NETGEAR XAV2501 Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought the NETGEAR XAV2501 to go along the NETGEAR XAV1004 so I could get internet to my AV system. I bought the XAV2501 because the combo package that includes the XAV1004 was out of stock and I was in a hurry. The XAV1004 works with several of the NETGEAR Powerline adapters (see their website for full details).
I have a two-story brick home which is about 60 ft wide. The cable modem and and NETGEAR router reside upstairs at one end of the house while the main AV system resides downstairs at the other end of the house. Thus, I have a worst-case condition here as there are several walls for which wireless signals to pass. I had been using simple 802.11g to connect to the TIVO using the TIVO adapter, but that solution doesn't work for blu-ray and other devices which can use internet access. Also, and more of a problem, the wireless signal to the TiVO would frequently drop out forcing me to reboot the router. I got tried of that after several months.
I also tried the NETGEAR dual band router (802.11n) at 5GHz talking to a wireless bridge (DLINK). This solution, while sounding good on paper, doesn't work very well. The 5 GHz signal was very weak through several walls and from floor to floor. For file transfers from the TiVO to the PC, the transfer times were slow.
Finally, I got around to powerline AV from NETGEAR. It's a simple hook up. You plug the XAV2501 into a socket near your computer and run an ethernet cable to it from your router. Then plus the XAV1004 (in my case, anyhow) into a socket near where your AV equipment is (in my cause, downstairs at the other end of the 60 ft house I live in). Then run ethernet cables from the XAV1004 to the TiVo, Blu-ray, Xbox (I don't have this) and TV. This gets you a 100 Mbps connection (not 200 Mbps).
This works great! I have a laptop down there and I can move a 11 GB file from upstairs to downstairs with transfer speeds from 5.83 to 6.5 MB/s (that's megabytes per second, not megabits per second). So that 11 GB file is transferred in about 35 minutes. Downloads to the TiVo from Amazon or NetFlix are much slower, but they are limited by my broadband connection, which is about 25 Mbps at best (that's megabits per second).
The XAV1004 has 4 ports that you can use to connect your internet-ready devices. They appear to be metered some how, with one for your device that requires the highest bandwidth (I presume this would be for streaming video), and the second for the device that requires the next highest. The last two appear to be about equal. From what I can tell, file transfers from the laptop downstairs to the PC upstairs go at the same rate using either of the two highest speed ports. This might change if I actually had two devices using both ports at the same time, but so far I don't really have a need for it. I have the TiVo on the highest speed connection, and the PC on the second highest port. The transfers still go as written above.
I am very pleased with this powerline connectivity in my house, which was built around 1988, so the wiring is not exactly new. I have been testing now for several weeks. I have not had a drop or a significant slow down yet, even though the file transfer speed does vary in the range of 5.83 to 6.5 MB/s. I'm not sure why there is that variation.
The picture here on Amazon.com for the XAV2501 (at the top for the product) is not what I got in the box. I think there are different versions of this device. The version I got is what is pictured in the written description, but I think there are different versions of this device.
Highly recommended if your home is not pre-wired for networking. More reliable than wireless and you can still use that too. My 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless bands are free for other connections (upstairs in other bedrooms and downstairs for Wifi phones and laptop/iPad, etc).

Click Here to see more reviews about: NETGEAR XAV2501 Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter

Netgear XAV2501 Powerline Network Adapter XAV2501-100NAS Powerline Network Adapters

Get 31% OFF

Click here for more information about NETGEAR XAV2501 Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter

Read More...

