Standard network kit full#
Standard network kit Pc#
Standard network kit plus#

Standard network kit full#

To learn more about the house's layout and our test setup, see our full guide.

Standard network kit plus#

We benchmarked all four powerline kits, plus 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, using iPerf 3.1.3 at three different points in a two-story, 2,400-square-foot house built in 1979.

Standard network kit Pc#

A desktop PC with an Intel 82579V Gigabit NIC connected to the router was our iPerf server. We connected one adapter from each kit to an Asus RT-AC66U AC1750 dual-band wireless Gigabit router, and the other adapter to a Lenovo ThinkPad T460 laptop. We tested two new AV2 2000 kits, the Zyxel PLA5456KIT and TP-Link TL-PA9020KIT, against two of the fastest adapters from last year, the Zyxel PLA5405KIT and the D-Link DHP-701AV. For more on how we picked, see our full guide. If the device you need to connect to your router is so far away (either in physical distance or in the number of electrical circuits the signal needs to traverse) that even your powerline signal is weak, you can put another powerline adapter midway between the two to extend the signal. AV2 also allows each adapter to act as a repeater. The standard requires that every adapter have a Gigabit Ethernet port to avoid bottlenecking the connection, plus push-button AES 128-bit encryption to secure your network traffic from neighbors who might share your electrical wiring. AV2 compliance is important because it guarantees better speed, security, and reliability compared with older versions. If you're starting from scratch, we recommend getting the latest-generation kits because your network is only as fast as its slowest component.Įvery kit we've tested in the last two years except for one has a claimed data rate above 1 Gbps and complies with the latest HomePlug AV2 standard. The AV2 2000 kits we tested this year were twice as fast as last year's fastest models. Powerline networking adapters provide a network connection in places where it's impractical to use Ethernet or Wi-Fi, so speed is the most important factor in deciding between them. Left to right: the TP-Link TL-PA9020 kit, Zyxel PLA5456KIT, D-Link DHP-701AV, and Zyxel PLA5405KIT. This year's powerline kits are faster than last year's, but much bulkier. If your home has issues with powerline networking and you can't run a physical Ethernet cable, extenders are a good option. However, they tend to be more expensive than powerline kits and can interfere with your existing Wi-Fi signal (causing slowness or signal drops). These let you bring signal to any device with Wi-Fi, and almost all extenders have at least one Ethernet port. Wi-Fi extenders are another option for extending the range of your network. Despite its limitations, powerline is a useful way to extend your network to areas where Wi-Fi doesn't reach and running an Ethernet cord would be impractical (like a garage, attic, or faraway bedroom). All of the adapters we tested claim support for up to 16 adapters on the same powerline network.Īlthough powerline is like Ethernet in that it uses actual wires to deliver its signal, its signal still degrades over distance like Wi-Fi, especially if the adapters are on different electrical circuits. To add rooms to your powerline network, you just need adapters in those rooms you can use the same router-side adapter for your entire network. You can extend your powerline network by buying more adapters, either individually or in kits-it's usually cheaper to buy a two-adapter kit, even if you need only one more.

Plug in the other where you need an Internet connection and hook it up to your device with the other Ethernet cable. One adapter plugs into an outlet near your router and connects to it with an included Ethernet cable. A powerline kit contains two adapters, each with at least one Ethernet port and an electrical plug. Who this is forĪ powerline networking kit is a great way to extend your home network to the distant reaches of your house using your existing electrical wiring. The broadly compatible TP-Link kit is twice as fast as last year's fastest powerline options, so it's the best way to start or expand your home powerline network. Read the full article here.Īfter a total of 36 hours of testing nearly every kit released over the past two years, we've determined that the best powerline networking adapter set for most people is the TP-Link AV2000 2-Port Gigabit Passthrough Powerline Starter Kit. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology.