Devolo & Solwise HomePlug kits

Testing

This is the second generation of the dLAN kit, rated at a theoretical 85Mbit/sec, which is a major improvement over the 14Mbit/sec previous generation products. This means performance should lie somewhere in between that of a 54Mbit/sec wireless solution and a 100Mbit/sec LAN. Experience dictates there is often a large difference between theory and practice though.

To test these systems, we used two Centrino based notebooks and a Buffalo Airstation G54, which is a combined switch and wireless access point. We then used the opensource tool Iometer to measure performance in several different scenarios.

We plugged one of the plugs into the mains, then used ethernet to connect that to our Centrino notebook. We then plugged the other one in to the mains and connected up our other notebook using ethernet, then transferred files between them.

We found that the Devolo kit managed a transfer of around 3.75MB/s, which equates to 30Mbit/s. This isn't really as good as the claimed 85Mbit/s. We then tried the Solwise kit, and managed to get 6MB/s, which is 48Mbit/s - rather better!

However, we then plugged the Devolo kit back in and found that we got 48Mbit/s! This is a testament to the variable nature of Ethernet over power technology. We have a lot of equipment running in our office, and all it takes is one unit to cause interference to lower speeds.

Value

The Solwise and the Devolo are basically the same kit, packaged differently. However, there is quite a big price difference between the two. The Devolo retails for £100 at Amazon, whereas you can pick up two of the Solwise adaptors for £37 each, that's £74. Given that they're the same thing, you'd be mad not to save yourself the £25.

Thoughts

At the end of the day, 48Mbit/s is more than enough for both Internet use, as well as file sharing and more consistent that you are likely to get from wireless.

Performance is a little lower than we would have expected and is certainly not out to replace traditional cabling, but the two kits do offer the same reliability of transfer. There are also no issues of reception and it can in theory travel up to 200m, which is pretty much any power outlet in your house.

Add to this the fact that you're not going to have to muck about with MAC address filtering, hiding your SSID or go through the trials and tribulations of WEP and WPA keys, and it's clear that this will be an attractive proposition for the non-techie home user.

We think this is a wonderful piece of technology that is incredibly simple to use. For a lot of people this will be worth considering as an alternative to wireless or tiresome cabling.

Check out more of Andrew Miller's writing over at TrustedReviews.