Pros: If you haven’t tried Powerline Adapters in a few years, there has been a great improvement in speed and standardization (see other thoughts). I’ve recently moved from a fully wired house with at least one ethernet outlet in every room to one with no hardwired ethernet. Wireless just doesn’t cut it everywhere (like stuff in a media-center cabinet) and these powerline adapters will typically allow for streaming uncompressed 1080p Blue-ray with little or no buffering.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE and SETUP
They are very compact, are two prong so can be put them into the outlet up or down, don’t block the other outlet, and are extremely inexpensive. They are a top seller on multiple online sites. They come with ethernet cables and a utility CD that you are unlikely to need. There is one Ethernet port per adapter. Setup consists of plugging them in and attaching the network cable. This pair will automatically recognize each other. Buying and adding more might require pushing the pair button.

GUTS and CLASS
Chipset is QCA AR7420/AR1540. Protocol class is AV500.

NUMBER OF DEVICES and SECURITY
You can buy them in a kit of two (this one) with the AES 128 encryption key preset between the two adapters. If you want to expand, they are also available as a kit of three or individually. If you set them all with the same encryption key, they can all talk together. Specs supposedly support up to 16 adapters on the same security key and possibly up to 64 adapters total - I haven’t tried that. In an apartment building you could use different keys and be secure if you think other powerline networks are in use on the same electrical circuit. If you use a lot of these together, then the QOS options might come in handy.

WHOLE HOUSE?
Unlike old powerline adapters, these can work across multiple phases and circuits in a house. They will not cross a service transformer. Speed decreases with wiring distance - but these should talk through a thousand feet of wire.

Cons: Cons are not too bad but there are a couple things to be aware of:

1) Over the last several years, there have been multiple powerline standards. Some are incompatible. The most common ones are various versions of “HomePlug”. There is also a standard called “G.hn”. “Homeplug” and G.hn can coexist on the same wires but don’t talk to each other. The old “Homeplug” adapters were quite slow. The new ones are great. If you have any old technology Homeplug adapters they will likely talk to each other but performance on the fast ones will degrade. At this price, get rid of the old one’s and buy the new faster ones.

2) The advertised link “Speed” has no real relation to real life data throughput. You may wonder why a 500 Mbps device has a 10/100 ethernet port. That’s because, after protocol overhead, the actual data up/down throughput I measured on these paired adapters ranged between 45 to 88 Mbps at various distances. Now, that’s not too different from the hyped-up wireless router marketing stuff. Remember, that uncompressed Blue-ray at 1080p rarely requires more than 50 Mbps and “HD” Netflix is a lot less than that (you should be able to do multiple simultaneous streams).

3) Transformers block the signal. These worked through most of my GFI’s, consumer UPS’s (Tripp Lite and APC), and power blocks, but they did not work through my Panamax Home Theater Rackmount Power Conditioner or my APC server rackmount SmartUPS.

Other Thoughts: Here are the approximate advertised vs maxed-out real-life throughput speeds in Mbps for some modern “Homeplug” type adapters. Anything older you should throw out and replace -- like things labeled “Homeplug 1.0” or “Homeplug 1.0 w/ Turbo”.

Name Usual Labeled Link Speed Typical Real Life Data Throughput
“HomePlug AV” 200 30 - 60
“HomePlug AV500” 500 40 - 90
“HomePlug AV2” 600 120 - 250
“HomePlug AV2MIMO" 1200 250 - 400
So, rule of thumb - just like wireless routers - take marketing number and divide by 4 to account for protocol overhead.

I find that this reviewed model, which is AV500, is more than enough for my uses (streaming video, youtube, netflix, security cams, x-box) and is quite cost-efficient. The next model up, is way faster, has a gigabit port, but is also a fair a bit more expensive.

