Power socket networks

The second Homeplug is then plugged into a power socket in the bedroom and is connected to your computer with another short network cable.

The internet connection is then fed from the router into the first Homeplug adapter in the front room and travels through the mains wiring to the second Homeplug in the bedroom and then straight into the PC. You’re still using network cables, of course, but you have only a single, short cable in each room, rather than having a long cable that runs all the way from one room to another.

The network can be extended by buying more power socket adapters for other devices to plug into. It is worth mentioning that most companies have their own brand names for their Homeplug products, such as Netgear’s Powerline range.

Power products
We tested some of Netgear’s Powerline XE102 adapters, and found them very easy to install and use – they certainly solved the problem we were having with the wireless dead spot in our office. You can get similar adapters from other companies, such as the PL-14PE from Solwise.

Both products cost about £25 and provide data transfer speeds of 14Mbits/sec. Most home users only have broadband connections running at 2Mbits/sec so these HomePlug devices will be more than adequate for most of us.

However, if you have signed up for really fast broadband – such as Sky’s new 16Mbits/sec service – you can get even faster Homeplug adapters that run at 85Mbits/sec, although these are designed for future use with services such as video-on-demand, where we’ll be downloading enormous video files.

The 85Mbits/sec products include the PL-100 from Zyxel (twin-pack for £95 from www.dabs.com), or the Solwise PL-85E (£39). We also liked Netgear’s XE104, which is a little more expensive at about £56, but has four network connectors built into it so you can hook up four PCs or games consoles for multiplayer games, or quickly create an office network for a small business.

A good place to compare prices is www.homeplugs.co.uk, an online store that specialises in Homeplug equipment.

Home truths
It was once suggested that the network data sent through your mains power system would be counted by your electricity meter, resulting in huge electric bills. This is not true, but there is a remote possibility that a number of flats in a block could be on the same mains ‘loop’, leaving open the possibility that your neighbours could piggyback your internet connection.

However, the same risk is present with wireless networking and, like all good networking equipment, Homeplug devices will allow you to set a password so that you can prevent unauthorised access to the network.

We found the adapters worked even when plugged into extension sockets, although some manufacturers don’t recommend this. Admittedly, Homeplug devices are a little more expensive than conventional wired or wireless network products, but in many cases they are more convenient to set up and can even extend your home network into places where wireless networks can’t reach.