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Extend your home’s network via your mains wiring
Setting up the dlan 200 is very simple – it really is just plug and play
Homeplug devices such as this allow you to network computers in your home without stringing network cables all over the place – instead they make a network out of the home's mains wiring. It's quite safe, and easy to set up.
There are two adapters in this kit: a small one and a large one. The smaller unit is a standard Homeplug AV adapter, while the larger one is more interesting – instead of the single network socket on the smaller unit, the larger one has three network sockets, which means that you can plug three devices into it. That's especially handy if you have several pieces of kit to connect in one place, otherwise you need three separate Homeplug adapters.
The larger adapter is also a wireless network access point, which is useful if your main wireless network doesn't stretch far enough inside the home. That would mean having two separate wireless networks at home, but that's not a big deal. Usefully, the Devolo one comes with security already set up. If your router doesn't already have wireless network capability this is an easy way to add it – it works with all home wireless network standards, even the newest and fastest 802.11n.
Setting it up was very simple – it really is just plug and play. It worked seamlessly with the Devolo adapters we were already using, and you can use the Devolo software (downloaded from the company's website) to see the whole network and change settings such as security options. The plugs come ready-secured so even if someone else plugs an adapter into your home's sockets they won't be able to get onto your network.
Lights on each unit also show what the status is of each adapter; whether it's connected to the network, for instance. These adapters are also compatible with other (non-Devolo) Homeplug devices, but not with power-line network devices that use the competing UPA/DS2 standard.
At around £100 online this kit is more expensive than a wireless router, but it really does make it easy to extend your home's wired or wireless network.
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Our verdict
A simple and easy way to add new devices to your home network
Great way to connect home computers; easy to use; simple security already set up
Expensive compared with standard wired and wireless networks
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Devolo Invalid IP Configuration
I was impressed by the Computeractive 'Buy it' award for the Devolo Starter Kit. I checked on their website and it looked like the kit for me. Having bought it and installed it, I found that only one PC/Device could connect to the internet at a time. All other PC's gave a 'Invalid IP Configuration' message. Devolo say that I need to buy a router as the Wireless N kit won't work with my single modem which can only issue one valid IP address. I am not in my happy place because nowhere can I find a statement that says the Devolo needs to be connected via a router in order to get the functionality shown on their homepage. If I had known this, then I could simply have bought a wireless router but your final paragraph states that the Devolo is an alternative to a wireless router (which it may be) but what it doesn’t state is that this is only true if you already have a wired router fitted. My problem now is that if I want to keep the flexibility of the Devolo system then I have to pay out even more for a wired router which makes the whole thing look very expensive. :-(
Posted by Martin Hunter, 06 May 2011
same story here
Hi Martin, I have exactly the same story here. I bought the kit thinking it will work, providing a wired internet connection for my desktop and a wireless access point for my laptop. I called the servicedesk in Germany and not to my surprise, the service level was not up to what I expected. Thanks to your post, I know now that I need a router to make the whole thing work. Devolo is a good system but they should have put this important information about router somewhere.
Posted by Lim, 21 Oct 2011
Thinking of purchasing devolo
Hi, I read the comments and was in process of buying the devolo starter kit. I have a Virgin media wireless router where I can also connect via ethernet. Would this work for the sole purpose of using the mains wiring if I have desktop computers in different rooms?
Posted by Praf, 27 Nov 2011