Entered CNET Catalog: 01/25/2003
SKU: XE602
Manufacturer: NetGear Inc.
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Manufacturer description
No new wires - that's what NETGEAR's Powerline means to you. Powerline uses what's already there - your home's electrical outlets. Completely network your home by plugging in to the existing electrical outlets in every room, and then by plugging in to an available Ethernet port on your PC. Easily extend an existing Ethernet network to PCs in other rooms to maximize the use of all your peripherals. When combined with a Cable/DSL router, XE602 Powerline Ethernet Adapter makes high-speed Cable or DSL connection available at every outlet, in every room in your home. The Powerline network can be used to compliment your wireless network to provide network connection to the furthest reaches of your home. With a sleek and attractive silver casing, the XE602 complements your living environment and sports NETGEAR's new, easy-to-read icons.Product summary
The good: Totally painless setup; sleek, silver design; includes accessories for freestanding or wall-mount operation; excellent phone support.
The bad: Pricey compared to other networking technologies.
The bottom line: The XE602 is a flexible choice for home users without Ethernet or phone wiring in every room.
Average user rating: from 8 users
3.5 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: Yes
- Reviewed on: 11/11/2002
Painless setup
Costing between $80 and $100 each (you need at least two to network), the Netgear XE602 bridge is a bit pricier than Wi-Fi, HomePNA, or Ethernet, but it's painless to install. Plug one end into your PC's Ethernet port or a router, the other into a standard 110V power socket, and you're ready to go. The device fakes out your PC or router into thinking it's plugged into an Ethernet port. It also automatically handles any interference on the line from "noisy" appliances such as hair dryers or air conditioners. And the slender XE602 box even comes with a wall-mounting kit and a desk stand to keep things tidy.
Safety in the home
In a standalone house, where network security isn't an issue, the installation is driverless; you just plug in and play with Macs, PCs, and devices such as Internet radios, routers, and the Xbox. Netgear provides a clear and well-illustrated installation guide, and it uses Windows' home-networking wizards to handle the operating system settings. However, in shared housing where you want to encrypt your network signals, you need to install and run a 56-bit DES encryption program that plants a password of your choice in the adapter. You pick a password comprising between 4 and 24 characters, which is then transferred to the XE602. At this point, the adapter will communicate with only other adapters with that password.
The power of power line
The adapter performed better in CNET Labs' tests than expected, though it was still far below the theoretical 14Mbps maximum for these devices. In our tests, the XE602 responded to network HP. But the real test of its practical use--data throughput--was more encouraging; it peaked at 6.1Mbps (averaging 5.2Mbps) and outstripped the competing Linksys Instant PowerLine USB adapter and several Wi-Fi devices. Certainly, electrical conditions such as noise and transients can affect the performance of these devices, but even in our unfavorable setting, it responded well. In our test house (a three-story, 70-year-old home with three wall air conditioners cutting in and out in the heat of summer), the signal didn't suffer the kind of range and interference issues that we've seen in Wi-Fi networks.
Netgear backs its adapter with a satisfactory two-year warranty, and free, toll-free technical support is available 24/7 for the life of the product. The Web site also offers installation guides, FAQs, and downloads.
Its simple installation and excellent performance make the Netgear XE602 Powerline Ethernet adapter a front-runner in the race for power-line adoption. But because prices are still a bit high, we don't see this technology replacing Wi-Fi anytime soon.
| Chariot throughput tests Measured in Mbps (longer bars indicate better performance) | ||||||||||||||
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| Response time Measured in milliseconds (shorter bars indicate better performance) | ||||||||||||||
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The Netgear XE602 Powerline Ethernet adapter delivered the best throughput of all the power-line products we've tested. It also managed to best wireless 802.11b gateways from Intel and HP.
For practical throughput tests, CNET Labs uses NetIQ's Chariot software as our benchmark. For our wireless testing, the clients and routers are set up to transmit at short ranges and maximum signal strength. CNET Labs also runs Chariot software using the TCP protocol in response-time tests. Response time measures how long it takes to send a request and receive a response over a network connection. Throughput and response time are probably the two most important indicators of user experience over a network. |
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Slow with non-existant support
Pros: Easy to hook up for one computer and no security. It does actually work.
Cons: Degraded my cable internet speed from 2.8Mps to .4Mps. Setting a network password disables the system completely. There is NO, NONE, NADA, support for this product. You spend 10 minutes navigating a series of phone menus and then they hang up on you -
Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Works great with 4 computers and windows
Pros: used it in an old house.. that still has nob and tube wiring in it.... went thru everything to get to the 4 computers... will be glad to see how this technology develops
Cons:
Review:
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Will disturb shortwave listening?
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Seems to be a great product, but will the unit disturb my shortwave listening? Anyone having experience by EMI radiation? I'm a DX'er and VERY concerned as the XE602's modulation frequencies from 4 to 20 MHz are located within the shortwave radio spectrum. And all electrical power line wires in my home are unscreened.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 8 user reviews
The way technology ought to work
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Plug it in, connect it to your computer, and it works! One unit is connected directly to my Netgear RT314 Router, and the other goes with my laptop, which I have now used in several different rooms, and it has worked perfectly from every location. Internet pages load as fast or faster than on my desktop, which is connected directly to the router. Way to go Netgear!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Easy set up and works great!
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Cons:
Review: We are very happy with our Netgear Powerline set up with a cable modem. We got the netgear router RP614, too. It was very easy for us technophobics to set up and use. It worked right away and no having to call up tech support. This is the easiest computer related accesory we have installed. It is amazing. I am surprised that it is not more widely available and advertised as it works so well. We got ours at Comp USA, but had to search for it. Unless you are rabid about wireless, this is the best thing going!
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Works good with limited distances
Pros:
Cons:
Review: This stuff appears to work better than 802.11b for the edges of your network, but don't expect it to traverse a large distance (around 100 - 150 feet). I ended up returning my hardware and getting some 802.11a hardware with some large antennas from hyperlinktech.com. But if you have a small enough distance, these are dead reliable and much more cost effective.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Will it work for me?
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Cons:
Review: I have a question. I have 2 comps in my living room that are networked together on my dsl service but have a laptop back in my bedroom that I keep there. I want my laptop to have internet access. Is all I have to do buy this product, plug it in the wall, plug it in the comp, and it connects to the internet? I dont have to buy anything else it has to connect to or anything, just for my laptop to connect to the internet I just need to buy one of these and its as simple as plugging it in?
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 8 user reviews
Simple and it works
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Cons:
Review: I needed a simple networking solution to take over my home networking needs because my wifi range was limited - I live vertically in a four story house. The XE602's installed without issue and I was up and running within 20 minutes. For simple internet sharing, this product has hit the mark.
