ActiontecPWR511K01 500 Mbps HomePlug HD Powerline Wall Plug Network Adapter Kit (2 Units)

My home was built in the 1950's, so naturally, it was not wired for Ethernet and running wires would be a challenge. That said, I had one goal: successfully stream NetFlix and Live TV/DVR using the Xbox 360 (a 10/100 device) as a Media Extender. Doing so over Wi-Fi was unstable (e.g. Live TV would intermittingly freeze, couldn't fast forward or rewind, etc.)Upon opening the brand new box, I was shocked at how simple everything looked. The box comes with two adapters; each with an Ethernet plug and each has 3 sets of lights to indicate Power On/Off, Link Strength (Red = Bad, Yellow = Mediocre & Green = Awesome) and Ethernet Activity. The package also came with Actiontec's (very) thin manual which made installation seem very easy. Nothing is ever easy...First, I plugged the Adapter in my Living Room and hooked it up with a Gigabit Switch (which is connected to the Router). FYI, my living room houses my Home Theater PC. The second adapter was plugged into my Bedroom and I had it temporarily connected to my laptop for testing purposes. The "Link Strength" light would NOT come on...so I thought maybe it was a bad combination of outlets/circuits.So I started fiddling around with other outlet combinations (thinking that the wiring in my house stunk), I remained baffled since the "Link Strength" light still would not come on. At one point, I even plugged both units into the same exact circuit. Nada. This made me believe that neither Adapter was communicating with each other.I then found instructions on Actiontec's website about resetting each Adapter to default. The instructions advise holding onto the Security button for 15 seconds or longer. I tried 5 resets on each Adapter. It still didn't work. An hour had already gone by on what should have been a fast 5 minute setup.Finally, the Actiontec website gave instructions on how to change the encryption key on both Adapters. Viola! It finally worked! Changing the encrpytion can be tricky because the units don't flash to tell you that the process is done, but I didn't care about messing this up because I thought I had received faulty devices and was very close to boxing the adapters up for RMA. Here are the instructions verbatim:How do I change the encryption key on a PWR500 Powerline Adapter?1. Plug the Adapters into electrical outlets on the same circuit.2. Press the Security button on one Adapter for no more than 10 seconds. When the button is released, the Power LED flashes.3. Press the Security button on the second Adapter for 10 seconds and release it when the Power LED flashes.4. Press the Security button on the first Adapter for 1 to 3 seconds, then release. The Power LED on the first Adapter starts to flash.5. Within 120 seconds after performing step 4, press the Security button on the second Adapter for 1 to 3 seconds, then release. The two Adapters are now connected on the same Powerline network with a new encryption key.In terms of performance, I haven't done any internal file transfer tests BUT when using a reputable Speed Test website, I scored the same exact speeds that I normally reach when connected directly to the router (20mbps down/2mbps up - which is the maximum level of service that I pay for).The "Link Strength" indicator consistently shows Green and it never flashes to Yellow or Red. The Speed Test site will also display your Latency, and it never showed any lag as I kept scoring <10ms. This is great news for those who game online with an Xbox 360/PS3/PC.Both NetFlix and Live TV/DVR playback using the Xbox 360 Media Extender works well. It is definitely more stable than Wi-Fi. I can fast forward and rewind within Windows Media Center without any problems.Occasionally, WMC will spit out a "Network Problem" box in the top right hand corner but there wouldn't be any noticable visual or auditory problems (a minor nuisance considering I don't watch TV in the bedroom often). Bringing up the Menu and Guide within WMC was a *tad slower* (an extra 2-3 seconds) than if I connected it directly using a Cat 5e cable, but again, a minor nuisance. Once the Menu or Guide was up, navigating through them was a breeze and I barely noticed any difference in performance.Considering these occasional network hiccups, I imagine streaming 1080p content would be problematic due to the extra bandwidth required. I don't have a spare 1080p TV to test, though.Pros:- Impressive performance that is MORE than adequate for Web Browsing/Emailing (when the device actually works)- Successfully streaming 720p content from both WMC and NetFlix- Small physical size so it's not an eyesore, and adapters can be plugged in upside down, if necessary- Can't beat the price vs performance ratioCons:- Encryption was not working right out of the box- Maximum performance is dependent on the circuitry of your house- Unit can't be plugged into a Surge Protector Strip, so it'll eat up an entire receptacle- Documentation is scarce- Don't let the "500 mbps" tagline fool you...this is NOT a Gigabit device.Conclusion: Aside from the initial setup headaches, and depending on your intended uses, this may be a good (but not great) alternative if you can't run a hardwire Ethernet cable to the desired room. Just be mindful that the electricial wiring conditions of your house will determine how well this (or any Powerline Adapter) will work.

First off, the max speed these devices offer is 100Mbps. 500Mbps isn't even theoretical because the built-in ethernet connection doesn't support it. They need to stop lying about that. I knew this was the case when I bought it, but they still lose a star for intentionally being shady about it and trying to trick people.Now to setup issues. I followed the 7 step instruction booklet they give you and got flashing red lights but no internet. I tried several times and then went on their website for help. There I learned you can reset the devices by holding the button for 15 seconds. I tried this about 5 times on each device and only succeeded on making them not connect to each other at all. There is no visual cue if the reset works or not.Next I tried setting a new encryption key. After 20 minutes of the instructions on their website not working, I figured out how to do it and now it all works great.Here are the instructions from their site (modified by me to actually work):1. Plug the Adapters into electrical outlets on the same circuit (Two outlets close together should do. Unplug any ethernet cables from them).2. Press the Security button on one Adapter a few times quickly until the Power LED begins to flash green.3. Repeat step 2 for the second Adapter.4. Press the Security button on the first Adapter for 2 seconds, then release. The Power LED on the first Adapter starts to flash after you release.5. Within 120 seconds repeat step 4 for the second Adapter.The two Adapters are now connected on the same Powerline network with a new encryption key. You can now move the devices to wherever you want in your house. They may not show a full green connection until you actually put real network traffic through the devices.Other than that, they work great and haven't been getting hot or anything. Pretty low latency as well.Edit:I've been using it about 3 months now, and it mostly works great. Occasionally when starting up my computer it takes a couple minutes for one HomePlug to reconnect to the other. Today has been particularly bad and for the past 15 minutes it has been connecting for a few seconds and then dropping the connection and taking several minutes to reconnect. This probably only happens about once a month, but it's still frustrating.Edit 2:After about 9 months of use I have begun having problems. It now cuts out every few minutes. The link light will still be solid or flashing orange, but the ethernet light will go out. Usually when this happens I have to unplug and re-plug in the ethernet cord once or twice and it will immediately work again. I have no idea why this is happening now but it is frustrating that I had to come here and post this. I had to reset it once just logging into Amazon to edit this review.Final edit:After almost two years the unit that gave me trouble in the above edits finally overheated and died. It had been getting hot for several months. The other unit is still fine and never got hot. I suspect the manufacturing is not top notch. I have purchased devices from a different company now as a replacement. So far no trouble with them at all.

All products are great. Globmal Quad Core Android I was told by Amazon help not appropriate for Kodi 17.1.I am happy with all the products. I will continue to order via Amazon.caThanks. Zac

Worked as expected!

Picks up alot of line noise vs the netgear 500.it's ok.