Although wireless is grabbing all the headlines these days, there are some other interesting alternatives when networking your home.

The Solwise Powerline ADSL Router 7560A is one such device. Rather than requiring an expensive installation of Ethernet cable, Powerline products use the existing mains power leads to transfer data.

Everything needed is included in the box. The Powerline link is built into the mains adapter and you also get an ADSL filter, Ethernet cable and even a lead for the console serial interface.

The ADSL Router configuration screens are utilitarian in appearance but very thorough. The Quick Start section covers all the information needed to link in with an ADSL connection.

Solwise's products support the Homeplug 1 standard and therefore have a maximum theoretical speed of 14Mbits/sec. In our tests, we achieved an actual throughput of 4.6Mbits/sec, which is about what we expected.

This obviously doesn’t compare well with 802.11g networks, but it’s fine for sharing music, relatively small files and a broadband Internet connection.

We tested it out with Solwise's PL-14PE Ethernet adapters. These are extremely easy to set up without any drivers needed while a utility lets you check the quality of the line.

All traffic over the power lines is encrypted using a password set with this utility. Once this matches the password set on the router, the utility is no longer required; we had the adapter working with a Linux computer without any further setup.

It should be noted that Powerline products are designed to work with a single phase power installation. This means while it is fine for the home, it may not work in businesses where triple phase is far more common.

With throughput similar to that of 802.11b, Solwise’s Powerline range won’t suit everyone, but it’s worth considering if you want a simple network without the hassles of Ethernet cabling or Wifi.

If, however, speed is more important to you, we'd suggest you search out plugs conforming to the new AV standard or equivalent, which have a maximum throughput of 200Mbits/s.