powerline

LAS VEGAS--Netgear did it a while ago with the Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender Kit, and now Trendnet has just joined the club. The networking vendor announced today its first HomePlug AV 200Mbps power-line Wireless-N access point, the TPL-310AP.

The full name of the product is the 200Mbps Powerline AV Wireless-N Access Point, and it's essentially a HomePlug AV power-line adapter that can also work as a 300Mbps Wireless-N access point at the far end of the power-line connection.

This is a single unit and therefore will work only in homes where a power-line connection exists. The device will … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Just a month ago, Trendnet debuted the first 500Mbps power-line adapter kit, the TPL-401E2K, and earlier than that, Netgear introduced the first 200Mbps power-line kit to incorporate a wireless access point, the AV 200 Wireless-N Extender Kit XAVNB2001.

Now, as predicted, it seems we will soon have the first product that combines both of these: Trendnet announced today the 500Mbps Powerline AV Wireless-N Access Point, model TPL-410AP. It's a 500Mbps power-line adapter that can also work as a Wi-Fi extender.

Similar to Netgear's XAVNB2001 kit, the TPL-410AP combines a high-performance 500Mbps power-line adapter with a 300Mbps Wireless-N … Read more

It's predicted that 2011 is the tipping year of networking, where more electronic devices have built-in networking capabilities than computers. And this isn't a surprise; over the past few years, more and more home entertainment devices, such as flat-screen TVs, media playback devices, game consoles, and so on, include an Ethernet port. Others use USB Wi-Fi dongles to connect to a wireless network, and many even come with a built-in Wi-Fi adapter.

As more and more devices in your home scramble to find ways to connect to one another and to the Internet, the wireless network might … Read more

Most power-line networking devices on the market, such as the Netgear XAVNB2001, the Western Digital WD Livewire, and the Linksys PLK300, are based on the HomePlug AV standard and therefore cap at 200Mbps. While this is plenty fast for general Internet-surfing needs, it's not fast enough for media-intensive applications, such as high-definition movie streaming. Trendnet is bound to change this.

The company announced today what it says are the first power-line options on the market to be based on the new IEEE 1901 standard. They will offer up to 500Mbps throughput speeds--again, that's 250 percent faster than the … Read more

The Wi-Fi Alliance and HomePlug Powerline Alliance have joined forces to promote the adoption of powerline and Wi-Fi networking technologies in smart-grid applications, which could mean more streamlined connectivity for consumers.

The Wi-Fi Alliance tests and certifies Wi-Fi products, including Wi-Fi Direct, to ensure their interoperability, and the HomePlug Powerline Alliance does the same thing for powerline devices.

The agreement, announced today, enables cooperative efforts for the joint technical review of Wi-Fi Alliance's and HomePlug's specifications and standards that facilitate interoperability of smart-grid applications. Both parties will also promote the adoption of wireless and powerline technologies.

The collaboration … Read more

Wi-Fi is great, but unfortunately, the wireless signal oftentimes can't reach that far corner in the basement.

In this case, currently, the best solution is to get a pair of power-line adapters that turn your home's electrical wiring into data cables to extend your wired network without running network cables all over the place.

There are many different power-line kits on the market, such as the Plaster Networks PLN3, the Linksys PLK300, or the Western Digital Livewire. All of them work well but share a few common attributes: you'll need two adapters to make up one power-line connection, and each solution has its own esoteric way for you to set it up and manage it.

Wouldn't it be nice if the router itself had built-in support for the technology so you need just one adapter at the far end and have one central place to manage the wired power line and Wi-Fi network? It indeed would be, and more importantly, it will be available soon.

Atheros, maker of networking chipsets that power many networking solutions, announced today a new family of hybrid home-networking solutions that combines the popular consumer networking technologies into one. More specifically, the solution combines Wi-Fi, HomePlugAV Powerline, and Ethernet into an all-in-one solution for the home.

Atheros claims that the new solution not only boosts network bandwidth but also provides unprecedented simplicity to set up and optimize coverage. Its new family of network solutions includes: … Read more

It is a good idea to buy Wi-Fi products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance if you want to ensure the interoperability between products of different vendors.

Similarly, you want to look for HomePlug-certified products when shopping for power-line network devices.

Power-line devices are those that enable the electrical wiring of your home to transmit data signals, hence allowing for extending the network to different parts of the property without running network cables.

Most of these devices are based on the HomePlug AV standard, but products from different vendors are not guaranteed to work with one another until they are tested … Read more

After years of making network storage devices, such as the Western Digital My Book World Edition (2TB) and WD TV Live HD Media Player, Western Digital now turns to making an adapter kit that will connect them.

The giant hard-drive maker announced Tuesday its first powerline adapter kit, the WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit. The kit includes two identical HomePlug AV-based powerline adapters, designed to turn the existing electrical wiring of your home into network cables.

Each of these adapter has four network ports; WD says these ports allow you to connect up to seven devices and one router … Read more

Even the best Wi-Fi routers don't always cut it. Heck, I've been in houses where a Wi-Fi signal won't reach beyond one room. In cases like that, how can you extend your network to where it needs to go?

Old way: run Ethernet cable through walls, floors, and ceilings. It's effective, but also a major "PIA."

New way: use a powerline networking kit, which takes advantage of your home's existing electrical wiring. It's a simple, plug-and-play solution.

And usually an expensive one. But today, Buy.com has the Zyxel PLA-407 powerline networking kit for $87.99 shipped. … Read more