Netgear Powerline Ethernet Adapter (XE602)

Rating:
Summary: It really works!
Review: As an IT professional, I was skeptical like everyone else about this technology. We have a big problem with Wireless reception in the house (especially when using the cordless telephone) so I bought a pair of the Netgear XE602's to extend the DSL access downstairs.

I bought the Netgear over the Linksys after reading a review online showing the performance of a Netgear-to-Netgear powerline network runs circles around one that uses Linksys products.

Well I plugged it in, and it just started working. There is no configuration required-- there are no switches, buttons, knobs, software, or drivers required to make it work. No configuration screens, no clumsy web interfaces, no serial cables. You plug it in to the wall outlet, then plug it into your PC or hub, and that's it. We are getting multi-megabit speeds in a house where Wireless just wasn't reliable.

There is a lot of debate online about household devices that cause interference with Powerline networking. We have four computers, several TV's, air conditioning, etc. and have noticed no problems at all.

The Netgear is bundled with some security software that I haven't looked at. There is a concern that your Powerline network may bleed into your neighbor's house. I'm not too concerned and don't want the complexity anyway.

This is a very attractive alternative to Wireless if you don't need the roaming capability. The Netgear product is stylish, simple, and effective.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!!!! One of the best products this year!
Review: I bought this product recently because i wanted the computer in my basement to have internet access from my cable modem on my second floor. Putting a wire between floors wasn't very practical and wireless networkinf wouldn't work either so when I saw this I was happy but a little skeptical but after buying I realized that it worked great. It's not as fast as a wired network but it gives me speeds of up to 170 k per second downloading. So I can't complain. It was also super easy to hook up you literally just have to plug it in and it works. I have no complaints about this Product it is wonderful. The only thing is that each of the adapter is $ and one is needed for each computer. But I strongly suggest buying this if you need a networking solution.

Rating:
Summary: Works great, anyone can set these up
Review: I got these to complete our home network for sharing a broadband connection. Since I already had ethernet cards on the machines that were upstairs (far from the cable modem) I decided to try these rather than go wireless. You will need at least two of these for them to be of use, I have one on the router and one plugged into a hub where the two remote computers are. If you do not turn on the encryption all you need to do is plug them in and you are done. I have not tried the encryption yet and do not plan to any time soon, so I don't know how difficult is is to set up or how well it works.

The only negative (and this applies to all the current powerline networking items) is they need to plug right into the wall. Given how many plugs a desktop computer needs you will need a surge protector with LOTS of plugs to free up a wall socket.

Also, one word of advice, keep this in a reasonably well ventilated area. I had mine partially covered and it got too hot and stopped working. After I uncovered it and let it cool down for a few minutes it started working again.

Rating:
Summary: Great for XBox and PS2 system link and Internet gaming.
Review: I have three Netgear XE602 adapters; one as the main hub off an Internet broadband router in one room and the other two in other rooms. There's no configuration required. They work right out of the box.

There's an Encryption software included in the package, but it's not necessary. I tried it and it worked well at first. But somewhere down the line, the adapters stopped recognizing each other. So, I uninstalled the Encryption tools and it worked fine since then.

I've used the XE602's to connect two Xbox's located in two separate rooms to play System Linked games. It's much easier than getting two large TV's into one room. Ever played Halo with 8 players? Now you can without cramming 8 screaming people into one room.

The XE602's also work well with broadband Internet gaming. Whenever we had guests, I would move the Playstation 2 and an XE602 downstairs and let them play Socom Navy Seals online. When they left, I simply packed everything up and moved them back upstairs. Quick and easy.

Rating:
Summary: New home netrwork
Review: I just bought a NETGEAR RP614 router to share the ADSL connection to the Internet between several PC's. Two years ago I had purchased one of the wireless products and had extremely slow transfer rates. I have decided to upgrade to a real "wired" network. Now with the new router I am contemplating all the Ethernet wiring that will be needed and it wont be a trivial task. But I just read those articles about using the existing power lines and the Netgear Powerline Ethernet Adapter (XE602) seems to be the solution. So thanks for all the info.

