TRENDnet TPL-406E2K Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit TRENDnet TPL-406E2K Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit

Pros: Initial set up went smoothly.

Cons: Not free.

Other Thoughts: Uplugged one and for some reason was having trouble reestablishing the connection. Took both to the same outlet and pressed reset. Been working fine since.

Pros: It's small and compact, compared to older HomePlug units.

Cons: These units are inferior to the Trendnet TPL-306E2K units that I already have. (It's the same brand, so I'm allowed to mention it in a review.)

First, the TPL-406E2K underperforms the older TPL-306E2K, even though it should theoretically be faster -- AV 500 vs. AV (200). With the older AV units, I was getting 60 Mbps of sustained file transfer between two circuits on different phases. This dropped to 40 Mbps when I switched to the new AV 500 units.

Second, these units lose their link a couple of times per day. This is *very* annoying, and it takes about 30 seconds to reestablish. The older AV units would *never* drop out, no matter what happened on the electrical wiring. Microwave, vacuum machine, refrigerator, fluorescent lights, you name it. The speed would go down as the frequency was temporarily notched out, but there were *never* any drop-outs.

The capacitors on the 406 units make a buzzing sound when plugged in on certain circuits. If you have a very quiet computer, and you have good high-frequency hearing, this is rather annoying. The 306 older units were completely silent -- no matter which circuit I placed them on.

The status LEDs are dim -- much dimmer than on the older units. This is not so bad at night -- in fact, you might even prefer it. However, it also makes them impossible to see during the daytime, so that you can't glance at link status.

Other Thoughts: HomePlug AV 500 is a non-standard extension of HomePlug AV, which increases the maximum possible link speed by using higher frequencies. According to the HomePlug standard, any noisy frequency bands should simply get notched out -- so theoretically speaking, AV 500 should perform *no worse* than AV.

However, as my experience has shown, implementation details make all the difference. Is it the firmware? Is it the chips? Is it the digital notch filter? Is it noise from the capacitors? Was a design compromise required to fit the electronics into a smaller package?

Unless you have perfect home wiring, I would recommend buying the Trendnet TPL-306E2K instead. The TPL-306E2K has a *lot* of five-star reviews on Newegg, which suggests that it is resilient to a great variety of line conditions -- not just for me, but for lots of other Newegg customers.

Manufacturer Response:

Valued Customer,

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. If this unit is not running the latest firmware please ensure to upgrade it by using this link, http://www.trendnet.com/downloads/list_subcategory.asp?TYPE_ID=40&SUBTYPE_ID=1568. If it still doesn’t help please contact us at sales@trendnet.com, reference "New Egg TPL-406E2K product review" and someone will contact you immediately to resolve your issue. As far as Buzzing sound, we already have solution and soon will be available to customers. We look forward to working with you directly and restoring your faith in TRENDnet products.

Warmest regards,

TRENDnet Sales Team

Pros: I have a detached workshop made of steel and WIFI doesn't get through very well... this solved the issue out of the box... zero setup... just plug and play. I was happy it came with both ethernet cables also, which was helpful...

Cons: Both the transmitter and the receiver flash red a good percentage of the time, which is sort-of annoying given that everything works fine even when the PL led is flashing red... it usually goes back to green fairly quickly... just an annoyance.

Other Thoughts: For those who are wondering on how this would work when the transmitter is connected to the main circuit in a house while the receiver is connected to a subpanel... well, that's my setup exactly and it's working fine. I haven't done any speed tests, but it seems as fast as my slow rural broadband usually feels. Maybe the speed would be a factor for those with FIOS, etc, but for me, this is exactly what I was looking for.

Pros: Quiet
Works?

Cons: Cables aren't sleeved, but it was inexpensive anyway, so I wouldn't expect that much.
The 8 pin supplemental power was almost too short for my HAF.

Other Thoughts: None

Pros: Fast
Quick Free Shipping
2gb of VRAM useful
Plays Games

Cons: No low profile pci brackets?

Other Thoughts: I didn't ever use the brackets for my build, but don't count on them being included if you plan on a small for factor build.

Pros: Simple to install.
Usually works right away without installing any software.
Improves reception in rooms where wireless doesn't reach.
Stable connection, no dropouts when someone walks by.
Extra adapters can be added for other rooms.
Some brands offer an adapter at higher cost that has 4 outlets instead of one.

