NETGEAR XAVB5101-100PAS Powerline Nano 500 Set Up to 500Mbps each NETGEAR XAVB5101-100PAS Powerline Nano 500 Set Up to 500Mbps each

Pros: It really is just plug and play. The speed from the device certainly is good enough for internet use, including streaming.

Streaming works well with 3 1080p streams from my NAS. I got 4 720p streams running smoothly as well. Above that, the buffer could not remain filled and playback failed. Since the 1080p streaming from my NAS is of much higher quality and uses more bandwidth than streaming from online sources, i assume 3 devices streaming from the internet will work well. Details on this and other testing are below.

I have used this device for one PC for about a month and it is still working great. It gets a little warm, but does not get hot.

Notes: I am a network engineer. I have a B.S. in computer engineering. I've got about 15 years of enterprise systems experience and 7 years of enterprise network experience. Friends of mine have used these things for years to get internet access to rooms in old houses they have lived in as renters, but i have never used one myself before obtaining this model. Subjective experiences with past models have left me generally dissatisfied with them. Network delay was huge and speed was worse than 1 Mbps usually. I must admit that i was pleasantly suprised with the performance of this device.

Cons: Speeds obtained during testing came no where near the advertized speed. For this, i knock off an egg. I've never seen these types of devices with honest speed ratings on the box though.

Notes on cons mentioned by others:
Others have pointed out that there is no ground, but this is really not necessary as neutral is the same as ground from a house wiring and safety persepective for small electronics (Neutral and Ground are joined at the same bus in the main panel). Grounds are only really needed for larger transformers and A/C motors. I am not concerned about zaps any more than through any other network devices plugged into the wall. Also, all homes should have a lightning protector at the electrical panel. These are available for less than $75 at home stores. My knowledge of this comes from electrical engineering classes, years of studying electronics, and experience.

Other Thoughts: Test environment: The network is on a 24 port (all gig) enterprise switch (cisco 2960s) with more backplane bandwidth than 2x the number of ports on the switch. Switch ports are 1/2 occupied but use is very low. CPU on the switch is <5%. End devices are connected directly to this switch. Media source: Synology DS1512+ with 5x 2TB RE4 drives in RAID 5 with Link Aggregation (2x gig) for network connectivity.

Testing: I wrote a script which copies 3 files (311, 970, 4300 MB in size) and times those copies in milliseconds, then computes the md5 sum to ensure integrity. I ran this script on the same computer three times for each test case and averaged the results to compare performance across test cases. Test cases were: Gigabit LAN (to determine a base for comparison), wifi 15' from AP [listed as 270Mbps] (MIMO 5Ghz band 3x3, through 1 wall), wifi 50' from AP [listed as 130Mbps] (through several walls), Powerline in the same room (different outlets), Powerline across the house (signal must go from source to electrical panel then to detination room elsewhere in the house) estimated at about 150' of electrical cable between source and destination. Note the APs used are enterprise network APs with 3x3 MIMO operating on the 5Ghz band.

Results: In summary, the device was just under 30x slower at transmitting files than over gigbit lan, and about 2-3x slower than wifi with a strong signal. It is likely that this device would be as good or better than consumer grade APs, especially those built into home routers. I did not test the device against consumer grade APs because i don't have any and would never recommend anyone use one (low end enterprise APs can be obtained used from auction bay for as little as $50, new for $300). The full data collected is attached to this product as a video review.

Streaming testing was simple. I attached 3 computers to a small 8 port switch and the switch was fed from the Powerline. (The switch has a backplane of 16 Gbps.) I opened up media files until the buffers could not stay filled and playback stopped. The computers were not the limiting factor as they are all quad core i7's with at least decent dedicated video cards and are all able to play more than 3 1080p streams on the gigabit LAN.

My expert opinion: I would recommend this device if connectivity is needed (and cannot be obtained by running more ethernet) across a house for internet access, streaming for 1-3 devices, or to provide LAN access for an AP to extend coverage. Ideally, always run more LAN if more network connectivity is needed, but when this is not possible, this Powerline device will work well for general use.

