Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)
Considering the NetGear Powerline is more expensive than the already expensive xbox 360 wireless router, it wouldn't make sense to get it if you had wireless access in your home. But since I got this product at no charge, I was very excited to try to make it work with my 360 so I wouldn't have to buy the wireless network adapter. Unfortunately, things never panned out.
First let me explain how the product works. Rather than being a `wireless' network, it uses your home electrical system to communicate. The system includes two `Powerline' units, what are basically two really big electrical power plugs. One plugs into the wall near your home modem/wireless router. You then connect either end of one of the two included Ethernet cables (which are about 4 feet long) into the Powerline and into your router or modem. In the other room, where you have another computer, game system, blu-ray player, etc., you plug the second Powerline into a wall and then connect the second Ethernet cable to the Powerline and into your component or PC. Then all this great stuff is supposed to happen--three lights on each unit are supposed to light up, create a connection, start to blink to let you know they've succeeded, etc. Once all lights are blinking the way they should be to verify your Powerlines are communicating, then...well, this is where it got tricky for me.
My xbox 360 simply could not find the network when I chose the automatic IP address setup option on my 360. But I was determined to make this work. I installed the software that comes with the Powerline onto my network source computer. This software is simple and minimal. It showed me that the two `devices' were present, showed that they had Mbps speed--but not a lot. The manual that comes with the Powerline discusses 80 Mbps delivery, but mine were only ranging from between 10 and 30. The problem may be that the electric outlets just aren't up to snuff in my house--I only have 100 amp service. So that COULD be the problem, even though the green lights on both Powerlines were beaming brightly to indicate all was well. The software didn't offer me any kind of troubleshooting. So I turned to my 360. The xbox website offers plenty of troubleshooting if you're having trouble getting online. I spent a couple of hours trying everything, digging in deep to get all different kinds of IP addresses and gateway number out of my computer and router to manually enter into my 360 to create a connection. All failed. It was at this point that I had to give up--in part because the xbox website gave up, telling me there simply weren't any other options. The Powerline doesn't promise to be plug-n-play, but it also doesn't claim not to be, and if it's not.
I ended up buying an xbox 360 wireless router, which worked like a charm for my game system.
Maybe my Powerlines were just too far apart? The documentation doesn't indicate that distance could be an issue. My house is not very large, and I was using one Powerline on one floor, and the second one almost directly above it on another floor--a distance my wireless router handles beautifully.
UPDATE: I decided to give the Powerline another shot, because in the room right next to the room with my main computer and modem I have a Blu-Ray player that was not connected to the internet. So, being a sort of pro at the setup now, I quickly hooked one Powerline up to my computer and modem, and the other to my Blu-Ray player. After waiting for all the lights on each Powerline to glow, I quickly used the Netgear Powerline Utility software I had installed on my computer to check the connections--and both were super powerful at over 150 Mbps. So I excitedly turned on my Blu-Ray play...and knew immediately that my connection was all ready to go because I got a notice that a firmware update had been detected and did I want to download and install it. Wahoo! My Blu-Ray player is now connected to the net. So, at least in my case, I'm convinced that either my old electric had something to do with the first failure, or it was a distance issue, but I can't be sure.
Some other things to note. The Powerlines are rather big with the prongs at the top of the rectangular box, so unless you plug them into the bottom socket in a standard two-socket outlet, you'll cover one of the sockets completely with the lower half of the Powerline, making it inaccessible for plugging in other devices for power. Also, the Ethernet cable jack is on the bottom of the Powerline, not the side, so you have to take clearance into account depending on how your outlet is situated. Conveniently, the Powerline offers a socket right on front so you can plug your Powerline into the wall and then plug something into it to get all the power you need--so you won't be sacrificing a socket that way. The manual makes it pretty clear that it would advise that you plug a power strip into the Powerline instead of directly plugging in a component. Also, you are supposed to plug the Powerline directly into the wall, not into a power strip or extension cord, which can cause the system to fail in communicating.
Finally, there's security. The system includes a default encryption code that can be activated either by pressing the security button on each of the Powerlines--which has to be done no less than two minutes apart--or by using the Utility software on your computer. The utility software also allows you to CHANGE the encryption if you want it personalized.
Click Here to see more reviews about: NETGEAR Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter Kit XAVB2501
Product Description
NETGEAR's Powerline AV 200 Adapter extends a high speed Internet connection to any power outlet (2 units required, can purchase 2 unit kit in part# XAVB2001) , Perfect for connecting HDTVs, Blu-ray players, DVRs, PCs and game consoles to your home network and the Internet, Compact design with push-button security, Just plug into any electrical outlet.NETGEAR Green Features: Automatically powers down when not connected or not in use, Disable LEDs to help save energy,Packaging manufactured with at least 95% recycled materials.Disclaimers:1 Requires use of HomePlug AV compatible Powerline devices (two XAV2001 devices included).
Product Details
- Brand: Netgear
- Model: XAVB2501-100NAS
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.00" h x 4.50" w x 9.50" l, 1.80 pounds
Features
- Extends a high speed Internet connection to any power outlet (2 units required, or purchase kit XAVB2001)
- Perfect for connecting HDTVs, Blu-ray players, DVRs, PCs and game consoles to your home network and the Internet
- Compact design with push-button security
- Just plug into any electrical outlet
Get 12% OFF
Click here for more information about NETGEAR Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter Kit XAVB2501
No comments:
Post a Comment