Hands-on Review: Actiontec MegaPlug AV

A few weeks ago I wrote about powerline technology—the ability to send digital data through normal electrical lines in your home. I concluded that it's unlikely that powerline technology would replace a wireless or Ethernet system, but it can augment your network and there are some instances where it's a huge benefit.

In response to the column, Actiontec sent me its new MegaPlug AV, claiming 200Mbps—fast enough to move music, video, and other rich media throughout your home using your existing electrical power. The product is based on the HomePlug AV standard, a relatively new extension to the HomePlug standard. The new AV standard is designed to certify products that can transmit AV-sized files at high speeds and make it a seamless effort for the user.

The Actiontec package contains two oversized wall plugs with Ethernet cables attached. You plug the wall plugs into your electrical outlet and then plug one Ethernet cable into your router and one into the PC or laptop you want to power in some other room.

This created a few logistical problems for me. First was the lack of free Ethernet jacks on my router. Ours is filled to capacity. And so are the outlets that are anywhere around the router. Since it's recommended not to use power strips or extension cords because they interfere with the signal, and since the cords are only five fee long, I had to do a tremendous amount of rearranging (and dusting) outlets and cables. Actiontec claims that its plug can occupy one outlet without interfering with others, but the units required enough space on my outlets that I had to give them two.

Next I ran a configuration disk that lets you set up encryption for the powerline devices. Glad to have this security on the devices and not to have to mess with my router settings. Not as glad to be asked to have Microsoft .NET installed as part of the install process on my Windows XP machine. And even less thrilled to go through some additional user control steps on my Vista machine. I also found out that you need to use a static IP address instead of DHCP so that your devices are on the same subnet, so you may need to play with your TCP/IP connections.

So, I wouldn't say it was quite as easy as plugging two things into the wall, but it wasn't bad. I was up and running pretty quickly. I never did get to the 200Mbps speed (though I found I got better speed when the device was closer to the router). I topped out at about half (90Mbps), which is still faster than my wireless router.

With good performance and a relatively easy installation, I'd recommend this as a solution for anyone who wants to do things like use a PC in the basement or attic and not run wires through the house. That said, because powerline technology is so finicky and because no two homes are wired the same way, I'd only buy my product from a store that guaranteed satisfaction or your money back.

Actiontec claims you can network up to 16 devices using its MegaPlugs, but at $169 for the starter kit for two plugs, this could get expensive.