Trendnet Powerline 500AV2 Adapter Kit

Product: Trendnet TPL-408E2K Powerline 500 AV2 Adapter Kit
Provided by: Trendnet
Price: ~$49 Online at time of publication

Introduction:

We've reviewed a few Powerline "500" products in the past year from Rosewill, Trendnet and even Linksys and today we are taking another kick at the can on the Powerline 500 series from Trendnet. We have on our bench the Powerline 500 AV2 Adapter kit that is Trendnet's TPL-408E2K kit that is actually rated at "up to 600 Mbps". What this means is that while it is still part of the 500-family, they've optimized this kit with some better hardware, higher specifications and full 1Gbps ports that should allow better than 100Mbps throughput at close range.

What many people do not understand about Powerline networking is that signal degradation and performance get lower at greater ranges - much like wireless networking, but the difference is that Powerline degrades at a much slower rate. While wireless networking performs very well at close range, poor at medium range and horrible at extreme range, the Powerline network should retain higher performance levels at farther ranges. We'll be testing out this kit against other Powerline kits we've seen in the past and see if the TPL-408E2K can perform better than its older brother.

First Look:

This kit has all the standard equipment that you'll need to get up and running and a few small extras. In addition to the two adapters, you will find a quick install guide, a software CD that includes a full user's guide in addition to a utility that will help you figure out how to find and connect to your adapters should you decide to add more than these two to your home network. Trendnet even throws in a couple of extra Ethernet cables to get you up and running.

As you can see above, the kit is really plain and nothing remarkable is in the package. That being said, for under $50, you don't really expect a lot in the way of bonus prizes, unicorns and rainbows. 

Closer Look:

These adapters are quite small and have a very small footprint. While small size is great, I do believe that every Powerline kit should have a pass-through receptacle so that when it hogs a wall outlet, it will still provide you with a way to plug into both receptacles. I guess you can't have everything for this price, but it still would have been a nice touch. 

In addition to the three LED indicators which show power, LAN and Powerline status, there is a GB Ethernet port and a "sync" button adorning these units. They are that simple and easy to use and setup. The kit comes synchronized so you don't even have to push that button. Simply plug them in and extend you network.

On the next page we'll take a look at the specifications of the TPL-408E2K kit from Trendnet. Then, we'll jump into installation, test setup and begin testing.