Review: Monster Powernet 200

When I describe to friends how I connect my home network through my house’s AC power, I’m surprised at how few people even know this is possible. Power line networking has been around as long as wireless, but the notion has yet to thoroughly connect with people.

Monster, a brand synonymous with speaker wires and HDMI cables, has launched a line of power line networking products under the heading Powernet. The Powernet products use the Homeplug AV protocol, a standard for power line communication enhanced for audio and video uses, making it appropriate for connecting networked home theater equipment like Blu-ray players, streaming video devices, Internet radios or videogame consoles.

If you use Wi-Fi for any of those devices, plus your computer, you know that sometimes it works perfectly, and sometimes it doesn’t. In  my house, the Wi-Fi is mysteriously inconsistent. In one room the signal may be perfect, while in the adjacent room I get a poor signal. Power line adaptors such as this one are good solutions, especially in situations where you need a more steady, robust network connection.

The Powernet products are a bit unique in that they include two useful features. First, you’ll notice that the devices include two outlets built in so while the adapter itself covers your wall outlets, you can still plug other appliances directly into the Powernet. Second, those built-in outlets include Monster’s power filtering and surge protection. This is a welcome addition because power line adaptors don’t work when plugged into an external surge protection device.

Connecting your networkable devices via Powernet is a lot less complicated than setting up a wireless network. You basically just plug the adapters in and they work. Assuming you’re using a router or modem, plug one Powernet into an outlet near your router. Connect an Ethernet cable from the router to the Ethernet port on the bottom of the Powernet. Then take the second Powernet and plug it into an outlet near the device you want to connect and run an Ethernet cable from that adaptor to your device. The network status lights should be all lit up at this point since the Powernet adaptors all ship with the same security passcode to make sure they instantly talk to each other. The color of the network light indicates how strong your signal is (red for under 50Mbps, orange for 50-100Mbps and green for 100Mbps+). I got green on my first try.

I tried the Powernet adaptors on several network devices, including a Blu-ray player, laptop and Internet radio. Compared to Wi-Fi, I saw the most improvement in the performance of my Internet radio and Blu-ray player (when downloading BD Live content) and the least with basic Web browsing on the laptop. BD Live downloads went faster and the Internet radio maintained a steadier connection with the power line adaptor. It’s worth noting that for many Blu-ray players, power line may be your only option for networking. Sony’s PS3 is the only current player that includes built-in Wi-Fi. If stretching a network cable to your home theater system isn’t possible, power line is the way to go.

Is there a downside? First, power line products do constantly pull electricity, so even when none of your connected devices are turned on and you’re out of the house, the adaptor will be using electricity unless you pull it out of the wall. Second, it’s not wireless. The main benefit of wireless is the convenience of being able cut the cord. Finally, they’re not cheap. A pair sells for $299 in a starter kit. Additional adaptors can expand your network for $149 each. There’s no charge for adding additional gear to your Wi-Fi network, but if Wi-Fi isn’t working for you, there may be no choice.