ZyXEL PLA4205 Gigabit Adaptor
Just shy of $60 may look like a good price
for a 500Mbps HomePlug AV2 network adaptor, but don’t be fooled. This package
contains only a single unit, meaning that to actually use your network, you’ll
need to buy a second. In fairness, $120 isn’t a terrible price for an AV2
setup, but nor is it the great value it might initially seem.
Of course, that’s not the only piece of
trickery here. You may notice that the connection speed was just given as 500
megabits, even though the product clearly has the word ‘gigabit’ in the model
name. This does not refer to the speed of the HomePlug network, but instead to
the speed of the Ethernet port that connects your computer to the adaptor. In
case it isn’t clear, let me spell it out for you: this is largely pointless. You’ll
never get a connection faster than the minimum speeds any portion of a network
is capable of. It’s like adding an inch onto the top of a milk bottle and
claiming that you’re somehow offering a bigger pint. 500 megabits of that
gigabit connection are always going to be wasted bandwidth.
ZyXEL PLA4205 Gigabit Adaptor
Now, with the disclaimers out of the way,
we can concentrate on the actual product, which is actually not bad. A
low-power 1W mode activated if no Ethernet connection is detected (i.e. your
computer is switched off) and multi-coloured LEDs on the device indicate the
line quality of the network – a major factor in determining the maximum speeds
you can expect to get from your device.
No pass-through and only one Ethernet port
make this a fairly basic adaptor, and ultimately its high cost belies a lack of
practical features. If you have multiple devices, the price of buying into this
system could soon stack up. No wonder ZyXEL tries to make it look and sound
better than it is.
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Details
Price: $60 RRP
Adaptorsincluded: 1
Protocol: HomePlug AV2
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Features: 6
Cost: 6
Overall: 6
Verdict
Some interesting features, but not as
practical as it could be, and definitely overpriced
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Netgear Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter XAV5501
Netgear Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter
XAV5501
Unlike most HomePlug networks, you can
expect to get the full speed.
Let’s start with the bad things: the
XAV5501 adaptors are big. Really big. Tall enough that they might potentially get
in the way of things that might be found somewhere near your plug sockets, such
as mirrors, or light fixtures.
That aside, this is probably one of, if not
the best adaptor on the market, and with a company like Netgear attached, it’s
probably not hard to figure out why (no disrespect meant to Xylicol, Solrock
and Devo or whatever those guys were called). This is a name brand delivering a
product worthy of that name.
Of course, you pay for that name, but
unlike most HomePlug networks, you can expect to get almost the full speed out
of this one. The always-appreciated plug-through outlet is a joy to find. The
Ethernet port is at the side, which is a shame because it restricts the choice
of where the adaptors can be placed, but it’s not a deal-breaker (and at least
the port isn’t located on the bottom as in some adaptors).
The bundled configuration utility,
NetgearPowerline, is simple to use and administer, allowing you to set the QoS
preferences and change the password, as well as access to other statistics and
features. It’s clear that Netgear’s years of service in the network industry
haven’t been wasted, and this was by far the most simple and user-friendly
application used.
Although the fastest in practical terms, it
isn’t exactly perfect, but there’s value in the name. it’s definitely far from
the cheapest HomePlug AV2 adapter on the market, and no one would blame you for
going with a less well-known manufacture to save money, or chase features
missing from the XAV5501. However, when you pay for this, you’re not paying for
the speed or the features, but for the peace of mind a brand name offers.
Anything else is a bonus.
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Details
Price: $180 RRP
Adaptors included: 2
Protocol: HomePlug AV2
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Features: 7
Cost: 7
Overall: 7
Verdict
Lives up to its name, and that’s all it
ever needed to do. |
