If you live in a house that is not well wired as far as LAN is concerned then you have couple of alternatives that can help yo achieve full connectivity throughout your house. We recently moved and as it turns out, some of the media equipment (HTPC, etc.) need high-speed LAN connection to be able to stream media off the network as well from the internet. I do have wireless at home which is okay for basic internet but the further you go the choppier it gets. On top of that, I will not run wifi in home with anything less than WPA2-PSK (Personal) security so some of the equipment that I have in the family room only supports WEP at most.

I've known about the powelrine networking for sometime but I was skeptical and had some security and safety concerns as I don' like mixing my LAN with electric cables... that is asking for trouble. Anyhow, I decided to order the Linksys PLK300 Powerline AV network Kit and see how it performs and if it would help me remedy the connectivity issues with home theater PC in the family room. The kit it self is pretty cheap ($119) and comes with Powerline AV 4-port network adaptor, Powerline AV 1-port Adaptor, 2 Power cords, 2 network cables. The installation is very simple!

• You plug in the LAN cable from the Powerline AV 1-port adaptor to your network switch
• On the other side, plugin the PC that you want to connect to the network/internet to the Powerline AV 4-port network adaptor.
• Hook up power cords to both
• The network should come up within seconds

The overall experience has been very good so far. The speed is great, I get same type of speed as if I were directly connect to the switch/cable modem. The throughput on the local LAN is somewhat slow, it tops at 5MB / second. Also, there seems to be some latency to the gateway, averaging at 5ms response time, considering its the local subnet. I suppose there is some overhead with 128-bit encryption that the Powerline AV adaptors come with so that is not a big issue.

Here are more details, description and specification of the product:

Description
The Linksys Powerline AV Network Kit contains a single-port Powerline AV Adapter, and a four-port Powerline AV Adapter, which let you easily create a network using the existing electrical outlets in your home. Now you don't have to drill holes in walls and climb through the attic or cellar to install network cables -- just use the wires that already run through the building.

With Powerline AV Network Adapters, you can connect computers or any other wired Ethernet device using the HomePlug® AV network standard. Adding devices to the network is as simple as plugging a Powerline AV Adapter into an electrical outlet, and connecting your Ethernet-equipped devices to the built-in Ethernet ports. Additional devices can be connected to the same network using additional Powerline AV Adapters plugged into an electrical outlet anywhere in the house.

Once your computers are connected to the network, they can share resources like printers and storage space, and all kinds of files -- video, music, digital pictures, and documents. With up to 200Mbps data rates*, you can play virtually lag-free head-to-head network computer games, and run applications like streaming standard or HD video, and Voice over IP telephony. Plug your Internet connected router into a Powerline AV Adapter and you'll be able to get to the Internet from any Powerline AV attached computer in the house.

The Linksys Powerline AV Network kit gets you started with easy, "no new wires", home or office networking.

Features

• Use your existing powerlines to network your computers and other devices
• Share files, printers, storage, and networked games throughout your home — connect it to a router to share your Cable or DSL Internet connection
• Easily add more devices to your network by plugging additional adapters into electrical outlets
• HomePlug® AV technology for data rates up to 100Mbps
• Kit includes one single-port and one four-port adapter

Tech Specs

• Standards HomePlug AV, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u
• Ports PLE300: Power, Ethernet; PLS300: Power, Ethernet 1-4
• Buttons PLE300: Reset, HomePlug Simple Connect Button; PLS300: Reset, HomePlug Simple Connect Button
• LEDs PLE300: Power, Powerline, Ethernet; PLS300: Power, Powerline, Ethernet 1-4
• Cabling Type RJ-45, Power
• Security features 128-bit AES Link Encryption
• Security key bits 128
• PC or other device with Ethernet network adapter
• AC power outlet
• Dimensions PLE300: 5.83" x 1.38" x 4.06"; PLS300: 5.83” x 1.38” x 4.06”
• Weight PLE300: 6.17 oz; PLS300: 6.70 oz
• Power 100-240V AC, 50-60Hz
• Certification FCC, CE
• Operating Temp. 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C)
• Storage Temp. -4 to 140°F (-20 to 70°C)
• Operating Humidity 10 to 80% Noncondensing
• Storage Humidity 5 to 90% Noncondensing

If you want additional information regarding the content of this item please refer to the manufacturer for more details.

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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