Sitecom 500 Mbps homeplug Ethernet review




Posted by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 01/04/2012 02:00 PM [ 0 comment(s) ]

Here we have the Sitecom 500 Mbps Homeplug kit. The kit comes with two adapters, two CAT5 cables, a manual and a CD with software suite, which by the way is not really needed or a requirement -- unless you want to add a layer of security. This 105 EUR kit could be used to connect to the router and one PC for example.

We also received the Homeplug 500 Mbps plus switch LN-509. Same specs, more connectivity at 64 EUR a piece. But oh lordeeh -- all white packaging, white devices and a white background really don't work out well in a photo shoot do they.

Aah, much better, I switched to a black background. This is one of the the 500 Mbps homeplug adapters. Plug them in, connect them to your PCs or switch, or router and you have created an Ethernet connection. It's that simple.

The little button on top close to the Ethernet connector is in fact a security switch. If you power up the adapter and click on the button on all devices within a minute then they will be configured in a 128-bit AES encryption. And there's no big loss in performance.
It's nice, not really needed though. It's not like your neighbor can tap into your connection. It all ends at the master use box. However would you like some more security, you can make your own password protected workgroup with included software where you bind all devices into one group.

Here we have the Homeplug 500 Mbps plus switch, btw the The 500 Mbps homeplugs are fully compatible with all the last-gen 200 Mbps homeplug adapters.

On the backside we see a MAC address and a security ID, the last one is to be used if you like to bind all adapters in a secure group. This model functions as switch allowing to connect three PC's simultaneously.
The Sitecom Powerline Ethernet adapters allow you to use your mains electricity circuit to transfer data, this way you can extend your network to wherever you have a free plug socket. The product we test today comes from Sitecom, their 500 Mbps plus Homeplug. The kit provides a connection of up to 500Mbits/sec. Divide that by 8 bits and you'd in theory would be able to see transfer speeds of 62.5 Megabyte per second. In practice, however we tested the maximum net data rate is much MUCH lower, 60~100 Mbits/sec - still that is faster than Wi-Fi and sufficient fenough or streaming high-definition video from say your PC with network shares to, for instance, your HTPC.
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