Last, performance is degraded if an A/C motor is run on a circuit used by the Powerline devices. Performance about halved when i had a ceiling fan running on the same circuit as a Powerline device. The Signal to Noise Ratio decreases, making the circuit much more noisy. My house is less than 2 years old and has modern wiring.

Pros: Insanely easy setup. Few things are truly "plug and play", but these are. Plug them in...done. Also easy to enable encrypted connection (push a button on each unit). Encryption is only required if you live in a shared environment, but not needed if you are in a single-family house. Great solution for when you need a wired connection (a smart TV, a desktop computer, etc). Speedy enough (but read on for a reality check). Still useful even with Wifi in your home.

Built-in 3 color LED (green, yellow, red) helps you identify the best outlet to use. If possible, try different outlets to make sure you get the highest speed. Doing iPerf speed tests proved the LEDs are a good indication of speed.

Cons: I was never able to get any connection above 100Mbps. Wireless N still beats out Powerline in my house. I've been using Powerline for years, starting with 80, then 200, then 500 (but with 100Mb FastEthernet wired connections), and now these with 500 and Gigabit wired connections. But after all that, I get the same connection speeds I got all along, which is between 25 and 80Mbps depending on the outlet I use. See Other Thoughts for more data.

Other Thoughts: I used iPerf to test network speeds. When the LED is red, I was getting about 25Mbps. Yellow was around 50, and with a Green LED, the highest speed I ever got was 80Mbps. So forget about 500, or Gigabit. Another way of looking at it: if you currently have a powerline solution in your house, you probably won't see an improvement in speed.

Another comparison: In almost every test I did, I got higher speed over Wireless-N, when testing with a Macbook Air using the built-in Wireless-N and a thunderbolt to gigabit ethernet adapter. Switching to wirelss N at each outlet I tried always beat out the powerline adapter (in my house, anyway. I didn't go to someone else's house to test it).

However, there is still a place for Powerline. If you have a device that needs a wired connection (a Smart TV that doesn't have Wifi, or a desktop computer), Powerline is easier to install and use than wireless. No drivers, no configuration at all. Plug in the white block into the wall, connect the RJ-45 ethernet cable, done. As I said, I've been using Powerline for many years, and will continue to use it for desktop computers. If you are using a laptop, especially one with N, it will be higher speed than Powerline, but for a desktop, powerline is dead simple and easy. I've absolutely NEVER had a problem in all the 7 years we've been using powerline. I can't say the same for wireless in the past 7 years.

Just don't expect anywhere near "500" mbps, however.

Pros: - No setup, I just plug them, they paired within seconds.
- Stable connection over 4 weeks of use
- Good connectivity to a remote ethernet switch connecting a gaming console, IP CAM, Bluray player, TV... all worked fine without issue and replaced the CAT5 cable running to my main switch with the XAVB5101
-Good for browsing the internet or watching streaming videos
- Well written documentation
- Small size vs. other products
- I've used several similar products and consider the XAVB5101 features among the best, granted there's not a lot for this type of produce

Cons: - The XAVB5101 file transfer speed to a NAS device averaged 21 MB/s vs. 39 MB/s over CAT 5 directly connected to the switch.
- Too slow for bulk file transfers within you local network
- Lack of pass-through socket

Other Thoughts: Loss of one star due to lower than expected throughput for local network file transfers

Pros: Plenty of speed.
Easy setup - just plug them in.
Trouble-free after 2 years.

Cons: Runs fairly warm so make sure nothing blocks airflow around it.

