Hands-On with Monster PowerNet
Monster recently sent me a product of theirs called PowerNet
to use and review. I wondered why they felt the need to have a power strip
reviewed to which they replied that PowerNet was not a power strip, but a
powerline network adapter. I played along like I knew what that was and told
them I would be happy to take a look.
Once the items arrived, I read the packaging and learned that powerline networks are a way to get much of the versatility of a wireless network coupled with much of the speed of a wired connection. In a nutshell, it works like this…
Under normal circumstances, your internet connection comes into your home from your internet provider, is sent through a router and then split out to every computer connected to your network, either wirelessly or by an Ethernet cable. Pretty standard stuff.
PowerNet changes the game by taking one of those wired connections off the router and running it through an electrical outlet in your home. The adapter plugs into the wall and an Ethernet cord plugs into the bottom of the unit. From there, your internet connection is carried over the electrical wiring in your house, only to come out of any other outlet connected to the same electrical panel that has another PowerNet adapter.
Pretty cool, but why bother and does it work well?
First of all, while distance and quality of wiring do affect the performance of powerline adapters, their performance in large homes or spanning multiple floors is superior to most wireless connections. This is important any time you may be streaming large amounts of data, particularly video, where losing packets of information has a noticeably negative impact on what you are watching. While it is not as fast as a straight wired connection, you do avoid needing to run wiring through crawlspaces or having it installed in walls. The wires you are utilizing are already in place.
Secondly, while you are still tethered with a cord to a
wall, you do get to roam around to nearly any room with an outlet. For any
extended use of a laptop, you will probably already have the power supply
plugged in, so you are already close enough to use PowerNet.
Third, there is a peace of mind that comes from knowing that your data is safe from people packet-sniffing. If you are able to exclusively use a combination wired and powerline networks, you will be able to turn off your wireless and not need to worry about encryption, keys, and all of the other liabilities and inconveniences of a wireless network.
As to how it performs, I tested PowerNet in my own home to see what kind of download speeds I could get. In my wireless test, I saw a 33% increase in download speed over my wireless G connection when using PowerNet (approximately 12 mb/s and 16 mb/s, respectively).
It also bears mentioning that, though I have not played any FPS online games since the days of Counterstrike, PowerNet would be an ideal way to avoid the lag issues that come from trying to play that kind of game wirelessly. With more and more consoles having internet connectivity for online play, powerline networking and PowerNet could provide a considerable advantage in your next contest.
As for me, I am pretty well smitten with my new ability to set up a fast reliable connection anywhere in my home, with any computer.
PowerNet adapters currently start at $66.52 through Amazon.com
Kendall on November 19, 2009 at 12:44 PM
You say it's a more secure solution - but in theory, even your neighbors might be able to see data packets sent over the power line network if they have similar equipment (I'm not sure what security measures the devices have to ensure pairing within the same network happens). Also, if you have any external plugs in your house (most people do) anyone can plug something in outside and see your network too...
That said, it still is more secure than wireless since someone can't tell just by driving by that you have a network up - and as you note the speed improvements and consistency over wireless is nice. But it would be nice to have more research done on potential drawbacks, especially if neighbors in a house or apartment are using them too (would apartment dwellers have the same issues with interference they do with too many access points around today?).
SSG Jeff (USAR) on November 19, 2009 at 12:51 PM
I was testing a similar device (HomePlug AV, by Innoband) and had consistent throughput through my house. What it apparently won't do is go past the meter - which, if the apartment's electricity is broken out properly, should remove the possibility of neighbors snooping that way. I'm hoping to get to test their wireless product to see how they handle encryption.
As for hooking up to an outside plug... yeah, I suppose, but I hope my rose bush gets him first.
802 is my lucky number on November 19, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Homes will still need wireless for mobile devices, so the applicability of HomePNA and friends is limited.
Bob Clark on November 19, 2009 at 01:07 PM
These kinds of signals won't transmit past the transformer. If your in a sub or appartment with multiple families on the same transformer all bets are off. Could someone with the right kind of equipment pick the signal out of the air, you betcha. Try tuning an amateur (short wave) radio close to a lot of computer/network equipment. Wouldn't be easy for most people but it can be done.
lplimac on November 19, 2009 at 01:17 PM
Did you test it through a extension cord or power strip? If it works in that environment it may be the perfect device for a LAN party.
Eric B on November 19, 2009 at 01:24 PM
Hey Monster: 2002 called
Steve on November 19, 2009 at 01:25 PM
I used a similar Ethernet over Power setup a couple of years ago. Yes, the signal stopped at the circuit breaker box, it did provide about 14 Mbps throughput, and was fairly handy. You end up with the wall adapters, but if that's where you're putting a computer in a spare bedroom, no big deal.
On a larger scale, a local power utility sunk a million or so into using transmission lines to provide broadband to remote homes, but I never heard if the project tested out successfully.
Matt Orme on November 19, 2009 at 01:25 PM
I did not test it with a power strip of any kind, other than the one that was plugged into a PowerNet 200. I assume you want to know if I plugged a PowerNet module into a power strip - I did not.
However, I know that Monster makes a line of power strips that are powerline network compatible, so it can be done. What I don't know is how to determine whether a strip is or is not powerline compatible...
dennymack on November 19, 2009 at 01:38 PM
So, is this a perfect way to get quality sound everywhere in my house for $66 per room, or do I need a computer plugged into every adapter?
Does anyone know of a related product that one could plug an amplifier into, rather than a computer?
That would be bitchin'.
Dennymack
epobirs on November 19, 2009 at 01:54 PM
Regarding power strips: so long as it is just a simple plug strip, it will work. But if it is a surge suppressor intended to protect equipment against electrical events, it will strip out the signals. As noted some companies now offer surge suppressors with unprotected plugs for just this sort of need.
We use powerline adapters with good success in my condo. However, we can see our neighbor's network and could browse their machines until we changed our address range. We know the neighbor in question isn't sophisticated enough to be a problem so long as things aren't overly visible. Most companies bundle encryption utilities with their powerline adapter if you want to keep your network private.
Dennymack, there are dozens of media player boxes on the market that will work fine with powerline adapters. The smallest ones have no local storage, so they're very unobtrusive so long as your network is up to snuff.
MikeM on November 19, 2009 at 03:30 PM
For a couple years, I have been using similar units from Linksys. The neat thing is that you can plug a wireless router into one of the satellite units, I use an Apple Airport Extreme, and now I have wireless in a section of the house where I couldn't get it before.
Sam on November 19, 2009 at 09:35 PM
Dennymack:
Besides a network media player, Apple has two devices that might be worth checking out: Apple Airport Express and Apple TV. They are AirTunes speaker devices, which iTunes (Apple) and AirFoil (Rogue Amoeba) can send audio to.
The Airport Express is a little box that combines an 802.11n firewall router with a fast ethernet port, a USB print server, AirTunes speaker, and a weird combination 3.5mm mini stereo audio jack/optical digital audio jack.
While you can use an Airpot Express audio output by plugging the ethernet port into a HomePlug adapter, AirTunes also works over WiFi, so if you already have a WiFi network, you can get a local ethernet network and audio output without the HomePlug adapter.
willis on November 20, 2009 at 04:31 AM
"Third, there is a peace of mind that comes from knowing that your data is safe from people packet-sniffing."
I think you mean...data are safe. Datum is the singular.
DirtCrashr on December 07, 2009 at 04:20 PM
This would be great for a Tivo in the living room where the router is off in the bedroom.
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