INTRODUCTION

   As we all know manufacturers all around the world keep researching ways to amplify/boost wireless connectivity via the introduction of new hardware and standards but for people who place performance and data security above all else (versatility due to the lack of wires mostly) wired connectivity will probably always be the one at the top. Unfortunately although the design of new buildings all around the world includes wall channels for the installation of CAT5-7 cabling making it extremely easy for people to setup a local area network the same doesn't apply for older buildings and that's where powerline adapters come in. D-Link is considered to be amongst the top Network manufacturers in the world for almost two decades now and although it did take us a while to get our hands on their latest powerline kit to see just how it compares against similar models released by the other leading manufacturers it's finally here.

   D-Link helps you connect to more of everything with our innovative approach to computer networking. From relatively modest beginnings in Taiwan the company has grown over the last 29 years into an exciting global brand offering the latest network solutions. Whether it is for the home consumer, business or service provider we pride ourselves on offering award winning networking products and services. We will continue to lead the way in building networks for people around the world.

   We were send the Powerline AV2 1000 HD Gigabit passthrough starter kit (DHP-P601AV) by D-Link and as the name clearly states it contains two 1GbE (1000Mbps) Homeplug AV2 compatible powerline adapters. These powerline adapters feature MIMO technology (multiple-input and multiple-output), passthrough electrical socket (so you basically don't lose the wall socket by using these adapters), 128-bit AES encryption (useful primarily in office buildings), single RJ45 Ethernet port and require up to 3.7W each during use. Much like most other manufacturers D-Link advertises the AV2 1000 adapters as ideal for HD video streaming, lag-free gaming and VoIP calls so let's find out just how fast this kit really is.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A product picture is placed at the front of the box along with a list describing the main product features and of course the company logo/name.

The main product features are also listed on the left side of the box but in more detail.

Much like every other powerline adapter in the market currently the AV2 1000 is also plug and play and D-Link points that out as well on the right side of the box.

A product description is printed at the rear of the box in 10 languages.

Inside the box D-Link has placed the AV2 1000 adapters, two yellow RJ45 Ethernet cables, manual CD, quick installation guide, declaration of conformity paper and the warranty information paper.

THE AV2 1000 HD GIGABIT PASSTHROUGH STARTER KIT

Size-wise the AV2 1000 adapters are pretty much the same as others in the market so they weigh 195g and measure 113.49mm in height, 58.48mm in width and 37.8mm in depth.

To have a better idea about their size we placed one of the adapters right next to the larger FRITZ!Powerline 546E by AVM.

The three activity LEDs at the front of the adapter are for the power, powerline adapter pairing and internet access.

The child safety feature in the electrical socket is always good to see.

At the base of the adapter we see the RJ45 Ethernet port, AES-128bit encryption button and the reset button.

Moving at the rear we see a sticker which contains the serial and part numbers, barcodes, MAC address, PLC password, hardware version, installed firmware version and the product electrical requirements.

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As already mentioned plenty of times in the past the performance of Powerline adapters is directly linked to the quality of the buildings electrical grid/wiring so the output speeds from such devices will most probably vary between new and old structures. Still the results recorded when testing Powerline adapters inside the same building should easily point out the best one and so to that end we used the well-known Passmark Performance Test to measure the data transfer rate in wired, wireless and Powerline modes with a fixed (for every test) distance of 15 meters between our Netgear D6300 Gigabit modem/router (we changed from the DGN3500 since after 20 tests we saw no difference in performance with the D6300 between the powerline adapters we have here) and the primary and secondary systems (30m in total between both systems / we make use of CAT7 cables for wired tests). For Wi-Fi capable powerline adapters we left the secondary adapter at the same spot as with the other tests and used it with an 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible Toshiba Qosmio Laptop placed roughly 5 meters away.

   The network data transfer test was set to duration of 40 seconds and was repeated a total of 7 times after which the average numbers were recorded into our charts. As a secondary test we are also using QCheck by Ixia which is considered amongst the top measuring tools of its kind. Tests are performed 7 times at throughput mode with a data size of 1000Kb and in the end the average numbers once again get recorded into our charts. As of February 2015 we also record ATTO results in our charts (256MB total length) after 7 repeats.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Powerline adapters have come a long way since I first started using them well over 7 years ago and although no matter how good and fast they get their performance is always dependent on the quality of the local electrical wiring in the end they provide much better and reliable data transfer speeds compared to WiFi. The AV2 1000 HD Gigabit Passthrough Kit by D-Link may not be at the top of our charts (the FRITZ!Powerline 1000E by AVM still holds first place) but it’s second best (took that place from the PLP1200 by Netgear) and that combined with the passthrough electrical socket and its price tag as you will see later on is really a very good result. Unfortunately you can’t monitor the status of the adapters like you can with other models but for the majority of users out there that will most likely not be an issue.

   For some weird reason the AV2 1000 HD Gigabit Passthrough Kit (DHP-P601AV) by D-Link is not currently available in the USA but inside the EU you can find it for just 73Euros (Amazon.de). The non-passthrough power socket kit (the DHP-601AV) is however available in the USA for a price of USD69.99 (Amazon.com). This price is quite lower than what most competitors ask for their equivalent products and we expect that to go a long way with people who are not after the crème de la crème of powerline adapters. In the end D-Link has released a very good product with the DHP-P601AV kit and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 2nd Fastest Powerline Adapter To Date (In Our Charts)
- 1000Mbit/s
- Passthrough Power Outlet
- Low Power Consumption
- MIMO Technology
- AES 128-Bit Encryption
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Single LAN Port (For Some)
- No Control Over Settings