Ethernet port: 4 10/100Mbytes/s ports
Wide bandwidth connection: Ethernet WAN port
The folowings are only recommened minimum specs:
1.
A basic wireless router with the specs listed above
will have a price of approximate £40. Even cheap router also provides 802.11n
technology now although they do not have as many features as more expensive
copies. It has no preset modem, so you will have to use it with wide bandwidth
modem with an Ethernet port. Available at this price are 150Mbytes/s ‘N-lite’
routers. They have fewer antennas but are no less fast than 802.11n devices in
reality. You can expect 30Mbytes/s transfer speed at a range of 10m from any
modern 802.11n router.
2.
If there is ADSL, you should buy a wireless router with
preset ADSL modem. It will cost more than an equivalent cable router, but it
allows you to connect router directly to your wide bandwidth connection up to
24Mbytes/s with suitable ISP.
3.
Most 802.11n wireless routers use 2.4GHz frequency. It
has good range but can be interfered if being near to many other 2.4GHz devices
such as other routers and small screens. If you have any problem in having
permanent wireless signal or want faster transfer rate to transfer wireless
video, you should buy a two-bandwidth router that can use both 2.4GHz and 5GHz
bandwidths. Or, a high-gain antenna can increase signal, and improve range and
throughput for the whole house. You can also add high-gain antenna for network
adaptor of PC. If wired network speed is preferential, find a router with
Gigabyte Ethernet.
4.
Many routers have preset USB ports allowing you to
connect USB drive and use router as a basic network storage device. If you want
to share USB printer online, find a wireless router with preset USB host
printer. Or, you can add a specialized wireless host printer later. Lastly, if
you enjoy making phone call via internet, find a router with preset VoIP
support (and phone sockets) since it can save your money.
