Powerline Adapters
Over the last decade or so, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of devices connecting to the home network. The popularity of IoT has meant that even devices that are not mobile require communication over the Internet, but, their placement might be far away from the primary router in the house. Given this situation, it is essential to find a reliable way to extend the reach of the home network. There have been many attempts to come up with a standardized way to do it, but consumers have been forced to use range extenders, powerline networking kits and the like to increase the reach of their home networks. Given the multitude of available options, what underlying technology should consumers look for...
Comtrend PG-9172 Powerline Adapter Review: G.hn Gets Primed for Retail Push
The battle between HomePlug and HomeGrid to emerge as the de-facto powerline networking standard was quite interesting between 2010 and 2013. However, despite silicon getting demonstrated at various trade...
49 by Ganesh T S on 5/3/2016Netgear Updates Networking Lineup at CES
Netgear's flagship router - the Nighthawk X8 (R8500) - was launched in October. At CES, Netgear took the opportunity to upgrade the Nighthawk X4 line. Interestingly, the original X4...
6 by Ganesh T S on 1/10/2016Blossom Smart Watering Controller Review
Home automation has garnered renewed attention, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. Many vendors targeting this market look to deliver solutions for aspects appealing to a broader...
47 by Ganesh T S on 8/28/2015TRENDnet's Networking Solutions at CES 2015
We made our annual customary visit to TRENDnet's suite at CES 2015. Just like last year, TRENDnet has put faith in the latest chipsets from Qualcomm Atheros, be it...
4 by Ganesh T S on 1/14/2015ZyXEL Launches SISO and MIMO HPAV2-based Gigabit Powerline Adapters
Last year, we saw the introduction of HomePlug AV2 (HPAV2) silicon from both Broadcom and Qualcomm Atheros. In conformance with the usual product development cycle, we saw the announcement...
8 by Ganesh T S on 8/28/2014Powerline Networking - End of the Road for G.hn?
I have been making it a point to catch up on the state of the powerline networking industry every CES, and this year was no different. In 2013, I...
29 by Ganesh T S on 1/17/2014Qualcomm Atheros Introduces QCA7500 HPAV2 Powerline Solution with MIMO Capabilities
In October 2012, Qualcomm Atheros introduced their first HomePlug AV2 (HPAV2) solution in the form of the QCA7450/AR1540 chipset. It did boast of theoretical speeds up to 500 Mbps...
10 by Ganesh T S on 10/21/2013G.hn and HomePlug Head for Showdown
It has been a while since we covered PLC (powerline communication) technology here, but we took the opportunity to check up on the latest and greatest in the area...
5 by Ganesh T S on 1/14/2013Netgear Selects Broadcom HPAV Solution for Powerline Products
HomePlug and G.hn are tussling it out to emerge as the de-facto powerline standard, but HomePlug has enjoyed a lot of success as the incumbent. In the North American...
4 by Ganesh T S on 1/7/2013G.hn Gains Momentum with Marvell Silicon
We have covered the powerline networking battle between HomePlug and HomeGrid in a lot of earlier pieces. With demonstration of working silicon at CES 2011, G.hn finally emerged from...
11 by Ganesh T S on 9/27/2011Hands-On Powerline Networking: How Well (Or Not) Are Latest-Generation Devices Working?
Call me a Luddite, but I've always found the whole idea of setting up a dedicated wired connection just to get an AC-powered gadget connected to the network to...
53 by Brian Dipert on 9/1/2011Sigma Designs Skini Platform: Home Convergence using Hybrid STBs
While smartphones are bringing about the personal convergence revolution, there is still a battle going on to determine the convergence product at the residential level. Sigma Designs, through various...
9 by Ganesh T S on 6/20/2011G.hn Silicon Emerges from Vaporware Territory
Powerline networking products are quite popular in the European and Asian markets compared to the US. The Western Digital Livewire product was the first powerline product reviewed by AnandTech...
19 by Ganesh T S on 2/2/2011Netgear AV Series Set for Expansion
The first half of 2010 saw Netgear get started on their AV Series product line. Their intent was to create a set of products to enhance the consumer's home...
27 by Ganesh T S on 8/25/2010Powerline Networking with the Western Digital Livewire
Almost all CE devices sold in the market today have some sort of connection to the Internet as well as the home network. The consumers' need to transfer data...
32 by Ganesh T S on 8/24/2010