Need some serious networking in your house or office, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of running and installing wires and cables? The US$99 Zyxel G.hn Powerline PLA6456 is a viable solution that, honestly, works a lot better than I expected it would.
The adapter turns power outlets into a fast network and extends Internet access throughout a house. Capable of delivering up to 2400 Mbps, it’s supposedly perfect for 8K streaming (though I can’t test that claim as I have no 8K content and I doubt it many of you readers do either).
At least 2400 Mbps is the theoretical, best-scenario speed. At best, you can count on 1Gbs. However, I found online gaming to be smooth and lag-free.
Setup is easy. The PLA6456 comes with two (admittedly bulky at 4.45 x 2.51 x 1.65 inches) adapters. Connect one adapter to your Internet sharing router/gateway, and connect the other to a device that needs Internet connection in another room. Note that the adapter does work well with power strips or extension cords. It needs a “dedicated” power outlet.
Once you’ve done this, push the sync button on both PLA6456 devices to get a AES 128-bit encrypted network going through your electrical outlets. Volia! You have a fast, secure Internet connection.
The Powerline light changes its color to show the quality of the Powerline connection. Green means you get 80Mbps or faster; amber means something between 20 Mbps and 80 Mbps; red means slower than 20mbps.
On the side, the PLA6456 adapter has a reset/sync button. You can press and hold this button for 10 seconds or longer to reset the adapter, or press and hold for two seconds on each adapter within two minutes, to establish a secure connection between them.
Equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port, the PLA6456 allows you to connect Ethernet enabled devices at Gigabit speeds. And the PLAs must have an active Ethernet connection to use the Encrypt button. Be aware that the two adapters come with encryption turned off. If you choose to turn the encryption on, you’ll need to do the same each time you add another adapter. You can use up to an impressive 14 in total.
Conveniently, a pass-through outlet allows you to keep your existing powered devices connected. And the embedded noise filter eliminates electrical signal noise to further improve the electrical outlet’s network quality.
Another nice feature of the PLA6456: it automatically goes into standby mode to reduce the adapter’s power usage when the device isn’t being used.
Is the Powerline PLA6456 for you? If you need to extend a home or work network without the extra cabling installation, it is. And it’s handy for folks who have large homes or offices or who live in a metallic/concrete environment that dilutes WiFi signals.
