Thankfully, we live in an age of wireless internet connectivity. I rue the days of external dial-up modems and even the need for an ethernet cards. In fact, it was not that long ago a PCMCIA card was a necessary addition for laptop network connectivity. A new day dawned when wireless internet connections became the new standard and after several generation upgrades, we are sitting pretty at IEEE 802.11N. However, even with wireless N, wireless speeds are still slower than a hardwired CAT-5 connection. Thankfully, TRENDnet is here to help with the 500 Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit.
Layman’s Terms, Please… and Why Do I Need One of These Anyway?
For a very short period of time, homes were built with an internal hardwire connection running to each room in the house, but as wireless quickly became the norm, the hard-networking phase became obsolete. Thus, we are left in a completely wireless world, but is that always a good 
thing? TRENDnet does not think so. Wireless routers, while sufficient for everyday use, are not fast enough to support major bandwidth hogs.
Let me explain: Unfortunately, where we place our cable modems is often dictated by where we have coax TV cables in our homes. Then, we are forced to use our wireless routers in the same location. For a wireless network to broadcast best, it needs to be located in the absolute center of your home, but typically, we are never so lucky.
When you have the wireless router broadcasting to a data hog, a multiplaying PS3 for example, a wireless connection, even when the signal is strong, may not be fast enough to prevent lag. How many times have you shot that guy in COD to have him keep running away? …your wireless connection may be the problem. If your PS3…. or any other heavy data consumption source for that matter, is not located close enough to your wireless router to make a hardwire connection, you need the TRENDnet Powerline Adapter. Maybe your wireless Blue-ray player will not quite push out that HD Netflix stream. Are your WOW or Star Wars Old Republic games tilingor glitchy? The Powerline Adapter will solve all of these low bandwidth blues.
How Does it Work?
Considering the seemingly complex introduction, the Powerline Adapter is actually very easy to setup and utilize. The adapters create a hardwire network connection through your internal electrical system using the HomePlug Certified and IEEE1901 standards. To setup the connection, it is not even necessary to bypass the wireless router. Assuming your cable modem and wireless routers are already up, run the included ethernet cable from the existing router into either of the Powerline Adapters.
Plug the adapter directly into a wall outlet. NOTE: do not plug the adapter into a surge protector because the electrical interference will deplete the bandwidth. Make sure all indicator LEDS (power, PC, ethernet) are green. Take the second adapter to the room where the hardwire connection is desired and plug it directly into the wall outlet. Using the second included ethernet cable, connect the first end into your device, then the second into the adapter. Again, check the indicator LEDS are all active.
That is it! Thanks to the inclusion of an AC plug on the adapter, it will not prevent additional items from receiving power.
Speed Test.net
Using Speed Test, I compared the old wireless connection to my 2008 MacBook Pro with the new hardwire Powerline Adapter connection. The hardwire connection is almost twice as fast as the wireless -N- signal.
LEFT – Wireless / RIGHT – Adapter hardwire
Conclusion [rating: 5/5]
This product is amazing! Most importantly, the setup took less than 5 minutes and a majority of that was spent fishing around behind the TV trying to grab my wireless router. For people experiencing slow wireless network speeds, invest in the TPL-402E Adapters from TRENDnet ($187.99, Order Page). While the price tag is fairly high it is worth the cash if your wireless connection is too slow.
Pros
- High speed, hardwire connection anywhere in your home
- Comes with 2 ethernet cables
- Includes electrical socket
- Three status LEDs
- 128-bit AES encryption
- Power saving mode – turns off if not in use
- Software management utility is optional, which is good because it is not OS X compatible
- 3-year limited warranty
- Network up to 16 adapters
Cons
- Does not work on surge protectors
- Price
