HomePlug Adapter - Review

["Mark McCall" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submission by Mark Harrison

HomePlug is a wired network, but instead of using dedicated cables, it uses
the mains to carry data. Simply plug two or more adaptors into sockets (on
the same phase) and they will form two parts of a network. The concept of
using mains to carry data isn't new - it's what X-10 has been doing for
over
25 years!

HomePlug, however, is much, much faster than X-10. It comes in two
flavours,
14Mb/Sec and 85Mb/Sec. To put things in perspective, a conventional wired
network will run at 100Mb/sec, so even the faster version falls short of
CAT5. However, to re-frame, even the "new improved, due to
launch" flavours
of broadband only run at 8Mb/Sec, so even the slower version of HomePlug is
almost double the speed. Given that "normal" broadband is only
1/2 Mb/sec,
HomePlug runs many times faster than needed to keep up with Internet
access....

http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/article1673.html

M.