Netgear Powerline HDXB101 review

Powerline networking equipment is ideal for people who want a home network, but can't use Wi-Fi and don't want wires trailing all over the floor.

The principle is simple - Powerline technology uses the domestic ring main circuit in a home for its communications. Plug one device into a mains socket next to one computer, another near a second PC and with the PC's connected to the devices' network ports, you have an instant network. Powerline devices behave just like any other bit of network hardware, so you can plug one into a router to share a broadband connection, or use half a dozen to connect computers in each wing of your walls-so-thick-they-block-Wi-Fi mansion.

The main drawback with Powerline technology used to be speed. The last generation of products maxed out at around 20Mbit/s, which is comparable to the real world performance of 802.11g. Both Devolo and Netgear have, however, just released next-generation Powerline kits and this is claimed to work at 200Mbit/s. That's faster than most wired networks, so what's the catch?

Plug away

Since they plug into a mains socket, Powerline devices don't need an external power source and most models look just like a fat mains plug. That's certainly the case with Netgear's HDXB101 Powerline HD and if you plug one into a gang plug adaptor, it blocks the socket next to it. Devolo's dLAN 200 AVdesk, on the other hand, looks like a router and connects to the mains via a standard figure-eight-plug mains lead.

Each kit consists of a pair of devices, but you can buy additional single adapters to extend your network for around half the price. Getting a Powerline network working is simple - just plug the adapters in, connect the PCs and run the setup wizard. Both Netgear and Devolo devices support 128-bit encryption, so your data is safe against anyone else in the building trying to spy on it with an adapter of their own.

In terms of raw throughput, neither devices lives up to the claimed 200Mbit/s performance, but then no networking equipment ever does. Instead, you can expect to see around 80Mbit/s and smoothly streamed video under ideal conditions - with the devices fairly close to each other on an interference-free circuit, in other words.

Main experiment

Ideal conditions in most households are few and far between though, and most people use their ring main for more than just networking. So, we did a little experimentation. Both manufacturers recommend plugging their devices directly into a mains socket, but with the each pair of devices set up in adjacent rooms, both the Netgear and Devolo worked just as well when plugged into a gang plug adapter - impressive stuff.

Unfortunately, performance differences became more pronounced once we increased the distance between each end of the network by a couple of rooms. There was no noticeable change with the Devolo and it streamed video, including HD video, flawlessly - even with a gang plug adapter and a hairdryer added to the mix. The Netgear, however, didn't cope quite so well. It dropped video frames even on a clean gang plug-free connection. Part of the explanation may lie in the fact that the Netgear adapters don't conform to the Powerline 'HomePlug' specification, and this creates other issues.

HomePlug -compatible devices should be able to co-exist on the same ring main when they're not part of the same network, but with the Netgear and Devolo devices plugged in at the same time, the Devolo network failed. This incompatibility won't be an issue for most people, but if you live in a converted flat with a shared ring main, it's worth bearing in mind.