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The Actiontec 200 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter Kit uses your electrical lines to create a 200 Mbps network throughout your home or small office. Perfect for high-bandwidth applications like HDTV and audio streaming, you can gain access to your high-speed internet, computers and home theater devices without cabling or wireless headaches. This is the perfect solution to connect any device with an ethernet port, including, DVRs, Blu-Ray players, HDTV, computers, printers, Xbox360, Playstation 3 and Wii. The easy to set-up adapters include WPS (pushbutton security) and can expand to include multiple adapters around the home or small office. What's Included - 2 MegaPlug A/V 200 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapters; Quick Start Guide; Two Ethernet Cables Minimum System Requirements - Microsoft Windows 2000, XP or Vista; Mac; Linux. TCP/IP Network Protocol Installed. Works with any Ethernet enabled device Manufacturer's 1 year parts and labor warranty
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Technical Details
- Perfect for high-bandwidth applications like HD Video and audio streaming- Compatible with any high-speed service provider or equipment
- More secure than wireless! 128-bit AES pushbutton security
- Very easy to install. Simply plug in
- Uses HomePlug AV standard
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By Jean Yates (United States)
We just(and not a moment too soon!) got our playstation three and this Mega Plug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter kit works beautifully with it! It has a number of valuable reasons to try it out, such as security aspects (the company claims it is more secure than wireless networks) and the fact that it supports HomePlug speeds up to 200 Mbps. Not bad for a rather small piece of easy to install equipment. It is also compatible with other Homeplug AV enabled devices, so if you are interested, I suggest you check it out. Don't worry, it claims it is compatible with all routers and gateways.
It just might be the extra piece of equipment you have been waiting for without even realizing it. Actiontec was previously used by the US government for classified top secret documents. How many adapter kits can breezily mention that on the back of their packages? Try it! We love ours!
By Get What We Give (Georgia)
I'm a complete luddite when it comes to technology. I never was able to program the clock on my VCR. With this device, while simplistic, I called upon a thirteen year old neighbor's kid and had him install it and tell me what I could do with it.
It works very well allowing me a bit faster times on my wireless and in-house network.
I don't know that I use it to its fullest capability, but the young neighbor kid has assured me that if I will just give it a chance, he'll help me move out of the 1980's and into the 2000's....
By jpr (CO, USA)
Powerline networking can be a great solution if you use it for the right reasons. Obviously a CAT5/CAT6 wired network is going to be the best and most reliable way to connect up your equipment, but sometimes that's not practical. Wireless is great for laptops and such, but is subject to interference (at least one of my computers would drop connection for a bit any time someone used the microwave oven) and throughput can drop sharply as you get get farther from the wireless access point.
Right now, I've got two sets of Powerline network adapters running in addition to my wireless access point. I use them to bridge the upstairs and downstairs networks, and to connect a printer that isn't located near the wireless. Two are these Actiontec adapters and the other two are Netgear 200Mbps adapters. I've found the Actiontec units to work just as well as the Netgear, even with encryption turned on. I've been meaning to go through the extra effort to try to get the Actiontec to actually communicate with the Netgear but so far haven't succeeded in doing so. I'll update this review if I do. In the meantime, they're running in parallel with different devices using each, but still on the "same" network.
Once caveat with powerline networking is that most houses have at least two phases coming into them, with approximately half of the outlets on each one. Depending how your wiring is done, it's often possible to find two outlets that simply cannot communicate with each other. I haven't had any problems with these, however, I already have a phase coupler installed because I use X10 devices and wanted those signals to traverse both phases. That might be why it's working well with a variety of outlets, or I might just be lucky but overall throughput has been much higher than my wireless G network and they've been 100% reliable; never dropping the connection once so far.
Since these have worked well, I'm considering putting a file server in the basement and using another of these adapters to link it to the network. I wouldn't want a file server to have only a wireless connection and would prefer to avoid the hassle and expense of fishing CAT5 all the way to the basement (or the ugliness of stringing it across the ceiling or running along the baseboards) so I think these are my best solution for that purpose.
By David Pearlman (Arlington, MA United States)
Years ago, I purchased one of the first through-power-line Ethernet kits on the market. At the time, the claimed throughput was low (say, 10mbps), and the actual throughput was ridiculously slow. Not to mention the fact that the connection seemed to hang inexplicably with great frequency. In a word: Not ready for primetime, not ready for anything, really...
Fast forward nearly a decade. By now, wireless Ethernet routers are cheap and easy to use and just about everyone has one.
Into this environment, Actiontec has dumped their new MegaPlug "200 Mbps" powerline network kit.
Your first question, and it's a good one, is: "What's the point?" And for many people the answer will be "none, really, in your situation."
BUT there are two sets of people for whom something like this--if it works--is a godsend.
First off, there are those who simply cannot set up something like a wireless router. It's not hard, but there are still a lot of complete tech phobes out there. Think: your Grandparents, or maybe even your parents. Sure, you could go over and set things up for them. But then what happens the first time the router goes down and needs to be rebooted or whatever? Panic calls at midnight are not most people's idea of bonus time.
The second set of people who could use something like this, if it works, are those with wireless dead spots in their homes. There are a lot of people like this, actually. No matter where you set up the wireless transmitter, some places just get no signal, or a very lousy one. Now, you can--if you are technically inclined--set up a wireless repeater to address issue. But it's a bit tricky for most people who don't relish spending their Friday night shopping the halls of Frys, Microcenter or BestBuy. This kit offers a simple alternative to a wireless repeater.
OK, enough on who might want this. On to the more significant question: Does it actually work, and how easy is it, really, to set up.
I'll answer the second question first. It is ridiculously, stupidly, unbelievably easy to set this up. Plug one unit in one wall outlet. Run ethernet cable from unit to your router. Plug second unit into another wall outlet anywhere else in your house. Run either cable from unit to the device you want to talk to router. And you are done. Even if you have trouble figuring out how to open the door of a refrigerator, it can't take you more than 5 minutes to set up.
And how does it work? SHOCKINGLY well. In a three story home with about 20 separate circuits (lines on their own circuit breakers), I was unable to find two outlets that could not communicate with each other at a reasonable speed, and without any disruptions. You aren't going to see 200Mbps in the real world, but I saw between 24Mbps and 34Mbps, depending on where I placed the two outlet plugs. Before you sneer, this compares to a normal transfer rate of about 18Mbps for a GOOD wireless G connection. In other words, the Actiontec kit gave transfer rates that were between 33% and 90% FASTER than wireless G!
I can recommend this unconditionally to those who need an alternative to standard wireless with one caveat (and it's a big one): This kit is quite pricey. It runs over a hundred bucks at the time of this writing, as compared to a good quality wireless G router, which can be purchased for as little as $30. In addition, this kit is good for connecting only one location to another single location, whereas wireless is...everywhere.
But if you can get past the price, this kit is terrific.
By GLENN LEVY (Chicago)
This product works most of the time. It's a great way to extend your network if you need a hook up with out hassles of wireless. It does come with a few problems, if your outlets are on different breakers the signal is not as strong or does not come through at all. I still like it. It suits my needs. Its simple to hook up and use. Great for apts. Where you do not have seperate breakers for outlets. Nice way to extend a internet connection between two people without wireless.
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