We look at another use for his plug sockets
Powerline adaptors have increased in
popularity so much over the last few years that they're as much a part of the
home network these days as the humble switch. Of course, the benefit they offer
to those whose wireless is less than great in certain areas of the house, or
those who don’t want to have to run cabling into every nook and cranny, is
paramount, and as the technology improves, so does the data rate.
ZyXEL
PL4201 Powerline Adaptor
ZyXEL ’s PLA4201 Powerline Adaptors break
the mould from the standard affair we’ve seen in the past. For starters,
they're incredibly small, being only 50 x 60 x 70mm, and they're dwarfed by
their competition, such as the D-Link Powerline. Secondly, they throw the data
between each other at rates of up to 500Mbps, which greatly improves the
bandwidth from the old 200Mbps models.
In the box, we find the two Powerline
adaptors, obviously, a couple of one metre Ethernet cables, the obligatory
quick start guide and a DVD containing the documentation and a handy utility.
The utility is a network configuration tool, which offers all sorts of options
to those who wish to fine-tune their Powerline setup. From here you can view
the network topology, update the firmware, create access passwords with Data
Access Keys and change the priority of traffic between the units.
The setting up of the units couldn’t be
easier: simply plug one of them into a power socket, attach one end of the
network cable into the PLA4201 and the other end into your router. Then do the
same elsewhere in your house with the Ethernet connection to the desired
networked device. The units will pick each other up and connect seamlessly.
In terms of speeds and performance,
Powerline adaptors have, in the past, advertised themselves as all things wonderful,
but in reality they've often come short when being measured. It’s now become
the norm to treat the advertised speed of a Powerline unit as being at least
one-third the number in real-world scenarios. However, at the same time there
are many factors that can affect the overall transition rate. The quality of
electrical cabling to and from each unit, the number of networked devices there
are already, and the distance and noise on the electrical wires all contribute
to condition of the data rate. In the tests that we conducted, transferring a
5GB file, watching a streamed 1080p HD movie, and watching streamed HD via BBC
iPlayer, the ZyXEL PLA4201 proved itself to be quite the contender.
Our house's electrical environment is far
from perfect, but we achieved speeds of up to 9.5MB per second when
transferring the 5GB file from one PC to another. Similarly, the streaming of
BBC HD media was unaffected and showed no signs of stuttering of buffering.
The streamed 1080p movie test was an area
where we expected the PLA4201 to fail or at the very least struggle, so we were
pleasantly surprised with the fact that the entire movie played without the
slightest hint of a network slow-down. Indeed, the only evidence of a struggle
was when we transferred the large file again, while watching the movie, which
in itself is a slightly unfair test, but after the copy completed, the movie
returned to normal.
In conclusion, the ZyXEL PLA4201 offers a
fine choice for those looking for an excellent Powerline product, and for only
$48 from Ebuyer, you can’t really complain. There may very well be faster
products, but when compared to the size and cost, ZyXEL comes out on top.
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Details
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Price: $48
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Manufacturer: ZyXEL
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Tel no: +44 (0) 118 912 1700
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Website: goo.gl/jV38Y
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Required spec: Devices with 10/100/1000
Ethernet ports. Spare plug sockets
Verdict
·
Quality: 8
·
Value: 9
·
Overall: 8
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