Actiontec HLE08500-01K Megaplug Powerline Adapter - HLE08500-01K
Actiontec MegaPlug 85Mb Powerline HomePlug Ethernet Adapter 2 Pack Kit

I was very happy with how easy the installation was. It comes with 2- 6' long cables. Performance got ranked lower because it is not the fastest in the market, but I do not mind since everything bottle necks at internet connection anyways. This is as fast as most people will need for most applications. I used mine to expand my wireless network because I had a spare AP after ATT U-verse installed theirs wireless gateway. I used this to bridge me 2nd AP and give myself a larger wifi coverage. Works like a charm! I just wish I would have done this sooner. I don't know why I waited so long to do this. It is definately a lot faster than fishing for cables in a hot attic trying to make sure you don't fall through the ceiling!
 
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It can't get any easier. Just plug one into the AC outlet and connect to router. Then the other another AC outlet and connect device. Done! Works instantly.
 
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I am able to share an internet connection over Ethernet between a barn/office and a house about 300 feet apart ... pretty amazing performance! On MacOS, there is no definitive way to know if the "sharee" is connected to the "sharer" -- the way I use is to have iChat open on both machines and use it to "ping" between the two units via AIM. One caution is that these have to be installed without a surge protector (which interferes with the units' signals), so they should be unplugged in anticipation of a thunderstorm.
 
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Connected my blu-ray player in the basement with router on 2nd floor. Installation was a snap. Works great, sometimes use it with laptop. "Receiver" works in different outlets around the house with no problems whatsoever
 
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I bought a pair of these to connect my daughter's computer to the Internet. I had to install my router but after that all I had to do was plug in her computer and she was online! I'm getting another set for my TIVO and a spare for future use. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
 
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I have three computers on my home network and a VoIP teleworker phone. My concern was whether I would have interruptions of my VoIP during heavy downloads since the devices do not support QoS. The voice quality is excellent and no problems whatsoever. Counter to what some users have reported, I don't find mine to be running hot. I have had these for about 3 months now. Recommended.
 
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I had some concerns when I received the box as compatibilities listed were only Windows. On calling the manufacturer, I understood the Mac would likely be fine, but that unless the outlets were on the same side of the circuits in the house (all on right or all on left) they would not be able to communicate. That fortunately turned out NOT to be the case. We connected computers on two floors of the house (one directly above the other), and since bought a third Actiontec Megaplug, to connect another computer on the opposite end of the house. We previously has used a Rangemax Netgear wireless router, and no signal could be picked up beyond the first two mentioned rooms. Extremely easy to hook up. We did not need the software. Excellent connection!
 
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I was a bit skeptical of power line networking. I'd heard horror stories of trying to get similar older technology working. So I was amazed when I plugged in one of these units to my router in the basement and another in a bedroom on our second floor and it worked the first time without any configuration. I have not tried to transfer large files over our home network to see true throughput, but for downloads from outside sources, the throughput is just fine. I'm constrained by my 7 Mbps cable modem connection and not the MegaPlug. If you are in an upgraded Comcast area that offers 50 Mbps download speeds, your situation may be different. I was originally going to run Cat5e throughout the house, but I'm now rethinking that strategy based on the solid performance of this product.
 
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Just plugged them in and voila! I actually plugged one into my Vonage router and now I put the phone where I wanted and was able to use the router to plug ethernet into my HD DVD player and Dish DVR.
 
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I have a pool and wanted to use my laptop by my pool, but my wireless didn't reach that far. I installed one of these at my computer and one in my pool house, plugged in my laptop and it automatically found the network with absolutely no problems. I'm trying to figure out if I can attach another wireless router from the plug, but haven't gotten that far yet, but for what it says it does and is going to do, these little devices are great.
 
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We have a media center PC in an area where the wireless stereo system interferes with our wireless network. Randomly it would kick the media PC out of the network and we couldn't figure out how to fix it. This was a simple solution - didn't even have to install the included software.
 
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Easy to use and works perfectly. Good deal!
 
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I ordered 2 of these to make sure they worked as easily as advertised, and they did. So I ordered 2 more because there are 2 desktops and 2 laptops in my house right now. The speed tests on the 3 networked computers are as fast (or faster) than the desktop directly connected to the DSL modem. I don't know if they would work as well in an apartment where security was a concern, because it appears to require a little work to address each adapter and change the security password; I couldn't change mine because I have satellite receivers which work with the default password but don't seem to have a way to change the default.
 
