Cisco-Linksys PLK300 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)These units work as documented. You should not expect all pairs of devices to achieve the full nominal bandwidth (200Mbps) in all locations, and you should expect the bandwidth actually available to the user to be considerably less than the nominal bandwidth. (The same statements are true of WiFi as well - you don't really get 54Mbps out of 802.11g.) Still, PowerLine AV is LOT faster than previous generations of powerline Ethernet.
If you live in an apartment and don't want to share your network with neighbors (unlikely but possible), you probably want to turn on the secure (encrypted) mode. Many people report problems with this. Contrary to what some have suggested, you don't need new firmware or additional administration software. It should work out of the box.
(1) As with any powerline Ethernet system, you should first find two power sockets through which you can first establish and test a good connection WITHOUT security/encryption. Don't take shortcuts here - do this test. Start with two sockets that are close to each other so you can see both units at the same time. Not all pairs of sockets in your house will necessarily be wired to talk to each other, and sockets on surge-protectors will not work. (GFCI sockets should not be a problem.)
(2) Verify that the units will work on the sockets you actually want to connect (which are presumably not close to each other). If this fails, return the kit to the store as this solution apparently isn't going to solve your problem...
(3) Bring the units back to your test location (where you can have them physically close). Now, just follow the instructions to turn on security. Seriously. Put both units into "security" mode by holding the button on each AT LEAST 10 seconds. Put one unit into "sharing password" mode by holding the button for EXACTLY 2 seconds and quickly releasing the button. And then immediately put the other unit into "sharing password" mode by holding the button for EXACTLY 2 seconds and quickly releasing the button. This is just what the instructions tell you to do (I've skipped describing some of the steps here), but they don't emphasize how finicky the "2 seconds" part is. I can't tell you how many times I failed to enter the "sharing password" mode because I figured it was "at least" 2 seconds and wasn't releasing the button fast enough - now I can do it quite consistently, just counting "one thousand one one thousand two."
(4) Now you can return the units to the desired final locations.
Really, Linksys should have just used two buttons instead of creating this usability problem with the button timing. But there it is. And once it's set up, you don't have to think about it again.

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