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D-Link DHP-306AV powerline Ethernet adaptor

Network your mains cabling

Energy star

D-Link has designed the adaptor with the Ethernet adaptor on the side rather than the bottom. The downside: it'll have to be placed in the right-most socket of multi-port boards and wall-sockets or the Ethernet cable may get in the way of other devices - though not ordinary plugs, I found.

Having the Ethernet port on the base of the adaptor can be a problem too if your wall-sockets are mounted close to the ground. If that's your situation, D-Link's port positioning will be welcome.

D-Link DHP-306AV

The bundled utility makes managing your LAN easy

And anyone will appreciate its power-conservation abilities. The Devolo adaptor - now a year or so old - consumes around 0.02W when it's plugged in, rising to 0.04W when data is flowing, according to the Reg Hardware power meter. The D-Link, however, generally stays at 0.02W. Occasionally, it'll peak at 0.04W, but quickly drops back down, even when, say, you're copying a file.

Leave the DHP-306AV plugged in but not connected to a local device and after a minute or so, it drops down to less than 0.01W, popping back up to 0.02W every five seconds or so to keep the powerline link alive.

D-Link sells two DHP-306AVs together as the DHP-307AV "starter kit" for which the company wants £100 though you can find it online for as little as £70. That's par for course, which is handy because the D-Link delivers the same performance as competing products too. It seems like whoever's adaptor you choose you'll get the same bandwidth for the same money.

Verdict

Reg Hardware likes powerline Ethernet as a way of reaching those parts wireless networks cannot reach, and the D-Link adaptor reaches as well as any other product of its kind does - but uses less energy into the bargain. ®

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D-Link DHP-306AV

D-Link DHP-306AV powerline Ethernet adaptor

Powerline networking adaptor pair that deliver comparable performance to rival offerings but consume less energy.
Price: £100 for a two-adaptor starter kit RRP

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