Just days ahead of CES 2014, TRENDnet revealed on Friday the latest addition to its "Powerline" family of networking products: the Powerline 1000. Launching in June, this new networking solution will arrive as a kit (TPL-420E2K), providing two adapters for $169.99 USD.
Unlike your typical network that solely relies on Ethernet cables and devices with Wi-Fi connectivity, the Powerline family uses the electrical system of a home or office for networking devices together. The setup includes one adapter simultaneously plugged into an electrical outlet and a router's Ethernet port, while at least one other adapter is plugged into another electrical outlet, up to 980 feet away. This second unit provides both Wi-Fi and Ethernet-based connectivity, making the Powerline setup an ideal solution for reaching spots in a house or business that the network's router can't cover.
Up until now, TRENDnet's fastest powerline speed was 500 Mbps. However, the company reports that for the very first time, Powerline products use all three electrical wires: the live, neutral and ground. That means Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology can send data over the fastest two out of the three available electrical wires.
However, if the user lives in an old home or office that doesn't have ground wiring, then the speed will be reduced from 1000 Gbps to 600 Gbps, which is still slightly faster than the 500 Gbps models. These new Powerline adapters are backwards compatible, and will be bottlenecked by the lower speeds of the other older installed adapters (500, 200). They also go into standby mode when not in use, thus reducing overall power consumption.
"Powerline 1000 effectively doubles the speed and possibilities of Powerline networking," stated Zak Wood, director of global marketing of TRENDnet. "TRENDnet's TPL-420E2K is designed to easily handle multi-HD streams in a busy connected home."
For more information about TRENDnet's Powerline family of networking solutions, head here.
