TRENDnet TPL-401E2K 500Mbps Powerline Adapter Kit Network   Page 1

Reviewer: RWL Staff Article Publish Date: 4/28/2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

    Although wireless networks (WiFi in general) have gained support by most people around the globe there are many such as myself who have a hard time letting go of the traditional Ethernet cable connections. Personally i think we are getting enough radio waves as it is from our cell phones and cordless telephones so i don't really want to add one more to that list. Of course a wired connection is almost always better than a wireless one overall so i guess i may always stick to cables. But what happens when you are like me but your PC system is one or two floors up from where you have your modem/router? One solution is to use a long enough Ethernet cable (like i have) if possible while the other (easier) is to use a Powerline adapter. Today we are taking a look at two of these devices to see how efficient an Ethernet connection can be and as the title reveals these are designed and manufactured by TRENDnet.

 

 

    TRENDnet is a global provider of award winning networking solutions to small and medium size business and home users. Building networking solutions since 1990, TRENDnet enables users to share broadband access, multimedia content and networked peripherals for true anywhere connectivity. TRENDnet's diverse product line includes Wireless, Fiber, Switch, Gigabit, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM), Internet Camera, Print Server, Powerline, Bluetooth, Storage Server, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and Multimedia Accessories. Based in Torrance, California, TRENDnet maintains branch offices in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia. TRENDnet’s management system is ISO 9001:2008 certified (click here to view certificate). TRENDnet emphasizes continual improvement as an essential component of its quality management system. This ensures rigorous process standards across the entire organization with respect product development, product quality and all other pertinent enterprise functions. TRENDnet's 250-plus product portfolio is distributed in over 125 countries. The TRENDnet brand is consistently recognized for high quality, exceptional performance and professional support.

 

 

    To me Powerline adapters are a great innovation but although they have been around for quite a few years i hardly see people using them. I don't know if that's because they don't know about their existence or simply because the really good models cost quite a lot but during the last 5 years i have only seen a couple of companies using them. Of course the efficiency of these adapters is relevant to range and how new your power/electrical grid is but having already used 4 different sets at my 20 year old house without any issues at all my guess is that your house must be really old for something like that to happen. The 500Mbps advertised speed of the TPL-401E2K set we are testing today places these Powerline adapters amongst the fastest ones around as we speak. Still i have yet to see a Powerline adapter achieving its advertised speed so let's see what these adapters are capable of.