HomePlug Ethernet Turbo review

Verdict:

Review Date: 22 Sep 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: David Ludlow

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

In What's New, Shopper October 2006 we looked at two products that use the new HomePlug 85Mbit/s standard, which lets you use your existing power cables as a wired network. This month we're looking at Solwise's version of the technology.

You get one adaptor per box, so you'll need to buy at least two to connect a device to your router. You can add extra adaptors as you need them, and you can buy any HomePlug adaptor from any manufacturer. The 85Mbit/s standard is backwards-compatible with the older 14Mbit/s standard, so you can use these adaptors with any kit you already have.

The beauty of HomePlug is that it's incredibly simple to use, and Solwise's adaptors are no different. Just plug one in near the device you want to network, plug another near your router and connect the provided Ethernet cables to get a working network.

For privacy, you can encrypt the link by giving each adaptor a password. Solwise bundles the same utility software we've seen with all other HomePlug adaptors we've reviewed. It's very simple to use and displays a list of adaptors on your network. All you have to do is select them and choose a common password.

We were impressed with the speed of the products we reviewed last month, and the HomePlug Ethernet Turbo adaptors were no disappointment. Although a touch slower than eConnect's HomePlug Turbo, they were quite a bit quicker than an average 802.11g wireless network.

Once again, HomePlug 85Mbit/s has shown that it's a viable alternative to wireless networking, particularly in houses with thick walls where you can't get a good wireless signal. These adaptors are good value, but we'd go for eConnect's HomePlug Turbo instead, as they were slightly quicker in our tests and cost the same.

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