Billion Homeplug adapter kit

The Billion Homplug AV 200 Ethernet adapter set (model number BiPAC P104), solves one of our biggest frustrations with homeplug adapters – fitting them in wall sockets just above floor level.

The instructions for most adapters recommend plugging them directly into the wall socket and not using the four-gang adapters most of us have for our computers. The problem is that, as most sockets are near the floor, it isn’t possible to fit the adapter in, much less plug in a network cable.

The BiPAC 2071 adapters come with replaceable plugs. You can see here that there is the traditional plug that you would find on most adapters, but by activating a quick-release system it can be removed and replaced with one that works the other way up, giving plenty of clearance when plugged into a normal floor-level socket.

Installation is very simple. Once all the devices are connected to the mains sockets, pressing the Sync button on each device enables the adapters to work as if there is a proper Ethernet connection between them. We also found that after the Sync button had been pressed once, the devices could be disconnected and then plugged in again without you having to go through this step again.

A standby mode helps conserve power and kicks in as soon as the adapters detect that the device plugged into them has been switched off. Billion says the adapters are supported on all versions of Windows from 98 onwards. We also connected to the network with a computer running Linux without any trouble. Billion claims the adapters are more resistant to interference, such as lights being switched on.

In terms of price, we found cheaper and more expensive homeplug kits on the web, but we think the clever plug adapters make the Homplug P104 pack a good buy.