With a powerline adapter you can turn any socket into a network connection. The development is not standing still and Devolo is now praising its latest adapters with a speed of 1200 Mbit/s. Curious if this speed is really tapped?
Devolo dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit
Price:
€ 189.-
Connections:
1x 10/100/1000 network connection (normal adapter) and 2x 10/100/1000 network connection (wifi adapter)
Wireless:
802.11a/b/g/n/ac (simultaneous 2.4 and 5 GHz)
Dimensions:
15.2 x 7.6 x 4 cm (Wi-Fi adapter) and 13 x 6.6 x 4.2 cm (regular adapter)
9 Score 90- Pros
- Built-in power outlet
- ac access point
- Built-in switch
- Clear software
- Negatives
- hefty adapters
The Devolo dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit consists of two large adapters, one of which has a built-in WiFi access point. This access point supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and operates simultaneously on 2.4 and 5 GHz. Both adapters have a built-in socket. It is recommended to connect equipment near the adapter to this outlet. In this way, potential sources of interference are filtered out. The normal adapter has a gigabit network connection, while the adapter with a built-in WiFi access point has two gigabit network connections. Also read: This is how you strengthen the WiFi connection.
The set consists of two large adapters.
Only for grounded socket
An improvement in the previous generation of powerline adapters (600 Mbit/s) was that, in addition to the neutral and phase wire, the ground wire was also used. However, only one pair of wires was used at a time. With the new generation of powerline adapters, which use the Qualcomm Atheros QCA7500 chipset, all three wires can be used simultaneously. This ensures a theoretical speed of 1200 Mbit/s. This theoretical speed is the sum of the speed in two directions, making a theoretical speed of 600 Mbit/s a more realistic number. To take advantage of the adapters, you really need grounded wall sockets. The adapters will work in ungrounded sockets, but then you pay for functionality that you can't use.
Powerline speed
The powerline set has been tested in the same way as previously tested sets. A test condition over one electricity group and a test condition over two electricity groups were used. In practice, the speed of the previous generation of powerline sets with a theoretical speed of 600 Mbit/s over one group was 192 Mbit/s, while a speed of 109 Mbit/s was achieved over two groups. The new adapters are theoretically twice as fast. Still, the test results don't translate into twice the speeds.
The adapters achieved a speed of 267 Mbit/s in one group. In practice, this is the most optimal speed that you can achieve at home and is about 70 Mbit/s faster than the previous generation. The speed over two groups remained at 102 Mbit/s and is therefore about the same as with the previous generation. The adapters have also been tested in a non-representative test condition on one group with two sockets that are close to each other. This set then achieved a speed of 330 Mbit/s.
Thanks to the built-in WiFi access point, you can use wireless internet in your attic, for example.
WiFi speed
The WiFi access point uses two data streams and supports 2.4 and 5 GHz simultaneously. Via 2.4 GHz we achieved a speed of 91.2 Mbit/s. Via 5 GHz this was almost doubled to 175 Mbit/s while we came to 201 Mbit/s via 802.11ac. It's nothing spectacular compared to a powerful ac router, but it's a good improvement over the mainstream 802.11n at 2.4 GHz.
Conclusion
Devolo's dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit is an excellent choice if you want to provide a room in your house without a fixed network connection with a fast wireless network. The powerline adapters are the best we've tested so far. Still, we expected more from this new generation powerline. There is a very big difference between the 1200 Mbit/s on the box and the 267 Mbit/s you get in real life. The WiFi access point performs well and is a very useful addition. This way you can set up a good wireless network anywhere in the house. Only buy the set if you have grounded sockets. If you don't have that, it's better to buy a cheaper 500 or 600 Mbit/s set.
