TP-Link TL-PA211: Homeplug networking adapter

HomeplugAV is a standard for connecting computers using the mains wiring in people's homes, and the TP-Link TL-PA211 is a networking adapter that conforms to the standard.

It has two advantages over other models: it's small at 9cm tall and 3cm deep, and cheap – available from Amazon, at the time of writing, for £19. There's a mains plug on one side and a network socket on the bottom, and it comes with a short network cable (a longer one would have been very useful).

It came with a clear, small set-up sheet but we didn't have to use that – it really was a case of ‘plug and play'. The product we looked at was a single adapter that's good if you already have an existing Homeplug network, and all we did was plug it into a mains socket, connect the network cable to our test PC, and it worked.

The idea behind the standard is that this device will connect with Homeplug AV devices from any manufacturer, and that was the case here. The adapter worked perfectly even though our other Homeplug devices weren't from TP-Link. The supplied software can be used to set security for the network to prevent unauthorised access.

If you're starting out, the device is available as a two-adapter kit, but as it is the TL-PA211 is a great value way to expand an existing Homeplug AV network.