Phwoar! Netcomm's 500Mbps powerline adapters promise speed on steroids

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 20 February 2012 15:37

Your IT - Home IT

If you feel the need, the need for speed, the stop watching old Tom Cruise movies, and plug your home's powerlines into Netcomm's 500Mbps-class powerline adapters, complete with AC pass-through, for what promises to be a speedily electrifying experience.

If you've been looking for a way to convert your home's electrical wiring into a high-speed internal network, you're probably already well acquainted with the concept of powerline adapters.

Originally, these devices offered sub 100Mbps speeds, then 300Mbps speeds, but now there's an even faster solution - one that offers 'up to' 500Mbps speeds for the fastest electrical-wiring powered home network possible.

Dubbed the Netcomm NP504 500Mbps Powerline Adapters (with AC pass-through, see end-of-article for a photo), Netcomm says this device 'provides homes and businesses with the capacity to transform existing electrical wiring into a high-performance network capable of supporting today's bandwidth-intensive activities including high-definition streaming, multimedia and online gaming.'

Naturally, Netcomm notes the National Broadband Network rollout, stating that the launch of the NP504 'coincides' with the NBN's rollout, although given the NBN's 10-year rollout timeframe, there's clearly a lot more 'coinciding' to come whenever any networking company releases any new high-speed networking knick-knack, doodad, geegaw, gizmo or powerline adapter.

Naughty nit-picking aside, Netcomm says its adapters are 'user-friendly', which is hardly a surprise given their fundamental plug and play nature, and 'instantly' delivers 'superfast speeds of up to 500Mbps between adapters with plug and play simplicity, and can be used in any available power point' - as long as, presumably, they are on the same circuit, given this has been a limitation for powerline adapters ever since they were invented.

Danny Morrison, the GM of NetComm Wireless states that: 'Users can now maximise the performance and reach of their current broadband connection, and take full advantage of NBN fibre speeds when available.

'With connected devices moving to all areas of the home it's important that a fast and reliable connection can be simply and easily achieved in any room without the need for additional equipment, cables or wiring'.

As to why you'd want to use Netcomm's NP504 powerline adapters when 802.11n networks are now the norm, Netcomm counters that powerline adapters are 'designed to deliver a reliable wireless signal to areas obstructed by concrete walls and complex layouts'.

In addition, we learn that the adapters are 'pre-configured', and offer an AC pass-through feature which does what you'd expect, keeping 'power sockets free for other electrical devices', while being offered in a 'compact form' that 'allows for easy concealment behind furniture'.

There's also technology built within to counter the 'noise interference caused by general household devices', with this tech called 'SmartLink' and promising a 50% noise interference reduction, along with a 'host of power-saving green features'.

The cost is AUD $199 for a 'twin-pack' of two NP504 units, the minimum number of powerline adapters you need to create a powerline network, and they're available at 'most good retailers' now.

Click here for more info at Netcomm's site, while a picture of the NP504s is below.