Wired, with less wires (Netgear 85 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Switch Kit XEB1004)

Member Name: Zack131

Product:	Netgear 85 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Switch Kit XEB1004
Date:	21/10/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 4 ports, easy to set up

Disadvantages: bulky, gets quite warm

Note: I'm trying not to go to far into detail about the specifics of the product to make it appeal more to those who aren't as well educated in this field. I've used more common notation such as ethernet cable instead of CAT.

--The Review--

A world without wires is becoming increasingly more common in general households these days. Almost all the latest gadgets use wireless data transfer to connect to a network without the need of wires. But what if you simply aren't quite up to scratch with technology or your system does not support a wireless connection? I used to play online on the PS2 which requires the use of an ethernet cable in the back to be plugged into your modem or router. Sure that is possible even if you happen to have the device in the other side of the house on the other floor. But it is just so bizarre to have a 50 metre wire trailing through the house, up the stairs and into the device. I obviously got tired of this. However, when my dad brought home a few of these ethernet plugs, my days of Monster Hunter and Star Wars Battlefront 2 became much better off. I'll refer to these devices simply as plugs for simplification.

I don't need to describe much about its appearance as the image is more than you need. You'll notice 2 ports on the side which are used to plug your ethernet cables into. There are another 2 on the opposite side so in total you can connect up to 4 different devices per plug. There are 3 indicator LEDs which represent the current status of the plug. From left to right they are coloured yellow, blue, yellow. My first concern with this product is its size. On your typical extension power strip the plugs are spaced out so that all the spaces could be filled with regular sized plugs. The NetGear Ethernet plug however is bigger than your regular sized plug. It consumes one and a half plug slots on the strip rendering a socket unusable. This is very inconvenient if you are limited as it is for sockets.

So just how exactly do these work? I'm actually delighted on how incredibly easy it is to set these up. The plugs form a network in your electric mains allowing data to be passed from one plug to the next. By connecting one to your modem or router then putting another one in another area of the house you can access the internet from that place. It acts as a wired network so you don't need to bother with WEP keys and security. This is also beneficial to those with a router that might not have an excellent signal strength. The process of setting them up with a device is exactly the same as configuring a wired connection. The plugs do accumulate a lot of heat after running for about 10 minutes, similar to that of a plug that is charging a device. The speeds are very fast compared to that of a wireless connection.

Despite being bulky, warm and expensive, I have thouroghly enjoyed my time with this product and it has tidied up my place a bit. The simplicity of use is a major factor towards this product's rating. It's a shame you need to sacrifice a socket, but if it stops 50m long cables snaking through my house then it really is worth it!

Summary: Although this is expensive I'm sure there are alternatives. If not, this will do

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features: