Customer Reviews

ZyXEL PLA401 200 Mbps Powerline HomePlug AV Wall-plug Adapter (Starter Kit--2 units)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As all the other reviews say, this is very easy to set up and works great. No software to install, just plug it in and you are good.

It does not work from a power strip though.

Here's the WARNING. Because you can't run these via powerstrip, they are directly plugged into your wall and then your computer(s). I happen to have my network on a wireless router, so the "in" signal for the ZyXEL was coming from the router.

Well, there was a powersurge yesterday sometime and because there was no power strip/surge protector to stop it - the serge went through the Cat5 cable from the ZyXEL and DESTROYED my $200 router.

I'm looking into a Cat5 surge protector, but just wanted warn everyone that this can happen. If not in use, I recommend unplugging the cables from your computer(s) and router.

The system itself works great, but I had to take off the stars because it cost my family an extra $200 to replace the router.

I am surprise they make the networking box looks so nice. And most importantly, it works like a charm.

I plugged one adapter to the DSL router and one adapter to one of the rooms upstairs where I just cannot get wireless signal. The connection speed is really fast, I can access the shared file folder from computer downstairs like I was directly connect to it with network cable.

I've been using 2 PLA401s to extend by home network and cut down on the wifi traffic for about 6 weeks. For the first 4 weeks the units worked great, about 2 weeks ago one started intermittently failing. It's to the point that if I unplug one of the units I can plug it back in and it works for about 2 minutes before failing. It appears to be an issue with overheating. I've contacted customer support but gotten no response at this point. For now I've removed the case on the unit that was failing, this has allowed it to work for about a day now. The case only has a few slots on one side, it does not appear to have good airflow through the device.

I was a little dubious at first since I've used WiFi in my house for a while but I wanted to try homeplug anyway. It works great! I used to have a dead spot where WiFi didn't reach downstairs in my wife's office, but the homeplug covers the area fine. Speed is surprisingly good. I wish the units were a little smaller but most of the plugs in my house are hidden by furniture so its OK.

Got the ZyXEL PLA401 powerline network kit today, and so far it's working great.

I purchased it to connect my Windows Vista Media Center PC to a Linksys DMA2100 Media Center Extender on another floor. I'm able to get both SD and HD recorded and live, once I tweaked the powerline Ethernet adapters a bit.

Some tips:

- The ZyXEL 401s do not seem to like to be plugged in alongside a wall wart type adapter. I had the ZyXEL plugged directly into the wall, and a wall wart in the other socket, and my network bandwidth was poor to moderate. I removed the wall wart, and the bandwidth improved dramatically.

- Although I've seen lots of people suggest that you can't use these with a surge protector, the powerline adapter I have connected to the hub nearest my media center PC is plugged into a surge protector, and it works fine. Not sure whether it would be acceptable if I had both adapters going through a surge protector, but at least this way I have the more expensive equipment protected from surges.

- If you're having trouble with responsiveness of the extender interface, it's very likely that this is network-related. While the UI on my 2100 still isn't quite as responsive as my Media Center box, it's MUCH better now that I have adequate bandwidth.

- If you decide to use the utility shipped with the units to turn on encryption, you may want to plug each unit into a hub connected to the PC on which you run that utility, rather than trying to configure one end remotely. If you type the wrong key in when you're configuring the remote adapter, you'll end up having to go get it and hook it up locally anyway.

I would definitely recommend this to folks who want to extend their networks to another part of the house when wireless just isn't quite cutting it. My only caveat would be that I live in a fairly new (<15 years) house, so if you're in an older house or apartment, your results might or might not be as good as mine, depending on the condition of your wiring.

If you do not need or want the encryption, these adapters are truly plug and play...you just plug in the network cables, plug the adapters into the wall, and give the units a few minutes to establish a connection, and you're done.

I've had these for three weeks now, and they work very well. I just plugged them in and they immediately were on my network - no config required. I haven't done any speed tests other than internet bandwidth tests where they score the same as devices plugged directly into my router.

I added a third unit to my network. This one occasionally looses sync with the others. If I plug it into the same outlet with one of the other units, it re-syncs and is good to go.

True definition of plug and play. I used these to connect my AppleTV (now after the upgrade that that is worth connecting) in seconds. I didn't want to use wireless (too slow) and I didn't want to pull category 5 cable through my attic and walls. Solution, plug into my router and in the wall behind my AppleTV. It was done that fast and fast it is. I really recommend this huge time saver solution.

I live in a house from the 1940's that has something like 16 breakers in it with no grounds. I was expecting this to not work, but because the house was built with concrete walls, wireless was out of the question. So I took a chance and was surprised at how well it worked. Like others have said, you just plug it in, and it works. The speeds are great for most tasks and can handle my full 6mbs Internet bandwith with a low latency. Great! PC to PC transfers are as fast or a little faster than wireless but not faster than a good wired connection.

They are a bit pricey and bulky, but for a product this simple to install, it's money well spent.

I purchased these because I wanted to add to a ZyXEL 318s-Kit I bought a few months ago. They added on nicely with not much effort. If you are adding to an existing kit like me, be sure to add them via the web portal if you are not using the default network name. The only problem I encountered was with the 318 router. When using with more than one other adapter, the router must be at the modem in order to get Internet (unless you use a second router.) If you are using these with no other adapters you should have no problems at all as long as your house wiring is modern. Avoid using a surge protector or power strip. Just plug them in the wall and go.

I bought this to send the signal from my U-Verse Residential Gateway to the U-Verse box and tv. It was much easier than running wires through the wall. Setup was easy, I just plugged each one into an outlet and connected the ethernet cables. They automatically detected each other and started transmitting. We have had 2 instances when the signal stopped, but unplugging one unit and replugging it in restored the connection.