ZyXEL PLA470 HomePlug AV Powerline Switch $40 + shipping from Newegg

[cyberia]

This looks like a great deal for a powerline adapter. You will need at least two to make a network. Considering that this is a 4-port switch, it makes a great solution for a remote location in your house/office where you have more than one networked device.

ZyXEL PLA470 HomePlug AV Powerline Switch

 

[MAG1969]

Awesome deal! I was into the powerline when is was 14Mbps this thing is 200Mbps.

 

[Toasthead]

all of the customer review say it was paired with the 400 model thats like 80 bucks. Are you sure you can use to of these together?

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: Toasthead
all of the customer review say it was paired with the 400 model thats like 80 bucks. Are you sure you can use to of these together?

I was wondering that myself and even skimmed the manual. I did not see anything that *explicitly* said you could. But the manual talks about ALL 4xx models in general, so I had to assume they are all interchangeable.

Then I gave it a bit more thought and convinced myself that there should be no reason why you couldn't use two of them. They are NOT routers. All this model does is give you extra ports. It does NOT assume a role of a "master" device.

I may be dead wrong in my assumption. So, if anyone has a better understanding of this technology, please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Binky]

From what I can tell, all "Homeplug AV" units *should* be compatible. It's also possible for Homeplug 1.0 to be compatible with Homeplug AV, but the vendor may have to enable that through drivers/firmware. Various vendors have the Homeplug AV adaptors for $45-$80 each.

It's not clear if they allow two PLA-407 units to talk to each other. They could be designed with a master/slave relationship and two masters might not work...who knows?

Another option to the OP unit is the ZyXEL NBG-318S, which is a router/homeplug/wireless unit that is being sold on ebay from multiple vendors for about $45 shipped. The end adaptors are the same (e.g. PLA-400).

Edit: Free shipping may be dead.

 

[JBT]

For $40 why not just get two of these rather than the PL-400 which costs twice as much?

At any rate. I have some Older Netgear PowerLine adapters rated for 80mbps I get alot close to ~ 20 mbps though. I do like them alot more than wireless though...

 

[yuchai]

Gonna take the plunge and buy two and see how this works. Still slightly nervous about all the reviews talking about pairing with a PL-400, but I can't see why you can't pair two of these together as well.

Thanks OP.

 

[cyberia]

I think the reviews pair these with 400s because there must have been a retail kit with both. Please let us know how it works for you.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

curious to hear people experiences

 

[Engineer]

Click me!

Looks like you can set two of ANY of the Homeplug stuff up by pressing the Encrypt button for 2 seconds on the first unit and then, within 120 seconds, pressing the Encrypt button on the 2nd unit.

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Setup guide.

Looks like you can set two of ANY of the Homeplug stuff up by pressing the Encrypt button for 2 seconds on the first unit and then, within 120 seconds, pressing the Encrypt button on the 2nd unit.

Fixed link.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: Engineer
Setup guide.

Looks like you can set two of ANY of the Homeplug stuff up by pressing the Encrypt button for 2 seconds on the first unit and then, within 120 seconds, pressing the Encrypt button on the 2nd unit.

Fixed link.

oops...missed the FTP part. Thanks!

I'm tempted to call them up and see if I can get two on free shipping...I just love powerline stuff!

 

[imported_browsing]

This seems almost like too simple a question about the quick start guide, but would I have to leave the computer turned on that is connected to the same side as the internet gateway for it to transmit and extend the network to the other side or is that just for one time startup?

 

[cyberia]

Once configured, a pair (or more) of powerline adapters will create a "persistent" network regardless of whether any clients are connected to it.

 

[CupCak3]

Was there free shipping previously on these?

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: CupCak3
Was there free shipping previously on these?

I don't believe so. I think it was like $6 for one and about $8 for two for me.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: CupCak3
Was there free shipping previously on these?

I don't believe so. I think it was like $6 for one and about $8 for two for me.

Then you should change the title to $40 plus shipping.

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: CupCak3
Was there free shipping previously on these?

I don't believe so. I think it was like $6 for one and about $8 for two for me.

Then you should change the title to $40 plus shipping.

True.

 

[cyberia]

I have a question: I have standard "two outlets per wall plate" outlets. I understand that you can't plug in powerline adapters into surge protectors. BUT... Can you plug in an adapter into an outlet when a surge protector is connected into the second outlet on the same wall plate?

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: cyberia
I have a question: I have standard "two outlets per wall plate" outlets. I understand that you can't plug in powerline adapters into surge protectors. BUT... Can you plug in an adapter into an outlet when a surge protector is connected into the second outlet on the same wall plate?

Yes.

Something interesting about most homes that many people don't know about is the two separate 120V circuits entering the house (that's how the 240V is formed). When plugging powerline network products into various parts of the home, it's possible to have one on 120V circuit #1 while having the 2nd unit on the circuit #2, causing very poor connections. It's a good idea to try different outlets if experiencing problems.

One sure fire way to see if it's an outlet issue is to turn on the oven or clothes dryer (assuming either is electric) and see if the signal connection gets better. The clothes dryer or oven elements act as a bridge between the two 120V circuits.

You can also place a small 1microfarad capacitor between the two 120V branches in the breaker box but I've always been afraid to try that!

 

[DJMiggy]

Just got off the phone with ZyXEL techsupport. You can use two of these together! Hope this helps all of you!

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: DJMiggy
Just got off the phone with ZyXEL techsupport. You can use two of these together! Hope this helps all of you!

Thank you for confirming this. I also noticed a new review on newegg that was posted yesterday:

I bought 2 of these and plugged one into an extra ethernet port on my router and the second one to my xbox360 (downstairs and across the house) and it worked immediately.

 

[Engineer]

Still thinking about buying this. Don't necessarily need, but would like to have. NEED Free Shipping though!

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Still thinking about buying this. Don't necessarily need, but would like to have. NEED Free Shipping though!

I am in the same boat. I even manufactured a "need": I found a way to refactor my whole media center/extender setup to make use of the powerline adapters instead of Wi-Fi.

Something tells me I am looking for trouble.

 

[foohbah]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Still thinking about buying this. Don't necessarily need, but would like to have. NEED Free Shipping though!

I bit for 4 so the $10 or so shipping to MA didn't hurt so much. They arrived the next day - yay egg!

Plugged them all in to a single power board and they all synced up nicely. Currently using three of them - I don't need the 10/100 ports but these were half the price of the equivalent single port wall wart - so far this is looking like a pretty good deal to me - and I have a spare if/when one blows up. Yes, I have wireless all over my house, but for streaming media, these work much, much better for me. Thanks OP!

Only downside is that they get warm if standing flat as the manufacturer intended - all the venting is at the sides where it's relatively useless IMHO, so I'm standing mine vertically - hot air rises and draws cold air in like a stove pipe - they're barely warm to the touch that way...