Pros: TP-Link tl-pa4010kit

Pros

I was asked to review these ethernet power line adapters and thought they would be a nice way to do secure network in my home with very little work. Boy was I surprised when I took a look at the quick guide. A little picture with an adapter and a power strip with a frown. I don't know about you but my power plugs all have power strips! Think about it cable router, wifi router, printer, TV, computer, stereo receiver, etc,etc all in one area. Most want to use a power strip. Well first I want to tell you I went through the trouble of rearranging power upstairs where my laptop was, clearing a power plug just for the adapter then came downstairs to see if i could do the same, not a chance so I took a chance. I paired the adapters together on a power strip by my router then moved one upstairs. I was surprised when they worked. At first I thought it was not up to speed but as I browsed more and more things started speeding up. I suspect Microsoft update was working in the background so I left it alone to let everything finish in the background. When I came back I went to my favorite speed test program to check things out. First I tested wifi to internet speed, normal speed. Now for the wired adapters, wow! Super slow. I guess I'll have to find a way to run it without the power strip. This is a time when I wish I was in a home with more outlets. Well I found a outlet I could remove the power strip and add the adapter. When I went back to the laptop and opened a internet page I could instantly tell it was back up to speed. I went to a speed test page and got the fastest speed ever for my laptop. I now checked access to my server holding all my videos and pictures. Very nice! Speed is great, like using the server itself to view the files.

Cons: The only real con is it's taking up a power outlet with no pass through .

Pros: Small
2 prong plug
LED indicators
128bit AES encryption
Plug and play
Utility allows for firmware upgrade and status
Runs cool
Ridiculous price

Cons: 10/100mbps port
No 500mbps with a 100mbps port

Other Thoughts: I use Powerline quite extensively. I have a large, ranch style, single floor house that has proven difficult to get a reliable wifi signal in to the garage and the stand-alone casita. Powerline is by far the best way for me to get internet connection in to these areas.

This kit was easy to set up. Take Ethernet from my router and plug it in to one of the adapters. Put the adapter in a wall socket (no UPS or extension cable with surge protection), stick the second adapter in the wall socket in the garage or casita and take the Ethernet cable from the second adapter and plug it in to your computer, laptop or streaming device.

I have a Roku in the casita and connect to the internet for Netflix and Prime TV. Wifi is out of the question as the casita is around 65ft away from the router and even when connecting with 802.11AC I can’t get stutter free, HD video streaming. I have a pretty good internet connection with a maximum of 65mbps down and 20mbps up, so the 10/100 port on this device allows me to get my full internet speed (in theory). What bothers me is the advertising, this device is touted as capable of speeds up to 500mbps, however this is never going to be actually possible when the port is only able to send data at a maximum of 100mbps! I would recommend a gigabit port if Powerline is to be used to transfer files from one location or another, or to stream from computer to computer, however as my internet speed is below the 100mbps speed of the port, I see no real advantage to having a gigabit port.

As far as testing was concerned I connected a laptop to the Powerline adapter and used Totusofts Lan Speed to test packets of data sent and received from my laptop to another pc on my network, via the TP Link PA4010. I recorded a maximum speed of 78.20mbps down and 76.89mbps up, which is actually pretty decent. It’s not as fast as my AV2 1200mbps Powerline adapter that I usually use at this location (289mbps down and 256mbps up), but it is a fraction of the cost and does a decent job. Just to put the relative speeds in to perspective, if I use wifi to connect to my router, the fastest speeds I can get with 5ghz 802.11AC at this location is 10.00mbps down and 11.20mbps up!

Once connected to the internet I was able to stream HD video from Netflix and Prime TV without any hitches, or buffering.

I have nothing bad to say about this adapter. It is fast enough to stream HD Video from the internet and move files from one pc to another at 8 times the speed of wifi (in my situation). It’s ridiculously cheap, small, cool, easy to use, and can be installed right way up or upside down as it has two prongs and not three. Performance is good too, the 2 year warranty is just icing on the cake.

Pros: Setup was, literally, the click of a two buttons to join my existing powerline network. Don't tell, but I even set mine up through a power strip and haven't had any issues.

