Mini Review - Linksys PLK 300 Powerline AV Network Kit
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:33 pm
Recommended. About $100 at Newegg.
I previously have used powerline to network a branch office in an old house and it worked well. I used a Netgear setup for that one, because it seemed the best fit at the time.
This is very easy to set up. There are predictably 2 units. "Base" unit plugs into your router - Basic Linksys Wireless G - then plugs into wall. "Satellite" unit has 4 NIC jacks which is nice so you can plug in a bunch of stuff on the other end. Each unit has its own internal power supply, so you can plug it into surge suppressors etc. I bought this 1) to link my PS3 to the net via my dsl connection for folding and netflix and 2) so I could use my laptop in my garage which is ~200 ft without fooling with wireless. I live in an old house with plaster walls and hardwood floors and needed to bring my connection from upstairs to the living room as simply as possible. Just plugged it in and it connected. No fooling around at all with anything. I haven't had a chance to check the throughput using my laptop, but when I was downloading the PS3 OS upgrades it looked respectable.
I previously have used powerline to network a branch office in an old house and it worked well. I used a Netgear setup for that one, because it seemed the best fit at the time.
This is very easy to set up. There are predictably 2 units. "Base" unit plugs into your router - Basic Linksys Wireless G - then plugs into wall. "Satellite" unit has 4 NIC jacks which is nice so you can plug in a bunch of stuff on the other end. Each unit has its own internal power supply, so you can plug it into surge suppressors etc. I bought this 1) to link my PS3 to the net via my dsl connection for folding and netflix and 2) so I could use my laptop in my garage which is ~200 ft without fooling with wireless. I live in an old house with plaster walls and hardwood floors and needed to bring my connection from upstairs to the living room as simply as possible. Just plugged it in and it connected. No fooling around at all with anything. I haven't had a chance to check the throughput using my laptop, but when I was downloading the PS3 OS upgrades it looked respectable.