Thursday, August 17, 2006

Personal Technology -- Powerline Adapters Bring Internet Access To Your Entire Home

 Walt Mossberg tests -- and likes -- new Powerline adapters; a handy option for some household areas.  (The link is to the no-subscription-required version of the column.)

I've been testing one of Netgear's newest models, the XE104, which costs $100 per adapter, and I can heartily recommend it. It couldn't be simpler or more effective. In my tests, the XE104 gave me wicked-fast connections. I tried plugging Windows and Macintosh laptops directly into the adapters in rooms where my wireless signal was weakest. I also tried plugging a Wi-Fi wireless access point into an XE104 adapter and picking up the connection wirelessly on the laptops. (An access point is a wireless gadget that takes a wired Internet connection and propagates it through the air.)

Source: Personal Technology -- Powerline Adapters
Bring Internet Access To Your Entire Home

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Powerline is a great option for the home, and I'm glad Walt's brought the idea to the masses with his story. There're actually new powerline adapters on the marketplace from NETGEAR, the HDXB101. I work with the company that builds the technology inside, which allows video streaming throughout the home at up to 200 Mbps. Like Walt said, it's plug-and-play; but with the new adapters, there's no lag or interruption when you move the content around the home. Also perfect for (hold your breath) IPTV.