The 200Mbps Alternative to 802.11n

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If I know people – and trust me, I’m sharp like a wooden butter knife – then the biggest single irk about the delay in 802.11n ratification is the current bottleneck 802.11g presents when streaming smooth, high quality video around the home. Well could the interim solution be in your wall sockets?

Yesterday Netgear unveiled its eagerly anticipated Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter which offers a fascinating bridging technology that has the power to blast data through a buildings existing electrical writing at up to 200Mbps.

Setup couldn’t be more straightforward either: simply plug one adaptor into an AC socket and connect it to your router using an Ethernet cable then plug a second adaptor into an AC socket in the room you require and run an Ethernet cable from it into any Ethernet ready device be it a PC, games console, print server, digital video recorder, etc. Suddenly 200Mbps networking is yours.

It’s an intriguing solution, on one hand completely reliant on wires yet on the other hand relatively wire free. It should prove a real boon to those with multimedia PCs or video recorders sporting Ethernet ports and it can be effortlessly removed once 802.11n eventually appears in 2049.

The Powerline HD Ethernet Adaptor can initially be purchased in the HDXB101 kit (two adaptors) for $249.99 with additional single adaptors (HDX101) selling for $129.99. As I prepare to move into a new flat it's probably the first thing I'll buy, certainly it's ahead of frivolous rubbish like chairs, tables, beds and cutlery.

Link:
Netgear UK

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