Customer Reviews

Belkin 200 Mbps Powerline 3-Port Adapter (Black)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This worked better for me than my wireless but wasn't as good has hardwired. I did several test of transferring a 101MB file from one PC to another on my LAN. I had one PC upstairs on my 2nd level and one PC on my ground level. The two outlets I used for the Belkin 200 Mbps Powerline 3-Port Adapter were on a different circuit breaker (I never did do speed test on the same breaker to compare those speeds). When using the Belkin 200 Mbps Powerline 3-Port Adapter it averaged transferring this file across my LAN in around 30 seconds, so around 3.4 MB/s or (27.2 Mbps). The highest transfer speed I saw in my test was 5.0 MB/s (or 40 Mbps). As you can see nowhere near the claimed 200 Mbps. I also tested copying this same file over my wireless network using a linksys wrt54gs router and linksys wpc54gs wireless PCMCIA card. The wireless connection averaged transferring the 101MB file in about 1 minutes 15 seconds, so around 1.3 MB/s (or 10.4 Mbps). The highest transfer speed I saw in my test over wireless was 2.3 MB/s or 18.4 Mbps. When I transferred this 101MB file over a hardwired LAN cable it averaged at about 17 seconds, so around 6.0 MB/s (or 48 Mbps). I forgot to check the highest transfer rate I saw in this test. I also tested copying over a large file of 1.54GB on my LAN with the Belkin 200 Mbps Powerline 3-Port Adapter and did see a better average time with transferring this larger file. I averaged copying this file in 5 minutes and 54 seconds, so about 4.4 MB/s (or 35.2 Mbps). I bought this device to connect to my PS3, and it has worked well for me so far. I also have PS3 Media Server installed on one of my PC's upstairs and it is able to stream video to my PS3 downstairs rather well, something the wireless connection I was using previous to buying the Belkin Adapter struggled with sometimes. I can now stream HD content from my media center PC from upstairs to my PS3. Another big plus is that I didn't have to drill any holes in the walls to run a LAN cable downstairs.

Now I just need to find a use for the CAT6 cable and connectors I bought to run through the walls...

After buying the cable, tools, connectors, etc. to wire up the rest of the house, I figured out just how much drywall and flooring I was going to have pull out. THEN I found these. Sure, I've wasted some money on hardware I may never need, but given the performance of these devices, I'm very happy with the final outcome.

Quite literally plug-n-play!

I used to have to have two separate cable modems in my house since the downstairs isn't wired for phone or cat 5, just cable. We switched to ATT/Uverse and they only have one gateway. instead of running wires from upstairs to a finished basement, I gave this a try. I had heard that you couldn't cross sides in the breaker box. Not true, I am using two circuits on both sides of the box.

So far this hasn't dropped once, was easy to put together and I can't complain.

It's the perfect solution, and saves me money. What more can I ask for.

I know everybody's setup is different, so let me tell you how I'm using the Belkin F5D4075 powerline adapter. I moved my popcorn hour upstairs and couldn't get good wireless connection with the wifi dongle. So, I decided to go with the powerline to stream content to the popcorn hour and also hook up a network connection for Directv on Demand. Below I have listed the Pros, Cons, & Summary.

Pros: Very Easy set up. Took me less than 5 minutes to set up. The two adapters found each other instantly once plugged into separate outlets. Once devices connected via ethernet cable they created ips instantly. So, it played nice with my router and network configuration (ATT DSL, 2Wire modem/router) No software needed on any PCs. 3 network jacks - great for multiple devices. (in my case popcorn A110 and directv HR21, w/ room for one more device). Throughput better than wireless connection. There are also AC plug adapters provided for choice of using plugged to a wall outlet or table mounting and using the extension adapter.

Cons: <80Mbps throughput. Speed constantly fluctuates and depends on content being moved, streamed, etc. For example with bittorrent running on my A110 I can get upwards of 85 Mbps download speed consistently if nothing else is using the network connection. Based on the product manual provide by Belkin, the powerlink indicators on the adaptor are as follows:
Color Blue - Link rate excellent: greater than 60Mbps
Color Magenta - Link rate normal: 30-60Mbps
Color Amber - Link rate low: 0-30Mbps
I get the blue indicator if there is no other activity happening on the network. But, when moving large amounts on files and download lots on content it goes directly to Amber. Or if other users are on the network (i.e. surfing the net) the speed goes to Amber. I haven't witnessed the Magenta color yet.
But at the end of the day, I had no issues/dropouts streaming music, dvd quality videos (not blue ray), and moving files via FTP. Lastly, this is a little pricey factoring there are gigabit models out.

Summary: If you are looking for a bump up from a wireless 54 Mbps connection this might be an option. Again, some factors play into your specific setups performance, router, electrical wires, etc. I am happy with the product in the first week. Next test will be when I hook up a NAS to see if a new configuration makes any difference in its performance. Amazon is always reliable with fast checkout and shipping.

After trying a couple of other gadgets that were supposed serve the same function I nearly gave up. Glad I found the Belkin. It was up and running smoothly in less than five minutes and I've had no problem whatsoever. I love when something works like it's supposed to.

Got this because of the spotty connectivity of my wireless router. This wasn't much better. The unit is on the other side of the house from my server and on a different circuit breaker, (from what I've read on-line, that makes a big difference). I did a bandwidth test the showed 5.3 Mbps throughput. Worse than my wireless.

Why then am I giving it 3 stars and not less? I have three others of this same adapter, (on the same side of the house), that work great, (75 Mbps on one, 100+ on the other two that are on the same circuit).

Pros:
-Works great if on the same circuit breaker or wire run
-A little more secure that wi-fi because no signal is being broadcast
-Easy setup and install

Cons:
-Can have really bad connection speeds depending on where they are connected in the house.

after an hour with the Belkin support on phone, and after testing with 2 devices, Belkin support staff conclude that the device would not work in a house with a circuit breaker,if not on same circuit within the house. In other words, it might work within one room across the room if you're fortunate enough to have the outlets in that room on same breaker. I think for average American home however, this is not a viable product.

Ten thumbs down- what a complete waste of time.

We bought the Belkin Powerline 3 about three weeks ago after trying to download Netflix movies to our TV using our existing wireless connection. Why? Speed of downloads were slow, the movies kept getting interrupted and often disconnected. We bought this product; set it up within 15 minutes with ease and have had it working perfectly since. Highly recommend it for anyone looking to bring a connection to their TV from their computer

I purchased this product in January 2010, but after 7 months the power completely failed on the 3 port unit. I returned everything to Belkin and had to pay shipping. The product was totally defective, but instead of replacing with a similar unit, Belkin chose to replace with a cheaper, less functional unit (no power cords and only one adapter instead of three). Customer support is in India and instead of a one hour call back, it is actually closer to 24 hours. This product is no longer manufactured by Belkin. I am still waiting for a refund. Lifetime warranty is not real.

Great product! Open box, plug adapters in on both rooms, connect Ethernet cables to router in one room, and my blu-Ray player in the other room, and that's it. No installation, no typing in security passcode (automatic 128-bit AES encryption) and nothing else. If all electronics work this way, technology would go even farther than it has. Btw I live in an old house in multiple circuits insides.