Reviews related to : HomePlug
With the exception of last year Devolo bring out updates and improvements to speed and performance of their product, be it in the Wi-Fi or even the connection over power line. So there is plenty to tell you about as 2021 had everyone more interested in not catching Covid than improving the speed of their below par Internet connection.
You plug their unit into a power socket somewhere near your Modem then at another point – on the same ring main – plug into another power socket. Whatever speed you are getting near your Modem should also be the same at the second – or third unit, so no long Ethernet cables which could otherwise be a trip hazard.
If your Wi-Fi is slow – or non-existent in certain areas – then your answer may lay in Powerline adapters so the loft, basement or garage may come into range and best of all not at a snail’s pace but at a speed suitable for those into gaming. Devolo have two solutions that can help, a starter kit (two units) or as reviewed here a whole home Wi-Fi kit.
They are each 15x7.5x4.5cm in size. The plug part is near the base so even those of us with skirting board sockets can use them. They should be plugged into a power socket and not into a surge strip or even a gang socket, you do not lose any sockets as what was plugged directly into that socket can now be plugged into the face of the unit.
If you have weak Wi-Fi or even parts that have no Wi-Fi then Devolo have solutions that can help. Here I am looking at an add on a new version of their Wi-Fi repeater. So even if you have a good signal at your Modem then this could help for the places that have less good signals.
The unit is 15x7.5x5cm and plugs into any 13amp socket. What was in that socket can then be plugged into the Devolo Repeater. You should not plug it into a surge strip and gang sockets are not recommended but may or may not work. The repeater has two Ethernet sockets on its top, Devolo were one of the first to react when people in the UK complained that skirting board sockets could not accommodate Ethernet ports on the base of the unit. Also in the box is a 14.5x10.
It would be nice if we could all sit right beside our modem as that is the point where - however good or bad our signal is – it is at the maximum we will get. If you use Wi-Fi then any distance will mean a drop in signal strength. One choice that will work – even in far flung areas where Wi-Fi is poor or non-existent – is power through mains plugs.
Devolo have such a product called Magic 2. In the UK your electrics are on a ring main and providing both the master socket and any subsidiary Devolo plugs are on the same ring main you can live in any shape of building with solid concrete walls – normally very bad for Wi-Fi – the signal should not be reduced. The main (starter kit) unit and a LAN triple come in the same box and then should you need it you can buy extra LAN triples.
Power over Wi-Fi, range extenders and Wi-Fi Extenders are all ways to allow you to get a signal where you may not be able to do so normally, here an offering from Devolo called Magic 2 to allow places that otherwise would need a carrier pigeon to get information in or out help to allow you to stay in touch. Be it loft or basement you can now have connection.
The Devolo Magic 2 Whole Home Wi-Fi Kit consists of three units which each connect to a mains outlet. First the master that needs to be placed near your Modem it is 13x6.5x5cm and has an Ethernet port on the top of the unit and a 13amp plug on the face so whatever was in that socket before you plugged in the Devolo Magic LAN can still be inserted without affecting the Devolo.
Well known as a home networking specialist, Devolo has recently updated its solution to curing the problem caused by a weak WiFi performance. This product, offering WiFi anywhere in the home, is the company’s dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit.
The develop dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit consists of a pair of dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Powerline adapter devices, Ethernet cable and an Installation booklet. With the appearance of 3-pin plugs on steroids, the pair of Apple White adapter devices form the main thrust of the Devolo network system by taking advantage of the home’s existing electric wiring system to stream data around the building.
When turning your home into a Smart environment, a Home Control Starter Pack, such as the product developed by Devolo, could be an appropriate route to take when enhancing certain features
As its title suggests, the Devolo Home Control Starter Pack offers to be your opening gambit when building a Smart Home environment. This Starter Pack consists of three main elements. These are the Central Unit, Smart Metering Plug and a two-piece Door / Window Contact unit.
Where Wi-Fi cannot reach there is an alternative to a very long Ethernet lead and that is using power sockets to transfer the signals. Providing the router and the external point are on the same ring main you can get a strong signal it could be your basement, loft or garage.
I was sent a single box that contains two Powerline Adapters it is called a starter kit and this contains all you need to get that out of Wi-Fi spot back into use. The kit has two adapters the one to connect to your router is slightly larger at 14x7x6cm and this has three Ethernet Gigabit ports on the top, the other smaller unit is 13x6.5x5cm and has one Ethernet port on the top.
Offering a variety of tools to protect your home is Devolo’s Home Security system.
Recently I took a look at Devolo’s Home Security System. The product was the Devolo Starter Pack. As its title indicates, this is an opening gambit to encourage the user to take their first steps on the path to using technology as a protective shield for their home.