Other Thoughts: We bought this at a local store because we weren't sure it would work for us, and we wanted to be able to return it at no cost if it wasn't suitable.
We needn't have worried. After plugging in one of these to a power outlet near our router and connecting an ethernet cable we plugged in the other Netgear adapter in the living room and connected an ethernet cable to our home theater PC. It worked within seconds with no setup required. We have not tried installing or using any Netgear software, but that might be useful if you have several adapters or if you mix different brands.
We compared our internet speed over this powerline adapter to the speed we get with a hard-wired connection on another PC next to the router. Download and upload speeds are just as fast using the powerline adapters ! speedtest.comcast.net produced download speed approx. 26Mbps and upload speed approx. 5Mbps which is the same as our direct ethernet connection achieved. With our digital TV tuner (a plug here for HD Homerun Prime) sending an HDTV signal through the router to the living room we can record a TV show and still be able to watch an HD video on Youtube .... and I even managed to do video chat on Skype or Yahoo as well. So, plenty of bandwidth over the powerline adapter, and it's retained that quality over 2 years of use. Not Bad!
If you have an older home with old wiring or if you use the adapter many rooms away from the first one then your reception may be weaker, so bear that in mind.

Pros: Incredibly easy setup; two devices plugged in, two Ethernet cables connected and you're essentially done!

Handy powerline connection indicators let you know if you've got a good, so-so or poor data connection.

Gigabit Ethernet port eliminates the 100Mbps roadblock common to many other powerline data products.

Built-in encryption eases worries about anyone intercepting data, even if they can access the power circuits, such as an apartment, dorm, hotel or other multi-user dwelling.

Includes everything needed to get connected immediately, nothing else to purchase unless you require a longer Ethernet cable. (If so, make sure you use Cat6-rated for best results, or at least Cat-5e.)

Decent looking devices, not overly large (more on this in "Cons," however.) LEDs aren't overly bright and distracting.

Stable and reliable, only had to reset once in a month of useage.

Units feel solid and well-constructed, as if a short drop onto a hard surface wouldn't leave them scattered in two or more pieces (although this perception was not tested.)

Cons: Does not transfer data between two devices at 500Mbps, or even approaching this speed (see more on this in "Other thoughts.")

Blocks a power outlet, which already tend to be scarce in the vicinity of PC/network equipment.

Generally poor to no connectivity if connected to a surge protector, compounding the outlet issue above.

Units have a small footprint, but are very thick, noticeably more so than some other, newer powerline adapters.

Units can get pretty warm during extended data transfers, though not dangerously so.

Unlike WiFi, these devices inherently leave you tethered to a data cable, very little freedom of movement.

Other Thoughts: Netgear isn't the only company touting their "500Mbps" powerline connections, but the truth is, the theoretical maximum for ALL powerline data transmissions COMBINED is ~500Mbps, but that is NOT the speed (or even close) that you will ever see between two specific units. 500Mbps is the SHARED TOTAL bandwidth of all the powerline devices on the same circuit. For example, if you had ten of these units plugged into the same power circuit (which is five pairs of two units,) and all five pairs were in use at the same time, theoretically they could all work at ~100Mbps. Realistically you'll probably never get that kind of overall speed, either, but it's within the realm of possibility.

That having been said, here are my "real world" results of these units pitted against a 300Mbps 802.11n WiFi router:

Netgear Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

1.82GB test file between two LAN PCs.

Nano
====
4.30MBps down (34.4Mbps)
5.08MBps up (40.64Mbps)
--------
4.7MBps average

Speedtest.net Ping: 65ms Down: 13.9Mbps Up: 0.97Mbps

300Mbps n-router
================
5.10MBps down (40.8Mbps)
5.48MBps up (43.84Mbps)
--------
5.3MBps average

Speedtest.net Ping: 65ms Down: 13.8Mbps Up: 0.96Mbps


As you can see, the WiFi actually did a little better than the powerline connection, and you have the freedom of WiFi, to boot. Your results may vary based on your power circuits, WiFi hardware, etc.

This begs the question "why consider using these at all when you can just use WiFi?" Well, I'll tell you!

1.) First and foremost, ease of setup! These are WAY easier to get connected than my WiFi, which involves encryption passwords, locating the MAC address,editing the router MAC table, etc. Not everyone makes their WiFi as complicated as I do, but I don't take many chances with anyone hacking my wireless network.
2.) Data security. A wired network is inherently more secure than a wireless, simply because the data is not being blasted out for any antenna within range to intercept. Wiring requires physical access, which is doable since any outlet on the outside of your house is a potential access point, but it requires a hacker to actually COME TO your property, quite a bit more daunting than sitting outside in a car whilst quietly sampling your packets.
3.) Speed. While not quite as fast as the WiFi, the powerline connection still posted decent results, more than fast enough for the average user. Neither WiFi nor powerline will ever replace a hard Cat6 GigE connection for us speed-junkies, but they're both acceptable.

