NETGEAR HDXB101. $119 Frys. Installation was extremely easy. Just plug each unit into an AC outlet and connect Ethernet cables to the devices you want to connect. In my case it was my wireless router in the basement and my PC upstairs.
NETGEAR HDXB101 Retail packaging
I ran into a few small hitches trying to get the unit plugged in without rubbing other plugs. Its my fault for having a fancy flush mount wall plug!
NETGEAR HDXB101 rubbing into a plug above it
Slow Performance. I could have spent $60 to buy two older Airlink 14MB power line adapters units, but I wanted fast file transfer speeds, so I splurged and bought this newer (2007) product. I was suspicious of the 200MB speed claim when I noticed that it units only had 100MB Ethernet ports on them, but I figured I would at least be able to max out my Ethernet connection. Boy was I wrong. I knew something was wrong when it took a while to load up the google main page. So I broke out the setup CD that came in the box and I installed the configuration utility. This utility is intended to let you setup security on your adapters, so you can create virtual network zones within a building, useful if you live in an apartment that shares electrical meters with other units. I was pleased to find that the config utility displayed each unit and its connection speed, but I wasn’t happy with the results. I was getting only 4 Mbps and it felt alot slower than that on the web.
Investigating the slow performance
More Troubles. Since I could easily tell what my connection speed was I decided to experiment and move it around the house to see if it got faster. My first try was to move it to a different outlet in the basement to see if I could make the web surfing tolerable. No luck, this outlet didnt even work, even though it was AC functional. I tried another outlet in the basement, and same problem. I then tried the Kitchen, and it got a little bit faster, 57 Mbps TX and 35Mbps RX. Next I tried the room right next to my office, about 20 feet away, and got 26Mbps to 45Mbps. Finally (to sanity test) I tried another outlet in my office , about 8 feet from my computer and got 160Mbps from the utility.
I didnt actually try to surf the web over these faster connection points, namely because I didnt have another computer handy, but I suspect it would probably be decent.
I ended up returning the product. It was easy to install, but it didnt meet my needs. I needed a high speed, reliable, secure connection from my upstairs office to the basement, without having to pull cable.
