Netgear XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapter

by Netgear

Product Details

Product Manual [1.52mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008I9KJ
• Item model number: XE102
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #37 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Network Adapters > Powerline Network Adapters
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 5, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Turns Any Electrical Outlet into a Home Network Connection
For a truly simple way to bring the Internet to any room in your home, look no further than Netgear's Wall-Plugged Ethernet Bridge. It plugs into an electrical outlet and uses your existing electrical wiring to give your entire household access to your Cable/DSL connection. With no expensive new wiring or cabling to install, your family can surf the Web, participate in online gaming, send and receive e-mail, and share files and printers, all from different rooms at the same time. Uncomplicated and very quick to install, it plugs right into a wall outlet, reducing clutter and saving valuable desk space. Designed for ease of use, it has new, easy-to-read icon LEDs, and protects your network communications from eavesdroppers and hackers, while not increasing your electricity bill. Effortless
Networks your PCs and shares a Cable/DSL Internet connection using existing 110V electrical outlets in your home. Automatic rate adaption chooses the best data rate depending on the level of interference caused by other electrical appliances. Compatible with 10 Mbps or 10/100 Mbps Ethernet products, and it also works seamlessly with NETGEAR Cable/DSL routers. Ideal
Boasts Ethernet-like data rates of up to 14 Mbps. Works across multiple phases and circuit breakers to provide complete coverage in your home. Ensures privacy and security over the Powerline network with 56-Bit Data Encryption Standard (DES). Conventional
Saves both time and money, since there's no expensive new wiring to install or modify. Plugs directly into your wall outlets, preserving valuable desk space, and works with two and three-prong standard 110 volt electrical outlets. Allows you to remotely connect popular gaming consoles to your cable/DSL Internet connection, and features distinctive status LEDs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relief from spotty wireless speed is finally here, January 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Netgear XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapter (Personal Computers)

I have been a huge fan of wireless for a few years now. The flexibility of going anywhere with my laptop and still being connected was great. However, I have been performing a lot of remote work which requires heavy duty two-way processing of X-window and Java traffic. I stared to notice severe bottlenecks in the throughput. I tried expanding my wireless network by getting better antennas and enhancers with no luck. I tried to have a WEBEX demonstration and the results were not good.

I then started looking at the cost of having someone wire my entire house. The expense of this was staggering. Finally, I stumbled onto what I now consider the best option that you can have for a true HOME network. The XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapter from Netgear is my answer. It turns any electrical outlet in your home into a access point into your network and grants you access to the Internet through your cable modem, dsl or dial up.

This device is ten times faster than wireless in my observations. It requires a minimum of two devices (one plugged into a wall outlet by your internet access point and one anyplace in you house where you want to connect). I was so pleased with the speed of this that I even tried the WEBEX demonstration again, IT WORKED GREAT.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised., December 23, 2003

By 

Davis Roth (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netgear XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapter (Personal Computers)

here's what you want to know:

i connected a netgear cable/dsl router into the XE102, and then
connected 4 more XE102 adapters across my house to share the
internet connection on laptops i have.

my house is about 40 years old. the electrical wiring has never
been changed (or repaired).

all the devices connected at 10mbps, short of the 14mpbs
promised, but still very good considering.

in a sustained transfer of a 533MB file from my server to my
laptops, each laptop pulled it in anywhere from 500K-550K/sec,
or 5 to 5.5mbps. it would take roughly 15 minutes per machine
to receive the whole file.

internet transfers showed no signs of a slow connection. i
played 'savage' (an online first person shooting game) with no
lag. i downloaded the demo from download.com at about 195k/sec,
which is nothing to laugh at.

setup was easy for my comcast connection. it took more time to
get the router to talk to comcast's dhcp server than anything.

the XE102's are truly plug and play, but make sure you enable
encryption when you're done setting up.

i give the product 4/5 only because there is no doubt room for
an improvement in sustained transfer speeds, although, again, i
am more than happy with 5 - 5.5mbps , especially since most of
the files being transfered in my home are 3mb or so MP3s from
the server to my laptops, which would take approximately 3
seconds to move. not bad for 40 year old wiring!

if cabling cat5 is impractical, and wireless has too much
interference or too much open space, i'd definitely recommend
the XE102 for a reliable wire-based connection.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secure and Easy to Set up, November 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Netgear XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapter (Personal Computers)

I got two of these adapters to extend my broadband internet connection to another room in the house. Wireless encryption was too much trouble to set up and I worried about security issues without it. Using the XE102's encryption software was easy and now I don't have to worry about people "sniffing" around my house for a wireless connection.

Since I don't have phone jacks in the room where I needed the network connection, I couldn't use a phone line network adapter. The XE102 is perfect because I have lots of AC outlets in every room. Not only that, I don't have to deal with reception dead spots like with a wireless system.

With my XE102s about as far apart as I can get them in my house (~50 ft) I get a 12 - 14Mbps connection speed. I'm very happy with this system.