Netgear XAVB101 PLC 200 Mbps Homeplug AV kit

I don’t want WiFi, I want a 200 Mbps PLC!
You don’t have a long enough range on your WiFi installation provided with your internet router or wireless access point? Well, this is a good occasion to invest in a Netgear XAVB101 PLC kit! This small box is 180g (98 x 72 x 40 mm) and works with Microsoft Windows Vista, 2000 or XP.

As a reminder, the Power Line Carrier, or PLC technology appeared in the last few years and allows digital information to be carried across a private electricity circuit. This is a competing technology to LAN Ethernet (cabled) and WLAN (wireless). For more information, you can see our test dedicated to presenting this technology.

With HomePlug AV there is no software installation!
The Netgear Ethernet 200 Mbps XAV101 adapter us a top of the line model for home users. Firstly, it is simple to use, as you simply need to connect the RJ45 10/100 port to your internet connection, and then press the security button to complete the operation. You then just need to connect the second adaptor to your computer and press the button once more. This means that you don’t have any painful software configuration to go through, with the electricity network being secured via the WEP protocol which is encrypted in AES 64/128 bits.

Three LED lights indicated the connection quality
Those who like playing around will be able to hide their amplifiers in the cupboard! A LED light on the back of the adaptor will allow you to quickly see the connection quality. A red light indicates that you are below 50 Mbps, yellow is between 50 and 80 Mbps, and finally without keeping you in suspense, a green light indicates that you are over 80 Mbps in transmission speed!

Ideal for transferring large amounts of data
The XAVB101 pack conforms to HomePlug AV (QoS, VLAN, audio and video streaming …), which means that it allows you to transfer large volumes of data. Also, with the theoretic speed of 200 Mbps all multimedia activities that are often intensive on a local area network are now possible. For example, this will allow you to transfer HD videos, play games over the network or perform data backups.

8 adaptors maximum for an optimal network!
On the same electricity circuit in a house of 1 500 m², it is possible to connect up to 64 adaptors. If you want optimal performance though, Netgear states that a maximum of 8 CPL plugs is recommended, and this is quite sufficient!

Be careful though as the XAVB101 isn’t compatible with the 85 Mbps and 14 Mbps models: XE102, XE103, XE104, XEB1004, XET1001, XETB1001, HDX101 (see our test) or HDXB101. This of course means that they can’t communicate together. On the other hand, they can coexist on the same circuit, operating as two distinct networks! In this way though, the old Homeplug 1.0 standard is over...