Netgear XAV5001 500Mb/s powerline Ethernet adaptor
The mains event?
Review The quest for faster home networks continues, and with 802.11n Wi-Fi failing to deliver promised 300-450Mb/s peak speeds to a lot of people - blame sneaky manufacturers slipping cheap, single-antenna, 72Mb/s adaptors into their devices - some punters, even those without wireless blackspots in their homes, are looking to technologies like powerline networking.
Netgear's XAV5001: the centre light changes colour to reflect the link strength
A year or so back, Belkin introduced its Gigabit powerline Ethernet adaptor, but it was the only mainstream brand to deliver products based on proprietary technology from Gigle, now owned by network chip giant Broadcom.
Gigle's tech established a separate powerline link for its higher speed data transfers but fell back to the 200Mb/s HomePlug AV for compatibility with other devices.
Netgear's latest adaptor, the XAV5001, pitched as 500Mb/s product, is also compatible with HomePlug AV, but it uses not-quite-standard technology to ramp it up to a speed beyond AV's capability.
I should clarify. The adaptor uses IEEE 1901, which is a standard. But it's not one that - yet - has become the subject of device interoperability testing. IEEE 1901 will become part of the HomePlug standard, but it hasn't yet. Until it does, Netgear can't claim its kit works with other vendors' 1901-based offerings, and vice versa.
Push-button security
That probably doesn't matter for most folk, who are likely to buy these things in packs of two, one for each end of the link. You'll have to stick with the same supplier should you buy a third unit.
Next page: Gigabit performance? Not quite
COMMENTS
Sigh...
Pushed as a Gigabit ethernet.
States 500Mb/s.
Tested at 79.67Mb/s.
Why are all those firms subcontracting advertisements in Nigeria those days?
all subjective?
No, not subjective at all. It is objective and measurable. A lot of power line kit violates the standards it is required to respect, and Ofcon are doing Sweet FA about it.
Microwave ovens operate at a specific frequency, and the unlicensed ISM band that they could interfere with was created precisely because the interference from ovens could render it useless. It therefore isn't saleable spectrum.
If people pay for the use of certain parts of the RF spectrum, they are entitled to expect other users not to interfere with that use. What's so subjective about that?
FM interference
"I don't get any interference using a FM radio".. what the hell? You DO know that FM uses a phase-locked-loop on a carrier frequency right? FM is designed to disguise radio spectrum noise. Try an AM radio.. far more indicative of potential noise issues. Try checking with your local radio HAM before making such a misguided statement.
EMC regulations
So your crappy PLT works just fine so long as everything else plugged in to the mains conforms to the required EMC standards!
However...
...it buggers up DAB nicely if its on the same mains ring and sometimes even if its on a different phase (ie someone elses house), never mind different mains ring. Oh and yes I do understand the difference between conducted & radiated EMI ta, the point is that these abominations are guilty of breaking the rules on BOTH in every single installation, bar none.
Since the days of FM are apparently limited then best not get too attached to the idea of listening to any broadcast radio other than that found on LW :)
Funny how every major user of spectrum from the CAA to GCHQ* to the BBC all state that it IS a problem.
The exception? Yes its Ofcom who strangely enough don't actually employ much in the way of RF engineers, unlike all the other organisations who disagree with them.
*yes they do, they just weren't allowed to say so in public