Rating:
Summary: It really works!
Review: I struggled for months with an Intel AnyPoint wireless setup, and read about the new Powerline techology recently. I just had to try it, after only being successful less than one in four times to get a good internet connection with my previous setup using a wireless card. This product allows using ANY standard electrical outlet in the house to get an internet connection. PC or Apple. The setup was flawless, and tech support was wonderful. In fact, the only reason I needed tech support was to set up the NetGear router, which is necesary to interface between the DSL/Cable modem and the system. I highly recommend this product, and cannot say enough about it's simplicity and reliability. Good company-good concept-good product!

Rating:
Summary: Great Product!
Review: I struggled for months with an Intel AnyPoint wireless setup, and read about the new Powerline techology recently. I just had to try it, after only being successful less than one in four times to get a good internet connection with my previous setup using a wireless card. This product allows using ANY standard electrical outlet in the house to get an internet connection. PC or Apple. The setup was flawless, and tech support was wonderful. In fact, the only reason I needed tech support was to set up the NetGear router, which is necesary to interface between the DSL/Cable modem and the system. I highly recommend this product, and cannot say enough about it's simplicity and reliability. Good company-good concept-good product!

Rating:
Summary: Plug and Play if no Encryption need
Review: I works right out of box, (supposed to be that, such as all other brands...Iogear, Linksys, Phonex NeverWire 14, etc.) It also comes with two Ethernet patch cables ( and you only need one, it is good to have extra). It also looks nice with the stand and all the connections (Ethernet port and AC powerline port) are at rear panel. But, you need to install software on computer to have encryption. On the other hand, the Phonex NeverWire 14 uses one button on the device to have the encryption (that is realy really Plug and Play). That is the reason it only got my 4-star.

Rating:
Summary: It just works - right out of the box, networked right away
Review: Okay so I've have a reasonably large house and lots of 2.4Ghz phones floating about. Now I don't know if it was the distance or the phones or sunspots, but wireless networking was a nightmare for me. I picked up the Linksys Ethernet Bridge (WET11), marginal at best, I tried getting another access point other than my Linksys WAP11, no success. So I picked up a pair of XE602s on a whim thinking that they should be able to make things work better - and right out of the box, the worked flawlessly. There isn't much to get wrong, no channels to choose, no software to install, just plug the ethernet cable into a DSL router and plug the power into the wall. On the other end plug the ethernet cable into *anything* that wants ethernet access (like an XBox) and plug the powercable into the wall. Presto - nice high speed connectivity with no pain, no extra searches for 10dbi antennas, no funky encryption to stop WAR drivers (they will need physical access to the power grid, and if they know to get that for your house, you're hosed anyways) - though it does have 56bit DES encryption that can be installed using the softwaer. It just worked.

Design wise its actually good to look at. It sits nicely in with other furniture or can easily be hidden behind a shelf without worrying about adding extra interference to the signal. In a word I love mine and I will be replacing the other WET11s in the house with them. Best $$$ bucks I've spent yet, and the wireless equivalents of these cost a lot more.

Definitely a worth purchase from a company that I have come to use more and more. Now to order that FVS-318N :)

Rating:
Summary: Netgear Equals Superb Service
Review: This holiday season I was a good santa and purchased numerous wireless networking products for my various family members. Sure it was partially a selfish act as I wanted to be able to easily connect when I went to visit, but for the most part it was just an act of giving. I purchased mainly G products and they varied from routers to USB adapters to PC Card adapters. I did also purchase a couple of B products for those in the family that already had some wireless networking products (yes, I know they are backwards compatible but I didn't want to take any chances).

Only two members of the family had installation problems (considering my family is very non-technical I was quite impressed) and those two people both had yet to upgrade to Windows XP SP2. The rest of the family members were up and running within minutes.

As for the couple of family members that did have problems, well they called me first (of course) and I told them to just run back through the installation procedure again. This solved the problem for Uncle Dennis but Grandma Joyce still couldn't get it to work properly. I reluctantly told her to call Netgear's technical support (hey the reviews on Amazon haven't been too pretty for their tech support). I however was quite pleased when an hour later I got an email from Grandma Joyce thanking me for the great gift. I called her back and she told me that after fiddling with the settings with the Netgear people she was up and running within 30 minutes.

Overall, I consider this the ultimate test of product quality and support and I would give Netgear two thumbs up.

I hope this review was helpful to you in putting your mind at ease regarding ease of setup and trust of technical support if needed.