Cloud based data management

Powerline performance

Performance, measured using a single-direction test with the open source iperf utility, yielded a ten-run average TCP throughput of 172Mb/s, a little lower than other 500Mb/s - the aggregate over-the-mains bandwidth, don't forget, not what you'll see at the Ethernet port; connected computers just present the RJ-45's details - adaptors I've tried, but then the test conditions weren't exactly the same.

Just to give you a guide, I've included test results from past 85Mb/s and 200Mb/s Devolo powerline adaptors, so you can see the improvement doubling the aggregate bandwidth makes.

iperf Test Results

Single-direction data transfer rate in Megabits per Second (Mb/s)
Longer bars are better

Running iperf in UDP mode got me up to 243Mb/s before packet loss nudged up to one per cent.

Both sets of adaptors provide the now-standard 128-bit AES encryption to secure the transmission between adaptors, controlled with a passphrase. Each adaptor can generate its own: just press the wee button by the Ethernet port and make sure you then press it on all the adaptors you want the new passphrase to share.

Devolo's bundled Cockpit app, available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, allows you to set the passphrase manually, adding the codeword to any or all of the adaptors the software can see on your network. You'll need the security code printed on each adaptor for that.

Devolo's Adobe Air-based Cockpit app provides only rudimentary device management facilities

It's pretty software, but vacant. It doesn't do much else, not even handling firmware updates. Click the Updates button and you're simply taken to Devolo's website. Firmware updates are available, but Devolo only provides a Windows-based uploader.

But if the software fails to impress, at least the hardware will. If you're already using 200Mb/s adaptors it's hard to justify an upgrade unless you're flinging rather a lot of HD streams around. After the switch from my regular 200Mb/s units to the 500Mb/s Devolos, the missus and the boy noticed no change or improvement to their regular, respectively, BBC iPlayer and Xbox Live sessions. Modern online gaming systems have enough latency compensation to deal with any the powerline adaptors add.

Then again, that 200Mb/s - 63Mb/s in the real world - is all you have. The more things you have taking a slice of that bandwidth, the quicker you'll hit the limit. Upgrading to 500Mb/s adaptors and getting 172Mb/s gives you a lot more headroom.

Tastefully styled

If you're struggling with Wi-Fi dead spots, powerline offers a way into them. So does Cat 5 cable, but not all of us want to got to the expense of getting it plumbed in, or fancy having it tacked around the skirting boards. That may not even be possible if you rent your property, or are planning to move in the not-too-distant future.

Verdict

A decent, well-performing set of adaptors, then. But they don't set themselves apart from their rivals. While physically thinner than, say, the Netgear XAVB5101 adaptor I looked at in April, the Netgear's other dimensions are smaller. And by the time you've added in the thickness of the three-pin plug mount, the dLan doesn't hug the wall much more than the Netgear does. There's barely any difference in the price, either.

Indeed, if you don't care much about an adaptor's size, you can buy lesser known brands of powerline kit for two-thirds of the price from the likes of Solwise. It has pass-through power options too. ®

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