Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack

by Actiontec

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7 x 4 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000QGBC8C
• Item model number: HLE08500-01K
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #79 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Network Adapters > Powerline Network Adapters
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

How does it work?

It's simple. The 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack uses your home electrical lines to create up to a high speed network throughout your home, giving devices like Blu-Ray players, TiVO or DVRs, gaming consoles, and computers access to the Internet.

Why better than wireless

"Why don't I just use wireless networking instead? I'm more familiar with it."

Because there are some great advantages to powerline technology.

• Powerline products have more consistent transmissions. You won't see the kind of fadeouts and connection drops as you do in wireless.
• Powerline works in places where wireless can't. Powerline will give you a strong connection throughout your electrical system, whether connecting into a concrete basement or throughout a large home.

The 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack contains everything you need to create your Powerline home network, and it's very easy to install.

What's in the box?

The Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Kit contains the following:

• Two Ethernet adapters
• Two Ethernet cables
• CD - including an installation guide and user manual
• Quick Start guide

Actiontec's Powerline products

Actiontec has a full line of powerline products, each slightly different depending on your needs

Good     Better     Best					Best for ...
	Actiontec Product	Kit	Includes 4-port Ethernet hub	Speed	Extending Wireless Network	Computers/ Gaming/ Blu-Ray/ VoIP	Video/ Home Theaters
	85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter twin-pack	Yes	No
	200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter & 4-port Switch	Yes	Yes
	200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter twin-pack	Yes	No
	85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter & 4-port hub	Yes	Yes

Setup Instructions

STEP 1: Plug first adapter into available port on router.

STEP 2: Plug first adapter into wall.

STEP 3: Plug second adapter cable into the Ethernet or LAN port on the desired product (e.g. Xbox 360). Then plug the second adapter into the wall.

Are all of the lights GREEN? Congratulations, your Xbox360 is now connected to the Internet.

Product Description

Actiontec’s new MegaPlug™ 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-pack ups the ante for ease of use and network expandability. Just plug a MegaPlug Ethernet Adapter in any 2- or 3-prong electrical outlet in one room of your house, and another MegaPlug Adapter to your main computer or gateway, and you’ve got instant network access across your power lines. What could be easier? If you need a simple way to extend your home network, the MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter is the quickest and most economical way to do it. Networking Made Easy- Nothing could be easier than creating a network connection with a pair of MegaPlug Ethernet Adapters. Instead of stringing unsightly Ethernet cables all over your house, the Adapters use your home’s already installed and hidden power lines to transfer data at up to 85 Mbps, making every available electrical outlet a potential network connection. Your networking possibilities are suddenly endless! Broad Compatibility and More- Use the MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter to link your computers together, install a networked printer, or connect another device (scanner, networkable hard drive, etc.) to your network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome if on the same electrical circuit, January 23, 2008

By 

Adam Albert (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack (Personal Computers)

This twin-pack works flawlessly when I have both units plugged into outlets that are on the same circuit. When I plug them into different outlets throughout the house, so that they have to "talk" across circuit breakers, their is still network connectivity, but my streaming video stutters during playback. I didn't actually measure the Mbps I was getting this way, so if it negotiated down to 10 Mbps across the circuit breakers, then this would work fine for internet surfing. However, for my streaming video, I need a lot more speed (like the advertised 85 Mbps). Again, once I plugged both units into outlets on the same circuit, my streaming video played back smoothly and flawlessly. I am quite happy with this product. [...]

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple installation and it works great..., December 28, 2007

By 

Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack (Personal Computers)

I needed network availability at the other end of the house where it was too far for wireless and impractical to run ethernet cable. I tried a wireless range expander and had a bad experience with that. After reading the reviews of the Actiontec adapter, I decided to try it. I wish I had discovered the Actiontec first, because it's a no-brainer and it works great. It was literally nothing more than plugging in the devices and running a quick and simple software install/config on the PC I wanted to connect. It works as advertised, is essentially a wired connection to the network, and is a perfectly portable solution for any room in the house that has an electrical outlet. I wish all network products were this easy to use.

61 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ease of use at the cost of very slow performance, October 30, 2008

By 

Printer User (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack (Personal Computers)

I have two WiFi routers, an Apple Airport Extreme for N-speed connections and an older WRT54G for G-speed connections, all located in my basement near my broadband modem. Unfortunately, the G connections aren't as robust and often disconnect due to obstacles in my house. I bought the MegaPlugs with the hope of extending the reach of the G connections.

I plugged one MegaPlug Adapter near my main router and plugged the other one upstairs, then moved my Linksys WRT54G upstairs (almost directly above the one in my basement) and connected it to the MegaPlug Adapter. The adapters recognized each other within seconds. I used Actiontec's utility to set the encryption password and confirm the connection. The WRT54G was now unobstructed and within 20 feet of my G-speed laptop. As expected, WiFi performance was much more stable.

Performance, however, was a different story. I tested performance by copying movie files. One example: with the MegaPlug, a 58MB music video file copy took 155 seconds compared to 26 seconds with the WRT54G alone and 2 seconds over a wired ethernet connection.

When I tried moving the MegaPlug elsewhere in my house, performance decreased. At some outlets, the two adapters could not communicate with each other. I even tried connecting my laptop's ethernet port directly to the MegaPlug, but performance did not improve.

Eventually, I decided that "85 Mbps Ethernet" was not achievable with my house's wiring and that I was better off with my existing WiFi setup.

A few other notes:

1. The ethernet cables that come with the adapters were too short (about 6 feet long) to be useful for me.

2. The Actiontec documentation is brief, since there really isn't a lot of configuration needed with these adapters. Where configuration is advised, however, the manual is just plain wrong. For example, page 17 of the manual references the adapter's "factory default IP address," although Actiontec support explained, "The ethernet adapters have no IP Address and no interface to log into."

3. The Actiontec utility used to set the encryption password omits useful information about adapter performance; you can get more information using Netgear's XE104 Software Utility since both Netgear and Actiontec use the same PowerPacket Utility supplied by Intellon, the maker of the HomePlug chipset used in each product.

In terms of cost compared with performance, in my experience ethernet over powerlines was a poor value compared to WiFi. I had high hopes for the MegaPlug adapters, but their cost vs. performance was abysmal compared to what I was already getting.

In conclusion, I decided to look into comparably-priced WiFi extender/repeater products. I returned the MegaPlugs.