Cons: Nothing to complain about.

Other Thoughts: I think wireless is the only thing that can really complicate these powerline networks, and I just set up my second variant of that and it was easy, too.

Pros: -Easy to setup
-I get the speed that I pay for
-Convenient (I know hard wire is the best connection, but I don't have that option and wifi kinda sucks in my room signal is poor)

Cons: -No pass thru (but hey I bought the cheaper one)
-False advertisement (500mb is a fluke)

Other Thoughts: -I would highly recommend this product to those people that doesn't have the option of running a cable from a router to the device/machine or of the computer's spot has weak wifi connection

-I was in doubt at first when I bought it, almost returned it to Newegg so I can just buy a wifi adapter, but signal in my room is really weak so I decided to give it a try and hey I works perfectly for me!

Pros: Good power line and easy to setup and
Good range.
Good speed's keeps up with my 200/20.

Cons: None.

Pros: I rent an old townhouse with roommates. This goes from the ground floor at 85Mbps with 2ms ping to the third floor at 25Mbps with 12ms ping. For all the interference and distance in the building it is pretty good.

Cons: Sometimes need to unplug and plug back in to work, just like a router.

Other Thoughts: Would recommend
There may be faster ones now though

Pros: Yeah, I'm going with the consensus here in that this a pretty good product. My kids run wifi upstairs in our split level home while the fairly junky Frontier/Actiontech router (Rev. I) sits downstairs. They were having random disconnects and I tried quite a few things before deciding on this as another thing to try. Amazingly easy set up and 2 cables were included.

As others have said, plug it directly into an outlet on both sides. I didn't even bother trying a power strip or surge protector based on what I read. I also initially plugged the receiving unit in the "next plug over" in the bottom floor to initially establish a connection.

Took it upstairs, did a sync again and bam, connected.

I did not try any local network file transfers as that is not something we typically do. My purpose for this product was to get the kids a stable, decent connection. It did that.

Cons: None that I can really think of. The lights are not that bright. They blink in a logical manner when they are connected. I guess I wish there was an easier way to determine if the link is encrypted. I followed the instructions so I'm assuming it is...

Other Thoughts: One interesting thing is we plugged this in to several outlets in my son's room and did speed tests after every one (I'm talking internet speed tests, not file transfers). There was a discrepancy between outlets that was not entirely expected. Oh, we run FIOS 30/30.

So, on one outlet we would get 16/16. Another, 7/13 (pretty weird, that one). We settled on a plug close by that's next to a dresser and out of the way and got 13/13. We're happy with that. Also, all ping tests to the outside improved dramatically over the previous wifi connection and, again, were much more stable.

He is quite happy with this, as am I. My next step is to consider buying another set for my daughter's room.

Pros: It is plug and play. Really!
The secure connection option was painless too: Click the button on both units...and play.
I have a fine wifi setup: 30mbps write & 25mbps read
TP-Link boost it up to 49mbpr write 49mbps read.
Good enough, considering

Cons: None, except: It could be faster, as always.

Other Thoughts: My house is a recent, so the electrical wiring system is too and built according to norms.
This review is based on just a few hours after install. Crossing my fingers for long term reliability.

Pros: is a great addition to any online home. Just plug one box into the wall near the modem and run your ethernet cable to the box. Now you have a spare ethernet port anywhere in your home where there is a wall outlet. very simple procedure with no software to be installed and no more searching for "hotspots" in your home where your wireless adapter gets a good clear signal, just plug in to hard-wired ethernet anywhere.
also a great addition is when not in use the powerline nano adapter has a power save mode.
offers ~100Mbps no matter where it is in our home.

Cons: i couldn't find any flaw with the design or the functionality. the only con i could see is it advertising 500Mbps but only ever hitting ~100Mbps.

Other Thoughts: could only add up to four of these in our home, it would be great if I could just leave one plugged in every room of the house.
any newly manufactured home should offer this type of connection to fit every room. just an ethernet port on every electrical outlet.