Review: Devolo Dlan 200 Aveasy Starter Kit networking

We’ve looked in the past at plenty of Devolo’s Homeplug networking products.

Unlike conventional network devices, the Homeplug units use the mains power cabling in your home to carry the network information. Instead of stringing network cable all over the house, plug a pair of these into your mains sockets (one into the computer, one into the broadband router) and you’re away.

Homeplug is fairly secure – someone would have to attach to your mains sockets to see the data – but it allows users to password-protect their connections. It’s true that this complicates the process but it’s really not too hard. Still, Devolo’s latest AVEasy starter kit makes it even easier.

Instead of having to set a password, once you’ve plugged these devices into the mains you simply press the security button on each one and they’ll automatically create a secure Homeplug network. You can still set your own password using the supplied software if you prefer, or if you have an existing Homeplug network with its own password.

Transfer speeds were good, however – easily as fast as a good wireless connection, and far easier to set up, as well as being more reliable. There’s not much of a price premium over standard Homeplug adapters, making this an excellent choice for Homeplug newcomers.