Cisco-Linksys PLS300 PowerLine AV 4-Port Network Adapter

by Cisco

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 10.6 x 9.5 inches ; 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001J2ZSLO
• Item model number: PLS300
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #98 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Network Adapters > Powerline Network Adapters
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

The Powerline AV 4-port Network Adapter lets you easily create a network using the existing electrical outlets in your home. Now you don't have to drill holes in walls and climb through the attic or cellar to install network cables -- just use the wires that already run through the building. The Powerline AV 4-port Network Adapter connects computers, or any other wired Ethernet device.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So far, so good., December 19, 2008

By 

frankd1 (San Carlos, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys PLS300 PowerLine AV 4-Port Network Adapter (Personal Computers)

I can't speak to another reviewer's difficulties with the PLS300, and his interaction with Linksys tech support, but I just installed my new PLS300 in a household filled with four Linksys PLE200 units (Powerline AV wall bricks), and everything is working great so far. I previously updated all the units' respective firmware (available on the Linksys product page for each model), and made sure I used Linksys' utility to change the network password on the PLS300 to what I used on all the other modules, and bam- I was online. I have three more PLS300 on the way (looking forward to consolidating separate PLE200s and mini-switches into a single unit), so I'll be sure to update this review or submit a new one if I encounter any problems as I get them all installed and time elapses. My only gripe is the Linksys utility software... not especially intuitive, and sometimes you can't tell if the changes you made were accepted, but this was a minor issue.

Update- 12/28/08- I now have four of these units installed thrughout my house, and haven't had a single problem installing or using them. It's great cleaning up some of the spaghetti cords, and freeing up a power outlet by combining the previous PowerLine AV brick and separate miniswitch into a single unit. Changing the form factor, where a cord gets plugged in, rather than a brick, is great too, so you can hide the unit, and not have the blinking lights distract you from the TV or whatever (I previously put electrical tape over the brick's LEDs). This site won't let me, but I upgrade my rating to 5 stars.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with existing powerline kit, snap to install, January 20, 2009

By 

R. Fleischman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys PLS300 PowerLine AV 4-Port Network Adapter (Personal Computers)

Added this device as a the third powerline unit on my network which is mixed wireless and powerline. Worked easily and flawlessly thus far with my original existing two powerline units, the one connected to the DSL line on the 1st floor and the second 4-port one in the basement that is bringing me Netflix on demand via Blu-Ray player and live news/weather etc through the HDTV. Wanted to keep the Wi-Fi I already had for walking around the house with a laptop or my Ipod Touch but use the powerline for non-Wi-Fi devices without having to add more Wi-Fi receivers and gain what appears to be greater reliability and speed. Not sure why anyone would conclude that you can't add more powerline units to an existing network.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works better than advertised, February 10, 2010

By 

Bob from LA (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys PLS300 PowerLine AV 4-Port Network Adapter (Personal Computers)

I bought a Linksys PLK300 locally and then bought the PLS300 from Amazon as an extra "brick" in my network. I have five computers in the house, three upstairs and two downstairs. I'd been using a 802.11N wireless system and just having nothing but trouble. The system managed to drop one or more of the computers several times a week, and we'd have to go through a reboot, running up and downstairs to get all the PC's on the same track. The Powerline system fixed all that. It's been in place for about 4 weeks and hasn't dropped a station yet. The data transfer rate is awesome - faster than the N under actual conditions. The 200MB Powerline units are more expensive than the 85MB ones, but worth it. It was even easier to install than I'd expected from reading reviews and product information. The two downstairs computers are wired off one brick, the PLS300 as a matter of fact, and they can both access the Internet simultaneously with no appreciable loss of speed. I'd heard negative stuff in the early days of Powerline - interference, unreliability - but these units work perfectly. They also come with power cords so they don't block the outlet. They are easy to hide and use soft blue indicators, so there are no annoying blinking lights.