Adapters included
Number of individual adapters included.
It makes sense to buy
one adapter if the network already has a Powerline signal source — for example, another adapter purchased earlier, or a Powerline Internet connection from an ISP. If it is necessary to build a “local” based on sockets, there must be at least
two adapters.
Wired speed
The maximum wired speed supported by the adapter.
When choosing according to this indicator, note that manufacturers usually indicate the theoretical maximum in the specifications. In fact, the wired speed can be noticeably lower (in particular, due to interference in the mains). In addition, it may be limited by other factors: for example, if the adapter has only one 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet port, then its actual bandwidth cannot exceed 100 Mbps, even if the specifications indicate a wired speed of 500 Mbps .
Nevertheless, the higher the claimed speed (
1 Gbps), the higher the practical one, all other things being equal. So for tasks related to the transfer of large amounts of data or requiring a quick response (watching/broadcasting high-definition video, working with torrents, online games), you should choose the “faster” models.
LAN
The number of output connectors provided in the adapter design.
There are LAN ports with different bandwidth. So Fast Ethernet provides data transfer rates up to
100 Mbps ; such indicators are quite enough for most simple tasks and even for watching high-definition video in streaming mode. At the same time, as technology develops, this standard is gradually losing ground to the more advanced Gigabit Ethernet at speeds up to
1 Gbps. This option can be especially useful for transferring large amounts of information, as well as in cases where several network devices are connected to one port at once.
The presence
of several Ethernet connectors allows you to simultaneously connect several devices to the adapter (for example, a PC, a printer and a network TV) without the use of routers and other additional equipment. Also note that one set may include adapters with a different number of connectors. As a rule, in such cases, one device has 1 network port and works “at the input” (for example, an Ethernet cable from the provider is connected to it), the remaining adapters act as switches for several devices.
Compatible adapters
Models of Powerline adapters that this device is guaranteed to be compatible with. This information makes it easy to choose equipment for building a Powerline network. At the same time, manufacturers, usually, do not provide compatibility with adapters from other companies, therefore, in this paragraph, only the name of the model is given, without specifying the brand.
Built-in socket
The presence of
a built-in electrical outlet in the design of the adapter. This socket acts as a replacement for the wall socket occupied by the device and can be used to power normal electrical appliances. Thus, the use of an adapter does not affect the number of sockets available in the room.