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It was as simple as plugging in one adapter near the router (in the basement) and the other near the computer (in a second floor bedroom). The connection was recognized immediately and the tested speed of the connection is very good.
 
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I bought a pair of these to allow a computer hook up in a far corner of our house, wireless just didn't reach there very well. I plugged the in to my router and into the computer and instant access. Way faster than the wireless was working. No problems at all.
 
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Couldn't get wireless signal in basement so I used this... worked perfectly first time with no config on Mac OS. Super fast... I've actually bought a few more to put around house to replace the wireless links... much faster and more stable. Great product, fast, stable, no config... what more do you want? Only sorry that I paid so much to run Cat 5 thru house which is now obsolete. This is waaaay cheaper than the electrician I paid for all the wiring.
 
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It was a very simple product to use, worked great out of the box. A great value
 
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This is the perfect solution for running your network to all the rooms of your house or office. I used it to install computer stations throughout a church will massive stone and concrete walls. We tried a wireless router system, but even with range extenders, the signal strength was iffy at best. With Actiontec's Homeplugs we now have fast reliable service in every room of the church. Just plugged it in any we were up and running. No drilling, hiding ugly cables or confusing configuration routines. I couldn't be happier with the results.
 
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I bought this pair of MegaPlug and I was curious how it will work thru electric outlets... but will all surprise, it only took about 7 minuites to set this up and get networking done. I connected my media player using this and it works great to get Internet Audio/Video data. Only thing to remember is that the megaplug connected to router will provide networking to the same side of electric wiring scheme of the house... most of the houses will have two (left and right) 110V wiring and this product will not go across different wiring schemes.
 
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I bought this and used to connect my Canon MP970 Pixma printer - extremely easy. I am buying one more pair, either for use other equipment, or give as gift.
 
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I have an older house with 3 prong and two prong plugs all over th house. I was concern at first but when the twin pak arrived it didn't take me more than 10 minutes my network was up and running as if I am connected to the cable modem.
 
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I have an older house (built in 1963). My rear of the house and upstairs bed rooms had gone through some upgrade, with 3 prong and 2 prong plug spreaded all over the property. At first I was concern if the different types of wiring and grouding would present some difficulties for the MegaPlug to work properly. I was totally surprised. I got the twin pack set up in 10 minutes or less without any need of using the configuration CD. The remote PC works flawlessly even just as fast as if I have a direct connection to the cable modem. I highly recommend the products!!!
 
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This is a great product that works out of the box with little setup required. The technology is amazing as well as the security features. Wireless is convenient but when it starts to reach its limits, this product steps up and performs to reach to places a wireless signal may not reach.
 
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I bought this to connect my DirecTV HD DVR to my router so I could take advantage of their new (but beta) Video-On-Demand service. It works great for this purpose and also works with XBOX Live. I thought this kind of thing was BS before buying however it does work and connection speeds seem about the same as a direct connection.
 
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This is an excellent solution for expanding a small network. The speed is much higher than cable or DSL service and it's easy and secure right out of the box. You can move the adapters from one outlet to another without any reconfiguring - just give the devices a moment to figure out what happened. You don't need to load the software and enable the higher security functions unless you live in multi-unit housing and share the same utility feed as other people - note that I said feed and not meter - the signals will go through the breaker panel and meter but not the utility company transformer. I've bought two pair now. The first set was to extend the network to my garage. I added one unit from the second pair behind my TV to add my TV to the home network instead of trying to add WiFi to the TV.
 
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Previous reviews indicated plug and play ease of use. I can not get a connection from all outlets in the house. I bought this product to increase the bandwidth more than my wireless network for video transfer within the house via a new Slingbox. The outlets near my video sources will not connect to my router using this product even though other outlets in the house will connect. I get good connections in the same room as I need but not at the outlets that matter to me. I think they are on different circuits and I have not loaded the trouble shooting disk to dig deeper. It is not plug and play for me.
 
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I needed to get my Xbox360 and my DirecTV box on my network and I didn't want to spend $90 on the wireless adapter for the Xbox. I found this solution and it worked perfect. I didn't install anything from the CD. I plugged in one of the units upstairs into my router. I plugged in the second unit in the outlet downstairs in the family room. I had an extra 5-port switch laying around so the adapter plugged into this switch and then I plugged the XBox and DirecTV box into the switch. I now have both units on my network and I don't have to worry about the wireless signal fluctuating or cutting out. Was up and running in about 5 minutes. XBox live downloads demos real quick. Haven't tested the speed but I'm very happy with the purchase. Highly recommended for anyone that doesn't want to run cables in the walls and doesn't want to bother with wireless adapters. Don't need to pay extra for a Linksys or another better known company. This does the job.
 
