We test a HomePlug that streams music
to your audio speakers
Netgear's Powerline Music Extender is a
HomePlug kit that lets you stream audio directly to a set of speakers or a regular
stereo, from any Airplay- or DLNA-compatible device such as an iPad, Windows PC
or NAS (Network Attached Storage).
The kit comes in two parts. One of these is
a standard 200Mbps HomePlug adapter, which needs to connect to your existing
network via its Ethernet port, then plugs into a standard electrical socket so
it can send your music through your electrical wiring. The other part of the
kit is a specially adapted HomePlug, which has a USB port as well as the more
usual Ethernet port. This USB port attaches to your speakers via a special
cable, which has a USB plug at one end and a 3.5mm headphone-style jack and a
stereo RCA cable on the other. One of these two connectors should attach to
virtually any kind of stereo or speakers that you may have.
Netgear
XAUB2511 Powerline Music Extender
We set up the device to connect to our
home-cinema speakers and tested tit by using an iPad and iPhone to stream audio
from iTunes over Airplay; our NAS device using Synology’s DS Audio app; and the
YouTube website, among others. We had no trouble streaming audio to our
speakers while also streaming full HD video to a Smart TV, which we connected
to the device using its Ethernet port. The kit’s performance is excellent,
ideal for all kinds of home entertainment, from audio to video streaming.
Conveniently, each HomePlug also has a
pass-through socket, so you won’t run out of mains sockets.
The USB port can also be used to add a
printer or storage to your network. We had no trouble setting up and printing
to a USB printer, but we did have to wait while Windows Update found and
installed the correct driver.
At the moment, you can’t buy the Music Extender
unit on its own, only as part of this kit, which is annoying if you already own
a HomePlug network. However, you’re only paying for one extra 200Mbps adapter,
so it isn’t too expensive, but we’d like to see Netgear release the Extender as
a single-unit upgrade, as well as a starter kit.
Netgear’s
Powerline Music Extender kit allows reliable, stress-free audio streaming from
Airplay- or DLNA-compatible devices, to any set of speakers
Our Verdict
Netgear’s Powerline Music Extender kit
allows reliable, stress-free audio streaming from Airplay- or DLNA-compatible
devices, to any set of speakers.
If you haven’t already embraced HomePlug
technology, this is the perfect starting point, though we would also have liked
to see a cheaper version, without the extra HomePlug, for those who already
have a HomePlug network.
Specifications
·
Price: $70.5
·
1 x Ethernet port
·
1 x USB port
·
Pass-through power socket
·
HomePlug AV 200Mbps compatible
·
112 x 74 x 45mm (Music Extender), 105 x 58 x 41mm
(HomePlug)
·
245g (Music Extender), 189g (HomePlug)
·
Streams music from almost any device to almost any
speakers
·
Easy to set up
·
More reliable network streaming than Wi-Fi
Against
·
Only available as a starter kit, with a 200Mbps
HomePlug also included in the package
