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The Devolo dLAN 200 AVeasy Starter Kit is a triumph!

For those who don’t know, the dLAN 200 AVeasy Starter Kit provides simple plug-and-play networking of a range of devices via the household power grid providing speeds of up to 200 Mbps and AES-128 data encryption at the touch of a button.

The Devolo dLAN 200 AVeasy connects network-enabled devices such as PCs, modems, routers, game consoles and set-top boxes via your household power grid. It complies with the new HomePlug AV standard and supports data speeds of up to 200 Mbps. Its speed opens the door to bandwidth-intensive applications such as IPTV and VoIP  with “Quality of Service” for smooth operation. It has a range of 200 meters within a single household grid, giving you the flexibility to use your applications throughout the house.

To quote the blurb on devolo.com:

“Just plug the dLAN 200 AVeasy adapter into an electrical outlet to turn your power grid into a convenient data network. All you need is two adapters to take advantage of the full range of services. If ever you decide to use a room for a different purpose or rearrange your office – no problem. Your network moves with you – without the need for laying new cables. Just plug the adapters into different electrical outlets. That’s it!”

And it really is! The Starter Kit consists of two adapters and a CD containing Setup software for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. The Setup software, called dLAN Setup Assistant is technically only required to enable encryption between adapters. Having said that I had problems with DHCP when using the plug-and-play method and so therefor recommend all Mac users use the dLAN Setup Assistant since in addition to adding encryption it also seems to improve connectivity. Encryption can also be setup pressing the small encryption buttons on the adapters for a couple of seconds.

The Devolo dLAN 200 AVeasy Starter Kit fully supports TCP/IP and the adapters act as transparent network bridges. I’m currently running DHCP, NAT, AFP, iTunes Music Sharing, Printer Sharing and web traffic over it without any issues. Speeds are indeed fast and approach the advertised 200 Mbps.

When setting up the adapters I found that plugging the Mac directly into an adapter (rather than via the router) helped the  dLAN Setup Assistant recognize the other adapters plugged into my home’s power grid. Once the adapters were paired I plugged the Mac and one adapter back into the router (the other adapter was of course in a different room).

The Devolo guide describes two typical setups (pictured below), one where two computers are linked directly and another with a router, a PC and a set-top box all connected to their own adapter.

I have taken a third approach. A 4-port router which is connected to the Internet and running DHCP is connected to one adapter downstairs, and a 4-port wireless router in Bridge Mode is connected to the other adapter upstairs (I could also have used a switch). I have had no problems with this setup and have arranged it this way so I can have 3 wired devices downstairs, one of which is a Mac serving media files over AFP, and 3 wired devices and numerous wireless devices upstairs, one of which is a Mac Mini displaying the media files on an HDTV. See the diagram below.

Perhaps the reason the German tech company does not advertise this setup is because they want to sell as many adapters as possible, and this arrangement gets a lot of mileage from just two adapters.

So why bother with it? What am I getting from this technology?

A. I don’t have to run lengths of ethernet cable through the house.

and

B. I don’t have to run  a wireless network in my house.

With the Devolo dLAN 200 AVeasy Starter Kit I get a third way – IP over power line. It provides fast, encrypted and wire-free networking within minutes. I can expand the setup over time by adding more adapters.  Every room in the house could theoretically have its own adapter. Let your guests surf the web by offering them an adapter to plug into the socket of your spare room. Swanky! They adapters are even white in colour, so they look great with your Mac gear.

Criticisms? Well perhaps they could make the next generation devices a little smaller and they could release a version of Devolo Informer for Mac. Currently the Informer software which gives detailed device info including the firmware versions of your adapters is only available for Windows. Whilst the Informer software is not necessary for setup it would be nice to have the additional information it provides.

All in all though this is a bloody fantastic product and I recommend it to all Mac users looking for a third way to network.

To download the Devolo Encyclopedia, a pdf full of definitions of technical terms related to data communication, such as Ethernet and TCP/IP, click here.

- Johnny Appleseed