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I didn't install the software. Just unpacked them, plugged everything in and it worked great. Fast too.
 
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Much like what others wrote about the setup of this device, my experience was the same. I took it out of the box, plug one by my cable router and the other to my computer upstairs and within 5 mins i was up an running. This was to replace a wireless net connection I had set up where the signal strength was mid to low and my router & card was a 802.11G (54Mbps - but I was getting 18-24Mbps). I ran a speed test (WUGNET speedtest)on the wireless setup and then on this Actiontec. My download speed jumped to 3Mbps from 550Kbps. Can't understand why the huge performance gain considering that the wireless setup never dipped below 18Mbps connection speed. Anyway, overal I'm very please with the product and the price was right with the rebate.
 
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These adapters are a plug and play. No issues were encountered, but I did make sure that I had not plugged into a surge protector. Have not tested the down load performance but it should be some of the same.
 
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Works as advertised
 
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This little kit of two plugs arrived. I unpacked them; plugged everything in; and voila -- we had a speedy connection. I have never had a better experience or easier time installing a piece of network equipment. Our house is early 1960s vintage, with 2-wire Romex wiring, but the connection is stable and fast. The link has been running about 3 weeks now, requiring no maintenance. I'd recommend these unreservedly!
 
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Much better than struggling with the wireless router and PC cards.
 
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My wife has used Microsoft's dialup WebTV for years and when I wanted to upgrade to the broadband product, MSNTV, I found that all the wireless adapters Microsoft had programmed into the MSNTV controller (which is essentially a set top box) were now obsolete and I would need to snake an ethernet cable through our house from my router to her MSNTV controller. This Ethernet Adapter is the perfect alternative for me. I just plugged the two units into wall outlets and connected them to the router and the controller using the ethernet cables (SUPPLIED)and she was up and running.
 
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I've been trying to get an answer from Actiontec for a week as to why their product won't work with a Macintosh. When you get a cursory reply by email you cannot reply to that email, but must visit the web site and re-enter all the details of the problem. It's a customer-unfriendly, discouraging system. Of course if you want to pay them $30 for telephone support, they are eager to help. Don't buy this if you are planning to use it with an Apple product.
 
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worked perfectly right out of the box; truly just plug and use-- no setup necessary.
 
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It's a bit more expensive than I would like for the performance and what it does. It was pretty easy to setup and use, basically plug and play. However, I could not remotely configure an adapter. These should also be sold in single packs and better documented that you can use more than two adapters together.
 
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Works great in situations where wireless networks (including small parabolic dish receivers) do not work. Easy to install and use. Probably better than messing with wireless connections in general, provided you have a router.
 
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I've actually done a lot of networking in my day believe it or not and this was by far the simplest, best solution to home networking I've ever experienced. 1. Open the box 2. Plug one adapter in by the router and connect the ethernet cable. 3. Plug the other adapter in any other room by the computer and connect the ethernet cable. DONE! My grandmother could've done it. And at 85Mbps it performs better than wireless.
 
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Came out of the box and worked within 10 minutes. Then it failed miserably a few hours later and I went back and forth testing both ends. Finally looked at the brief document. DO NOT USE IN A SURGE PROTECTED OUTLET. Doh! Put both ends in wall outlets. No problems sinces.
 
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This is a great product, and a super solution for those of us who live in wireless hell. Clearly cheaper than wired installations, and just about as portable as any wireless need within a house. Look nowhere else... this *IS* the solution!
 
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Incredible technology. Faster, more secure and more reliable than wireless --- with higher thruput. And a no brainer to get up and running. If you can plug in a lamp, you can plug in this network extender. I have no clue how it works... but it works well.
 
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My WLAN setup suffered poor performance as AP and my main desktop PC happend to be far away. Initially the problem was alleviated by using an external antenna, but not before long it got worse, because the neighbors seemed to all start using more powerful APs and I could see their APs has stronger signal than my own, no matter what channel I was on. It has gotten so bad that even downloading a single web page became a pain at nights. I determined to find an alternative. After buying a pair of this EOPL adaptor all the signal problems were gone and I never complained about connectivity again. And 86 Mbps is more than adequate for all apps. Strongly recommended if you are also tired of WLAN signal problem at home.
 
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