I might mention distance, too, since WiFi can fall off pretty rapidly as proximity from the router increases, but the powerline might also fall off with greater distance, something I wasn't able to test, so I don't think it's fair to bring that into play here.

All in all, powerline connections can still be relevant in today's increasingly wireless world, and Netgear has a pretty solid little product here.

Pros: The NETGEAR Powerline 500 Nano was literally a plug and play experience right out of the box. The consumer has the option to secure the connection with the push of a button, and it works perfectly! The “Pick-A-Plug” feature is handy, and assisted me with locating the best possible circuit connections to get the highest reliability signals.
Most small network users will find this item as a welcome addition to their system. With this networking option available, the addition of a connection anywhere there is a power outlet is simple and straightforward. A new streaming connection? No problem!

Cons: Only 2 adapters in the kit! I kept wishing that I had another one or five!

Other Thoughts: When testing items as a Newegg Eggxpert, I expect to receive the very same items from off of the shelf as any consumer would be able to purchase. The NETGEAR Powerline 500 Nano FALLS SHORT in this respect.
First of all, this item arrived as an opened box, with opened and repackaged adapters, and a letter from NETGEAR thanking me for reviewing their product. “To help ensure you have a positive experience, we invite you to reach out to us with any questions or comments via a special e-mail address reserved just for this community-- NewEgg.EggXpert@xxxxxxxxx.com
I believe this is what we call “cherry-picking” an item, to ensure a good review.
This letter than continues on with all of the “special” features of this particular model.

Pros: * Easy to setup - one-button pairing (took me 2 minutes).
*Clear indicator - for finding the optimal plug.
* Clear instruction - the Quick Start Guide is easy to follow even for novice but experienced users wouldn't even need it.
* Solid internet connection - No drop connection over a few days of use. Using two sockets from the same household circuit ("best" connection as indicated by the device), the speed via SpeedTest.net is identical to using a direct cable. Of course, this is mostly the limitation of the cable modem speed, which is nowhere close to the theoretical limit of this pair. Using another socket from another household circuit much further away with only a "Good" connection (red LED indication), the speed remains the same, which surprised me a little. There was no extra ping time added even at this signal level.
* Reasonable LAN connection: On the "Best" socket, LAN Speed Test gave just over 100 Mbps, and it showed up as a gigabit connection. It's respectable, but obviously nowhere close to the 500 Mbps theoretical speed. On the further away "Good" socket, LAN Speed test dropped to 30+ Mbps, which is still respectable, and better than my wireless connection at this location.
* Extends network coverage: it did extend my coverage area to an area that had spotty wireless coverage without needing any extra wiring work, truly plug and play.

Cons: * No pass-through socket: it will take up one full socket space, but I fixed it with a 3-socket adapter, cost me $1.
* Need unprotected socket: it does not work with any extension or adapter with circuit protection, which is unfortunate. This means, for the same socket, you have to choose between safety or using this adapter.
* Max. speed: Stated speed is impossible to achieve; I even tried them next to each other, in the same socket. LAN Test gave me on average, about 170 Mbps. That said, it is very usable and is certainly enough for most consumer applications. But if you are looking to transfer a large amount of files (video/photo workstation backup, for example), you should know this limitation.

Other Thoughts: This is a solid product from Netgear. While I cannot talk about reliability, it seems to be keeping its operating temperature in check even with a continuous stress test using LAN Test. Overall, I think it is a well designed product that can eliminate a lot of headache, both for the technically advanced or just a non-technical user, given its very simple installation. I have only ditched one star for the speed being lower than its stated value even when the two devices are paired next to each other on the same household circuit. But even at 100+ Mbps, over a powerline, that's quite respectable. I did not expect it to go that much higher than that.