Do you control your home? Or does it control you? Devolo believes it can put you in the driving seat.
Technology, in its many guises, aims to improve the quality of the standard of living of users through the use of device that might bear the appendage of “Smart”. No I am not referring to smartphones, although they could have a part to play, but the creation of a smart home where devices can be set to remotely control aspects of a personal living environment.
This next product adds WiFi functionality to a Powerline solution.
While WiFi is often the chosen option of many when setting up a home network with the minimum of disruption, this method is not always totally suitable for certain dwellings with walls getting in the way and blocking the passage of the wireless signal. In such instances you might prefer going with a solution that helps circumvent the problem caused by blocking walls while still retaining some of the benefits of WiFi.
If you need to extend the range of the WiFi signal used by your network then there is a choice of products including the NETGEAR Nighthawk™ X4.
That old chestnut of a question that asks “How long is a piece of string?” could well be adapted to apply to the WiFi signal in your WLAN. “How wide is the range of your WiFi?” The answer will depend on the circumstances regarding the layout of your home and the surrounding environment. Distances and signal strengths could be affected by the number, thickness and constitution of walls and other blockages plus household applications.
The main purpose of Wi-Fi extenders is to allow you to access your Wi-Fi signal in places that it does not comfortably reach. This kit does that but it can also give you an extra Ethernet port ideal for those devices that do not have Wi-Fi.
For those who do not know this Wi-Fi anywhere technology requires two 13amp plugs one near your router and the other in whatever far flung part of your property that cannot normally effectively receive the Wi-Fi signal, the two requirements to make this work are that they are on the ring main circuit and that it is an electrical socket and not a gang socket or a surge strip on either end.
Does your home love Wi-Fi? If not then maybe a Repeater would help.
Better known for its work in and support for Powerline technology whereby your current (no pun intended) electrical cabling system is used as the conduit to deliver a home network, Devolo has other strings to its bow including home security and wireless networking. In the case of the latter area, Devolo has just released a device to boost the range of an established home Wi-Fi network.
The Netgear Powerline PLP1200 is the latest and fastest kit to provide network connectivity via the household wiring.
Each plug, which is Homeplug AV compatible, is 120 x 55 x 50mm deep, white in colour, with the mains plug and its associated power feed-through socket at the lower end. (There is also the PL1200 without the power feed-through.) It is narrower than many of the previous generation products so that it is easy to reach the switch on the wall socket.
This starter kit promises to finally give you Wi-Fi Anywhere. This is a bold statement especially if your property is a strange shape or you have lots of solid walls. There is another problem in that these devices used to do the job but slowly.
This starter kit consists of two units the main unit to be placed fairly close to your router is 15x8x5cm with the built in 13amp plug at the base, the top has two Gigabit Ethernet ports. The front has a 13amp plug face so other items can still be plugged in to the unit. The second unit is slightly smaller at 13x6.
Along with its various WiFi routers, NETGEAR also manufactures products that provide a cable route for creating a LAN.
While wireless technology, in the form of Wi-Fi, is generally a straightforward method of setting up a home network system, the layout of many residential buildings is not always the most conducive environment to cope with a W-Fi network. Obstructions, such as walls and the like, can block signals with the result that dead areas can appear, usually in the location that you want to use.
The Mini Wi-Fi Home Hotspot 500 Kit, now theres a name to get your tongue around, is a product that comes with the claim of allowing the user to get the best Wi-Fi any where in your home.
Developed by BT, the Mini Wi-Fi Home Hotspot 500 product makes use of Powerline technology to provide its network functionality. For the benefit of those not familiar with this technology I should explain that Powerline uses the home’s power lines (hence its name) as the conduit for sending data between locations and devices.
Like skimming stones on water, Wi-Fi Range Extender technology can expand the reach of your local Wi-Fi network.
While ideal for open plan environments, Wi-Fi technology can struggle when faced with structural layouts found in many homes. Walls and other obstructions can create dead spots within a local home Wi-Fi network structure. Offering to help with this type of situation is a product such as the TL-WA860RE. This particular offering is a 300Mbps Wi-Fi Range Extender with AC Passthrough functionality from TP-Link.
The TP-LINK AV500 Passthrough Powerline WiFi Kit provides three Ethernet ports as well as a local WiFi hotspot access at some point remote from ones router via the mains wiring. This enables one to extend connectivity and minimise wireless dead-spots across the house or office while the up to 500Mbps data rate will support multiple fast data streams.
The TL-WPA4230P Kit consists of two dissimilar power adapters and their associated Ethernet cables together with the quick installation guide and resource CD.
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