Belkin F5D4050 User Manual download pdf (Page 8)

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The easy installation, potential for multiple connections in one room, and decent throughput speeds are the

greatest advantages of power-line technology. You simply plug a small device directly into a wall socket

and connect the device to your PC via either a USB or Ethernet cable. The device essentially transforms

your power lines into network lines. The maximum theoretical throughput of power-line is 14 Mbps, though

on our tests file-transfer throughput was 4.8 Mbps, just slightly better than the throughput results of

802.11b devices.

Power-line products support 56-bit DES encryption, which we recommend turning on for home networks,

even though the default setting has security turned off for easy installation. Also, as you might guess, high-

power appliances can affect the throughput of power-line. So you might not want to send large files while

someone is using a blow dryer in the next room. Several manufacturers offer combination power-

line/wireless routers, so users can deploy both technologies from one device.

Products:

• Asoka PlugLink USB Wall Mount (PL9720-USB), $125 list; PlugLink Ethernet Wall Mount (PL9620-ETH), $125;

PlugLink PL Wireless Access Point (PL9510-WAP), $200. Asoka USA Corp., www.asokausa.com. (Reviewed April 22,

2003. )

• Belkin F5D4050 Powerline USB Adapter, $80 list; F5D4070 Powerline Ethernet Adapter, $80. Belkin Corp.,

www.belkin.com.

• Linksys Instant PowerLine Etherfast 10/100 Bridge PLEBR10, $90 street. (Reviewed April 23, 2002

. )

Instant PowerLine USB Adapter PlusB10, $90. Linksys Group Inc., www.linksys.com.

• Netgear Powerline Adapter XE102, $65 street. Netgear Inc., www.netgear.com. (Reviewed April 22, 2003

)

Alternatives

Two potential alternative technologies are power-line networking (HomePlug) and phone-line (HPNA). Both

technologies use existing home wiring—phone cables and electrical wiring, respectively—to network

devices.

You can use either of them as the only type of networking in your home, but we don't recommend doing

this because of the relatively low throughput of both technologies. If you plan to network your entire house,

the best use of power-line or phone-line networking is as an adjunct to your wired or wireless network.

Consider using them in rooms where wireless signals don't reach or where it's either too expensive or

nearly impossible to run cable, as in apartments where drilling into walls is prohibited.

Phone-Line

Much like power-line technology, phone-line networking requires a device that plugs into both your PC and

a phone jack. High-speed connectivity is then transmitted through your phone lines. The number of power-

line or phone-line home networks is tiny compared with wireless home networks. And power-line has a

larger following than phone-line, in large part because there are far more power outlets than phone jacks in

a typical home. Though the latest phone-line standard, HomePNA (HPNA) 3.0, has nominal throughput of

up to 128 Mbps, there are no products on the market yet that use this specification. Most of the few phone-

line products available today comply with HPNA 2.0, which on PC Magazine Labs' tests produced

throughput rates of 4 to 6 Mbps.

Products:

• Linksys HPB200 HomeLink Phoneline 10M Ethernet Bridge, $190 street; USB200HA HomeLink Phoneline 10M USB

Network Adapter, $70; HPRO200 HomeLink Phoneline 10MB Cable/DSL Router, $150. Linksys Group,

www.linksys.com.

• SMC EZ Connect Wireless HomePNA 2.0 USB Adapter 2821, $60 street; EZ Card HomePNA 2.0 PC Card 2832,

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