Pros: Easy setup, no software to install – plug and play
Come with two 6ft network cables
Usable on most power outlet
LED’s tells you what outlet gives the best connection

Cons: No pass through – covers the outlet
Network cables could have been longer
Could have been small in size - looks like a power brick

Other Thoughts: I tested the power outlets in four bedrooms, living room, kitchen, garage, and even an outlet outside in the shed and the all work fine with green light.
I did an internet speed test with wired and wireless and the result are very close.
I checked my local area connection status and it say that my connection speed is 1Gbps.
I have always used wireless for all my computers. I use wireless N router and N Card adapters and they are good enough for me. I did not see any speed increase using the power line adapter. Being able to use the power line adapter on any power outlet in the house kind of makes it a mobile network port.
The installation guide said not to use power strip, I had one adapter connected to the wall outlet to the router and the other from a power strip to a laptop and it worked fine with green light.
Only one problem I thought would be bad not being able to use both power line adapter on power strip or surge protector, what will happen if lighting strikes your house?

Pros: 1. Compact
2. Simple to use
3. Extends Ethernet to almost anywhere
4. Straight forward instructions
5. Solid connection
6. Comes with cables ( albeit short but they do some with them )

Cons: 1. Not the fastest connection out there
2. Does not work behind a surge protector
3. Only 10/100 Mbps

Other Thoughts: So in today's world most devices are built with Wifi in mind so it can be frustrating when a device does not have it ( Some TV's, DVR's, ETC ) but with the Powerline 500 Nano it makes it much easier to get Ethernet to those devices if they are not near the router or modem.

I like to think of Powerline adapters much like an extension cord for your Ethernet but instead of running the cord through the office/ home it uses the existing outlet wiring for a neat and clean installation. ( Essentially all wall plugs in the house )

I had no trouble at all getting the two units to hook up and work right out of the box, I just plugged in the one that was closest to the router pressed the secure button for 3 seconds then went to the other location ( In the kitchen, had the laptop with the WiFi turned off just for the sake of testing it out ) and plugged in the second one then proceeded to press the secure button for about 3 seconds and I was done, that easy!

I never once had a failure of signal or data the whole time I was using them and they where constant, However they are not the fastest devices out there they operate on a 10/100 MBPS so even though they say "Up to 500 Mbps" don't expect it, although for the devices that you use the adapters for can't really eat that much bandwidth so its kinda a mute point.

TLDR: Great way to get Ethernet to a device that is not close enough to the router or modem.

Not the Fastest out there but good enough.

Thanks!

Pros: I like this unit. It sets up in minutes. Just plug the first unit in the wall socket, and attached the ethernet cable to your router. Then plug the second one into a socket, usually in another room, and attach it to another router, computer, etc. You have now extended your internet connection.

Depending on the connection you get from that power socket, you will get either a red, yellow, or green light. The green light is the best connection, red the lesser connection. The first socket I tried it in, I got a yellow light, and the second it came up green. I then attached it to a wireless router in that room.

I was originally using a wireless router in the basement, and getting a decent, but not great, signal in the upstairs living room (about 3 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload). With this set up, I'm getting a much better connection, with better download and upload speeds (about 14 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload).

I don't have nearly the buffering issues I had when watching YouTube videos, or streaming through Netflix and HuluPlus. Surfing is of course much improved.

I'm very pleased with the speed boost I can now get in the living room with this unit.

Cons: As others have mentioned, the wall unit does not have a pass-through, so completely occupies the power outlet. Not a huge issue, but the pass-through would have been nice.

Other Thoughts: While my connection through the Powerline Nano was a green light, it was nowhere near the 500 Mbps advertised. To be fair, I live in an old house, with old wiring, in a rural town in Maine. So all things considered, it runs just fine.

My system

120 GB Mushkin SSD
Intel i2500K CPU, OC'd at 4.2 GHz
16 GB G Skills RAM at 1866 MHz
ASUS P67 Sabertooth motherboard
500 GB Seagate SSHD Hybrid Drive
2 TB Western Digital Green HDD
Sapphire 7950 3GB videocard
Cooler Master HAF 932 case
ASUS MX279H 27" Monitor