Price : Too low to display
This review is from : ZyXEL PLA-450 200 Mbps Powerline HomePlug AV 802.11g Wireless Access Point
Great alternative if cat5 is not possible . We recently built out our basement and before I spent the time and money to cat5 my whole house or possibly add a second cable modem, I decided to give the PLA-450 + 1 PLA-401 a try. To my amazement, I saw no degradation of speed when connected to the PLA-450 wirelessly at a reasonable range than I did when connected directly to my cable modem. This powerline duo smokes. My cable modem is on the second floor and my primary DLink wireless router is connected to it. Needless to say, getting great coverage from the second floor to my basement was not possible on the DLink. So the PLA-450 acts as my second wireless router (called an access point) allowing me to plug it into any wall outlet in the house. You do have to have at least 1 PLA-401 (connected to the primary router) and then your powerline link is complete. The PLA-450 is a good wireless device permeating interior walls with ease and maintaining reasonably strong reception with my laptop - even with a floor in between. Accessing the PLA-450 device via a browser is a little tricky the first time. You have to temporarily change you IP address on your network connection. I called support and they were easy to get ahold of and nice and friendly. The instructions do tell you what is needed so a call is probably not necessary for most users. I am thrilled that I can get near cat5 performance without having to hard-wire my house. A great product that suits my need perfectly.
Great alternative if cat5 is not possible . We recently built out our basement and before I spent the time and money to cat5 my whole house or possibly add a second cable modem, I decided to give the PLA-450 + 1 PLA-401 a try. To my amazement, I saw no degradation of speed when connected to the PLA-450 wirelessly at a reasonable range than I did when connected directly to my cable modem. This powerline duo smokes. My cable modem is on the second floor and my primary DLink wireless router is connected to it. Needless to say, getting great coverage from the second floor to my basement was not possible on the DLink. So the PLA-450 acts as my second wireless router (called an access point) allowing me to plug it into any wall outlet in the house. You do have to have at least 1 PLA-401 (connected to the primary router) and then your powerline link is complete. The PLA-450 is a good wireless device permeating interior walls with ease and maintaining reasonably strong reception with my laptop - even with a floor in between. Accessing the PLA-450 device via a browser is a little tricky the first time. You have to temporarily change you IP address on your network connection. I called support and they were easy to get ahold of and nice and friendly. The instructions do tell you what is needed so a call is probably not necessary for most users. I am thrilled that I can get near cat5 performance without having to hard-wire my house. A great product that suits my need perfectly.
Cons Review
Failed after 6 months of use . At first, this router worked wonderfully, it was fast, easy to connect, easy to set up networking and easy to use the homeplug networking via the electrical lines in my home.
But after about 6 months, the router began to randomly reset itself and lose connection to the internet and PC (wireless at first then even to the wired PC). As we entered the 7 month, the resetting of the router became more frequent and would nearly reset every time I tried using the internet.
I returned the router to ZyXEL for an easy return/exchange which required me to pay S/H charges and took about 2-3 weeks to get a replacement (a new one).
When the new one arrived, again the router worked wonderfully for about 6-8 months before it began to do the same old thing again. I emailed ZyXEL and the only help they could provide was that the power supply feeding the router was bad or the outlet strip was bad, which I knew was not true since the same power supply and outlet strip also sourced my pc, monitor, printer, etc with no problems. I even moved the router and connected directly to a outlet on th wall and had the same problems (router is faulty - again).
Since then (about 5 months ago), I've retired this router for a Cisco Valet Plus and for the price i paid (about the same as the ZyXEL), it is working great and I've had no problems to report on. And, the wireless connection is of better quality than the ZyXEL.
I would warn against purchasing the ZyXEL as I wonder if their product has a fault that shows up after 6 months or so.
But after about 6 months, the router began to randomly reset itself and lose connection to the internet and PC (wireless at first then even to the wired PC). As we entered the 7 month, the resetting of the router became more frequent and would nearly reset every time I tried using the internet.
I returned the router to ZyXEL for an easy return/exchange which required me to pay S/H charges and took about 2-3 weeks to get a replacement (a new one).
When the new one arrived, again the router worked wonderfully for about 6-8 months before it began to do the same old thing again. I emailed ZyXEL and the only help they could provide was that the power supply feeding the router was bad or the outlet strip was bad, which I knew was not true since the same power supply and outlet strip also sourced my pc, monitor, printer, etc with no problems. I even moved the router and connected directly to a outlet on th wall and had the same problems (router is faulty - again).
Since then (about 5 months ago), I've retired this router for a Cisco Valet Plus and for the price i paid (about the same as the ZyXEL), it is working great and I've had no problems to report on. And, the wireless connection is of better quality than the ZyXEL.
I would warn against purchasing the ZyXEL as I wonder if their product has a fault that shows up after 6 months or so.
Feature ZyXEL PLA-450 200 Mbps Powerline HomePlug AV 802.11g Wireless Access Point
- Blistering 200 Mbps data rate with HomePlug AV standard
- Rock-solid security with data encryption and password protection for both powerline and wireless
- Maximum 108 Mbps wireless connection with SuperG technology
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Product Details
EAN : 0760559111984UPC : 760559111984
MPN : PLA450V2
Brand : ZyXel
Weight : 2 pounds
Height : 3 inches
Length : 10 inches
Width : 7 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : ZYXEL
Model : PLA450
Publisher : ZYXEL
SKU : WT_PLA450
Studio : ZYXEL
Where To Buy
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