Digital Home Thoughts: Creating A Home Network Using Your Existing A/C Power Lines

"I've been daily using as well as periodically evaluating various powerline networking technologies since the early portion of the last decade, back in the '14 Mbps' HomePlug 1.0 days (say hi if you ever see me at a show, and I'll show you my scars ;-) ). Given recent trends, I figured it was high time for an evaluation revisit. How well do latest generation adapters fulfill their marketing promises? Is it finally time to dispense with burrowing through dirty, spider- and snake-infested crawlspaces and drilling holes in walls and floors in order to route Cat5e cable around?"

If you've ever read about and considered powerline networking technology, then you are familiar with the feeling "wow, if that works it would be fantastic". The potential benefits are very enticing. Connect your home PCs and laptops to a wired network using the power cables you already have throughout your house. In fact, these sorts of networks are indeed possible, although users have had a mixed bag of success with them. Vendors and manufacturers have been pursuing the technology for some time, and recent developments (and market offerings) suggest that nebulous "potential" we have hoped for is getting closer to being realized. AnandTech has done a very thorough job looking at the state of this technology, and determining how well it works. Our Read link takes you the source article, which is well worth reviewing if you think powerline networking might have a place in your home.