Devolo DLan 200 AV Wireless G Starter Kit

Wireless networks are ideal for sharing internet access around the house, but there are often places where the signal from a single router just won’t reach. There are many ways to extend a wireless network, and this kit from Devolo is one of the simplest we’ve seen.

The kit includes a wireless router with built-in Homeplug networking, a small Homeplug unit and an Ethernet cable. Setting the whole thing up is easy: we plugged the router in at one end of the house, hooked up the Homeplug adapter to our main wireless router using the Ethernet cable, then plugged it in nearby. By the time we got back to the router, it was connected, providing an unencrypted wireless network with internet access via the remote Homeplug.

So far, so good, but we wouldn’t recommend anyone to leave their network in such an insecure state. Securing the Homeplug link is simple enough, requiring you to press a button on the router and Homeplug within a few minutes of each other.

Adding wireless encryption isn’t much harder. Devolo includes a CD with utilities to track down its router on the network and open the configuration interface, but anyone with a basic understanding of networks will be able to tap the right address into a web browser and get going straight away.

The web configuration interface is pleasantly simple, with a few key options on every page, and it doesn’t take long to password-protect both the router and the wireless network (Wep, WPA and WPA2 are supported).

At around £140, this kit isn’t cheap, but you could easily spend £80 on a similar Homeplug link and £50 on a wireless router, so you’re only paying £10 or so for a neater, easier solution.