Cons: Each powerline unit need a dedicated AC outlet for best result (not a power strip).
Old house wiring or distance may reduce speed / performance.
Certain type of breakers in your breaker box may also affect performance.
Some electric appliances may also cause interference, degrading performance.

Other Thoughts: There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding regarding performance of powerline networking in general. 500Mbps is a theoretical maximum speed which is never achieved in practice. Real performance over good, interference-free house wiring is about 100Mbps in each direction. This is plenty fast for streaming full HD video, music, internet phone service (VOIP), and file transfers between computers on a home network. On our powerline setup someone on their PC can play an online game or surf the net while I'm watching or recording TV in the living room (2 rooms away) at the same time (TV over internet). The only time we ever noticed a temporary slowdown was when she was playing a game online at pogo,com and I was downloading a huge file online while watching a TV show online. Then our internet phone rang and we answered it. While talking, my download speed slowed down and, for about a minute, her game at pogo,com become a little jerky then smoothed out. The TV show never stuttered just kept playing fine. We consider this to be good performance for less than $100 cost. If you're many rooms away from your router or you have mediocre house wiring or electrical machinery/motors running then your results will be less good, OK?

Pros: Easy plug and play installation, fast Ethernet speed in a small form factor and compact in size. Perfect price for the given unit. This adapter allows me to get Internet from anywhere in my house no matter how far I am from my wireless router which is a huge advantage for me.

Cons: None that I can think of.

Pros: This is an alternative to 802.11 wireless or running ethernet cable through your house - and powerline networking may be your best option in larger homes. It is extremely simple to install - you just plug each unit into an electrical outlet: one near your router, the other near your distant devices. Hook up your networked components via the included ethernet cables, and you're done. My wife was pleased that so little of our Saturday afternoon was spent installing this! This is a network component that should be dead simple plug and play - and it was.

Cons: I don't see how this can support 500Mbps as claimed - it only has a 10/100 RJ45 (ethernet) port, but you would need a 10/100/1000 to go any faster than 100Mbps. The manufacturer's website claims ""Powerline: up to 500 Mbps / Ethernet: up to 200 Mbps (Full Duplex mode)"". It is very misleading to claim 500Mbps when the way everyone will use it - over the included ethernet port - it can only support up to 200Mbps (and just 100Mbps each way). Another con is that it only offers a single port. I had to add a switch to be able to connect more than one device. I'd prefer to have a switch built right into the adapter with at least 3-4 ports. And as easy as this was to install, other powerline adapters I've used were just as simple. If this were accurately labeled as a 200Mbps device, marketed as compact and simple, and priced as such, it's be a better buy.

Other Thoughts: Like any powerline adapter, be sure to plug this directly into an electrical outlet, and not into a power strip or surge protector. To ensure the best performance, give it a dedicated outlet with no other cords plugged into the same outlet.

Pros: Works Great

Cons: Not a perfect solution

Other Thoughts: I'm mainly writing this to clear some things up. Someone mentioned below that they had to re-arrange things on their power strip to get these to fit. These devices should NEVER be used on a power strip. It says right in the manual that they should always be connected directly to the wall outlet. Something in surge protectors interferes with the signal between the powerline network adapters and causes extremely poor performance.

Pros: Very small compared to other powerline adapters.
Almost as fast as a 100Mbps ethernet connection.
Faster than a Wireless G connection.
More consistent pings than a Wireless connection.
Very easy setup. Just plug both units in and connect the network cables.
Compatible with my TPL-401E powerline adapters without any special configuration needed.

Cons: Only has a 10/100 Mbps network jack.
Slower than Wireless N connection.
No passthrough power outlet.

Other Thoughts: Powerline adapters are great and work very well as long as you know what to expect. You are not going to get anywhere near 500Mbps, in my case I got just below 100Mbps. In my situation one adapter is plugged into an outlet in my basement by my router, and the other is plugged into an outlet in a bedroom on the second floor. When both adapters are plugged in in the same room the speed is right at 100Mbps, which is really the fastest you will ever get with these since they only have 10/100 network jacks on them. However, my TPL-401E adapters with 1000Mbps ports give the same performance, so the 10/100 port is not really a limitation.