The ultimate in plug-and-play

I get to look at a lot of networking products in my job and although nearly all claim to be easy to use, few actually are, even those aimed at teleworkers and branch offices. But I was sent a product recently that really did work straight out of the box and which made me rethink my attitude to a networking technology that, until that point, I had studiously tried to avoid.

The technology in question is powerline networking, also referred to as HomePlug, where data signals are carried over the AC mains wiring rather than a dedicated UTP network. And the reason I've always avoided it? The innumerable iterations of such systems in the past, all of which have turned out to be slow, unreliable and a general waste of cash.

This latest implementation, however, looks likely to be a lot more successful.

I needed to extend my network up a floor in a hurry, which ruled out cable. Wireless would have been an acceptable, if slow, solution, but would have meant sourcing a wireless bridge or another access point with bridging capabilities, neither of which were readily to hand. I had, though, been sent a Netgear XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch – effectively a four-port Ethernet switch with a three-prong plug on the back. In fact I'd been sent two and, according to the blurb on the box, all I had to do was plug one in downstairs and the other on the floor above to create a network.

Somewhat sceptically that's just what I did and – expletive deleted – it worked. No need to configure anything, I just had to wait for the blue light to appear at each end and – voila – the two switches were bridged over the mains. Moreover, they were connected at a steady 85Mbit/s, which was a lot more than I'd have got from wireless, even the latest draft 802.11n devices.

There are other good reasons beyond the extra bandwidth for choosing powerline instead of wireless. Unlike wireless, for example, security isn't a major problem, unless you believe hackers are prepared to tap into your mains cables or sit around sniffing for radiated wireless signals. Even then, the built-in DES encryption should prevent any sleepless nights. Plus it's ridiculously easy to deploy – the nearest thing to plug-and-play networking you're likely to get.

Now, I'm not suggesting you throw out all your wireless kit in favour of powerline alternatives. For one thing you're limited in the number of nodes that can be supported. But as a means of extending a LAN, joining networks together and for temporary installations, powerline products have a lot to recommend them.
Something I thought I'd never actually say. But there, I've said it.