Actiontec MegaPlug 200 Mbps AV Powerline Ethernet Adapter and 4-Port Hub Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)ActionTec plug Av
Very Easy to set up if you had all the instructions.
A quick review and as typical for me an update will follow. I had everything set up and truly believed the Quick Start Guide when it said no configuration required. Unfortunately.... I first disabled my wireless card in the Windows Control Panel just so I would not have any conflicts. Then I plugged in the two devices as described above. The LEDs on both boxes were green and red, sometimes green and yellow. The Guide said "Make sure both lights turn solid green". The guide warns you not to plug the devices into any outlet that is surge protected or filtered, which I did not. Oh well I said, I started moving both boxes into different outlets and could not get both "link" lights to turn green unless they were plugged into the same outlet. Rats I said. There is no explanation in the guide at all as to what to do when the lights are not both green. NO troubleshooting guide at all. I tried to hook up to the Web, but nothing happened.
Here I will save you the trouble of the hour long process that followed, and just tell how you can save yourself the trouble I had
1. It does not really matter what color the "link" light is. It is only the quality of connection indicator. Please go to the [...] website and download the user manual for the HPE400AVP. There is no manual and no CD with the box you buy and in my case it was the critical missing step. Here is the lights portion of the manual
Red means the condition is poor and less than 50Mpbs,
Orange indicates a fair line condition of 50-100Mbps,
Green means the line is in good condition with over 100Mbps throughput.
Of course since I was using wireless previously in a remote location with a 18 Mpbs transfer speed, even a Red light meant a vastly improved connection. The connection speed varies for me between yellow and red, and always is better than the wireless. My wireless was a Linksys WRT54G with the power setting at 75mw, the distance involved was about 50ft with 3 walls in between.
2. There are small black buttons on both boxes, but NO explanation in the User Guide as to what they do. You have to download the manual for that. They are the security enable keys, and you have to go thru a sequence of four timed presses to set it up. In my trials of various outlets in the house, I must have pressed one or both, but in a wrong sequence and must have messed up the communications, hence even with the connection established, I could not connect to the web. At the time I still thought that it was because I had red lights and they needed to be green. I had to reset both boxes using a pin.
3. At this point following the reset, even though the link light on both boxes was red, the Internet magically appeared. So the setup is truly plug and play, unless like me you believe the dreaded step #13 in the quick setup guide "Make sure both lights are green " or you accidentally press the security buttons.
Finally when set up, and even with my troubles it only took an hour. The connection speed to the web as judged by [...] was 50% faster than my best wireless connection and 3 times better than my worst connection. Great product, and only a one star downgrade for no packaged in manual or CD.
Lastly you may also try the following steps to improve your speed at lower costs.
1. Get an antenna with gain for the router and your wireless card (10-30$, 50% improvement)
2. Change the wireless channel in the router utility (G networks conflict with 2.4 ghz cordless phones)
3. Move the antenna even slightly for possible improvement, Use a utility like network stumbler to fine tune the position
4. If available for your wireless router, get an open source custom firmware for it which will allow you to fine tune the antenna transmit power (I use Tomato).
UPDATE
5. Get an inexpensive N standard router with multiple antennas (used to be called MIMO multiple in multiple out). I have picked up one recently and now all my remaining computers have a better signal as well. While you will not get speds higher than G standard of 54mb, you will get closer to nominal. You would ned a N adapter in the pc as well to get all the benefits.
Happy Powerline and Wireless networking.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Actiontec MegaPlug 200 Mbps AV Powerline Ethernet Adapter and 4-Port Hub Kit

Powerline Enet 200mbps hub and adapter megaplug

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about Actiontec MegaPlug 200 Mbps AV Powerline Ethernet Adapter and 4-Port Hub Kit

Read More...

Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB USB 2.0/eSATA External Hard Drive Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I received my 1TB WD My Book AV Expander today. Here's how it went down:
Unpack, plug into back of DVR with included eSATA cable, plug WD HDD into wall outlet, turn on DVR and TV. See prompt on TV about new attached storage. Look for and find remote that kids misplaced. Then Press A on remote to format. Wait 30 seconds. Now when I press List it shows 5% Full (used to be 40%). It didn't even interrupt the current recording. No more taping over my World Cup matches. How easy is that?
So far no heat from new hard drive and it's whisper quiet. Drive also comes with a USB cable (not needed for this project as the Scientifc Atlanta 8300HD supports eSATA only for adding storage.) From WD's website this drive is on the list of supported drives for Time Warner SA8300HD but it was still a relief to see it immediately recognized.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB USB 2.0/eSATA External Hard Drive

Record more. Delete less. WD's My Book AV DVR Expander instantly adds more recording hours to your DVR. With both USB 2.0 and eSATA interfaces, the drive is compatible with many DVRs and other AV devices. Or use this drive with your compatible camcorder to off-load video without a computer.

Get 9% OFF

Click here for more information about Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB USB 2.0/eSATA External Hard Drive

Read More...

Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I read the two negative reviews with apprehension when I bought this product. However, I took the advice of an amazon supervisor and gave it a shot. HDMI pass through works great on audio and video, even though the instructions in the manual are confusing by showing other configurations. I recommend hooking up all hdmi cables from the quick set-up sheet and ignore other configurations in the manual. Also, I did not perform the speaker callibration.
Set up was more difficult because I use an A/B configuration. My indoor speakers run on A, then I switch off the front indoor and switch on my outdoor speakers using front B. Support from Sony was not the best and I had to call back several times. Tech support associates assumed everything was ready, repeating the company line about automatic detection but that's not entirely accurate. Here's the scoop, Sony sets these receivers up for basic home theater use and specialized options, like A/B, will likely require amp menu changes. Also, older equipment like tv's etc may require changes and/or loss of function like the theater button (which is not a big deal for me because I like to manually choose my sound using sound field on the remote). I just don't understand why A/B isn't turned on automatically at the factory, or why they didn't make A/B turn on automatically if speakers were attached to the B channel, now that would be auto detection!
Here's the deal if you are running A/B configuration you need to use the amp menu button on your remote, select speaker pattern, using up and down in the center controls of remote and choose 3/2.1 plus the middle bullseye for enter. Now SB assign is no longer grayed out and you can turn on B, also under the amp menu speaker option. I read a review on a different Sony receiver that said basically Sony turns off a lot of options, so the user has to manually turn these on and I completely agree with that assessment, plus I would add that Sony does not do a good job of outlining this in the instructions. That's why you shouldn't get frustrated, just call support early and multiple times if you don't feel like you are getting the right answer. Sometimes I had to reference the page of the directions, state clearly the function I wanted to perform and not accept their pat answer which is use the sound field button, or automatic detection. Neither of those things work if you have to turn on/adjust speaker options and/or adjust other devices like tv and dvd player.
Overall, the instructions were very confusing and tech support associates were at times impatient and/or condescending. It has great sound, although sound effects sometimes drown out the center channel speaker. You must use at least the front and center speakers to hear words in movies, plus it automatically turns off your tv volume. It sort of takes control over your tv which is convenient but doesn't allow for any manual overrides. So if you want to use your tv for the center channel, or to boost the sound of the spoken words in a movie, no dice. Before I was using a yamaha and it was manual enough to use the tv for the center channel speaker. Also, the yamaha has just a little better sound quality but I am splitting hairs.
What makes this a better product is that it works/plays better with other devices, no quirks or freezing up, plus remote codes are a snap. There are a lot more bells and whistles but you will probably need to ask support for help with any configuration beyond home theater. Overall, a pretty good product for the price. The positives more than outweigh the negatives.
Hint1: MULTI ST works great for music (basically plays left & right stereo out of all speakers.)
Hint2: Purchase a special cord with a left and right rca output on one end and an mp3 jack on the other, usually sells for $5-10. Hook up the rca cord ends to the front of the receiver and the other goes into where the headphones plug into the mp3 player. Choose video2 on your receiver remote and turn up your mp3 player to full volume, just change the volume from your receiver, not mp3. Now enjoy all your mp3 player's music throughout the house!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs

Ignite your home entertainment experience with the STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V receiver. With six HD inputs (3 HDMI and 3 component), you can take full advantage of all your high-definition components including a Blu-ray Disc player or PS3 system. Everything you hear will sound as close to the master recording as possible with Dolby TrueHD and dts HD decoding technologies. This receiver also features wireless 2nd zone audio capabilities, which allows you transmit wireless audio in up to 10 additional rooms via optional S-AIR accessories. Plus, access all of your HDMI connected devices without having to power on the receiver thanks to standby pass-through.

Click here for more information about Sony STR-DH710 7.1-channel A/V Receiver with 6 HD Inputs

Read More...

NETGEAR Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have only had this for a few days, but hookup is a breeze (took about 5 minutes from openning the box to fishing wires under my furniture behind the TV), and it is much faster than wireless G. I am streaming Netflix through my TivoHD without undue buffering, and at the claimed Netflix full HD quality. The utility software included with the product allows the user to turn off the three LEDs on the four port switch, implement security on the devices, and create network priorities if there are multiple adapters on the network. The utility software scans the powerline network and details the speed at which the network is operating. My speeds vary between 72 mpbs to 88 mbps in my 3,100 sqft house that is about 7 years old. My network router is upstairs and my home theater is downstairs. Longevity of the device is yet to be determined since I have only had it a few days, but so far I am very pleased with the product.
***UPDATE***
I had a lamp that operated by touch to turn it on and off. It kept turning on by itself after installing the netgear powerline adapter. Well, after unplugging the lamp from the wall, I am getting about 160 mbps transfer speeds on my network to my home theater. Its fast, stable, and streams video like crazy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: NETGEAR Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (Black)

Turn Any Electrical Outlet into a High-Speed Home Network Connection NETGEAR's Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (XAVB1004) is a convenient solution for extending your home network by using standard electrical outlets. This kit delivers the devices you need to set up an Internet connection in any room without running new wires.The XAVB1004 connects up to four (4) devices to your network: Game consoles including Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 Networked attached storage devices including: NETGEAR ReadyNAS, Notebook PCs, Wired and wireless routers, TiVo, AppleTV,VUDU box, Desktop PCs, Slingbox, BD Live enabled Blu-ray player Features Turn a power outlet into a high speed Internet and home network connection Connects up to 4 devices Delivers fast 200 Mbps speed, fast enough to stream HD videoFor use with both wired and wireless routers and gateways Simply plug an XAV101 into your router and connect as many as 4 Ethernet-ready devices to the XAV1004 Port-based Quality of Service (QoS), ensures that the highest priority applications are allocated more bandwidth Red, yellow, green status LEDs indicate maximum data rate 128-bit AES data encryption ensures privacy and security, secure your Powerline AV network by just pushing a button Supports Windows Vista HomePlug AV compatible

Click here for more information about NETGEAR Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (Black)

Read More...