Review of Devolo dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit

Introduction

We’ll take a quick look at the basics of setting up a network and then dive straight into reviewing the Devolo dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit.

In setting up a network, there are a number of options:

Wireless

Wireless networks can have problems with signal strength and interference. This can be especially true in buildings with lots of concrete and /or steel walls that produce signal weak spots (sometimes called “not spots”).

LAN (Cabled)

High speed dedicated network connections are another option. This is a good option and delivers the best speed and reliability. Unfortunately, there are some downsides with this option:

1. Hiding cables can be troublesome and can mean lifting floors, channelling walls etc.
2. Switches and routers will be required (extra kit & expense).
3. You’ll need either in house expertise or hire someone who knows how to setup networks.

Networking Using The Existing Mains Wiring

Networking kits that use the mains wiring have been around for a few years now. The idea is simple: By using the existing mains circuit, it is possible to avoid the shortcomings of wireless and the expense of LAN.

Early versions (circa 2005) of mains wiring networking kits were plagued with their own technical problems and often resulted in poor speed and loss of network connectivity that made them simply too unreliable to use for any serious application. Thankfully, these early problems seem to have been ironed out and there are now some very good mains based networking kits on the market.

The Devolo dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit

The Devolo dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit

The 200 AVsmart+ is the latest in a range of kits produced by Devolo. We’ve used an older version of the kit( the Devolo dLAN 200 AVEasy) in our office for over a year now which we chose to solve the problems of wireless (i.e. “not spots”) and LAN (too expensive to lift floors etc) so we were pleased to be offered the opportunity to review the 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit.

Contents (In The Box)

You get:

• 2 x dLAN adapters.
• 2 x LAN networking cables for connecting the dLAN adapters to your computer.
• Manual.
• CD.

Specifications

Taken from the box:

• Up to 200Mbit/s.
• Compatible with other Devolo products: dLAN 200 AVplus, dLAN 200 AVeasy, dLAN AV Wireless G, dLAN TV Sat PC.
• Encryption “at the touch of a button”.
• Range of up to 300m.
• Integrated socket (no need to lose a mains socket).
• “Plug & Play”.
• LCD display shows connection quality.
• 3 year manufacturer’s warranty.

Our View

We view specifications with an amount of scepticism. This is especially true with the much and overused claims of anything that claims “Plug & Play”. (Anyone who remembers Windows 95 will understand why “Plug & Play” was renamed “Plug & Pray”).

We were keen to see if the reality of the Devolo devices met the claims /specifications.

Compatibility

The first thing that we really liked from the outset was that the new dLAN 200 AVsmart+ is compatible with our existing Devolo based network. We simply plugged in the new devices (or “nodes” as we call them here) and we’re in business!

Too often have we seen other kit from other manufacturers that is incompatible with previous kit. This means that older kit needed to be binned in the upgrade which is wasteful on budget and also unkind to the environment.

It seems that Devolo has taken a responsible approach and made its new product compatible with networks that have been established using some of its not so recent products. This means that, if like us, you have an existing network that uses Devolo 200 dLAN products, you can have confidence in buying more recent Devolo products to work with your existing setup.

Speed

We don’t have the resources (e.g. isolated test bench) to conduct an objective assessment of the speed claims made by Devolo.

However, we can say that we have been happily using dLAN 200 networking “nodes” for over a year with applications such as internal file sharing, media streaming and shared Internet connection with no noticeable loss of speed or file corruption.

We also have a wireless network (not Devolo based). We see frequent loss of connection and sometimes file corruption over the wireless network.

The Devolo network “seems” faster / more reliable than the wireless.

“Plug & Play” – Ease of Setup

We approached these claims with a degree of scepticism. Too often in the past had we burnt hours of our time with so called “plug & play” devices and then having to hunt down drivers and resolving hardware conflicts. Was this going to end up as another “plug & prey” nightmare?

Two word sum up our experience with dLAN 200 products:

“Pleasantly Surprised”

We plugged in the “nodes”, hit the little grey button on the underside of the socket and we were up and running! We successfully extended our office network with another two “nodes” in around 2 minutes.

Range

We have no way of testing the 300m range claims made by Devolo (our office just isn’t 300m long:)).

However, the theory makes sense. Without walls and other obstacles (i.e. as in wireless networking) to worry about, it is quite likely that ranges of up to 300m could be possible.

Reliability

As we’ve only had the new dLAN 200 AVsmart+ kit for a just a few days, our views here are based on our history (around 18 months as of the time of writing this review) with the dLAN 200 AVEasy kit and how the whole thing works in terms of reliability.

On the whole, we’ve had good reliability from our mains based Devolo network setup. However, there have been the occasional loss of connectivity that manifests as emails not fetching, no Internet connection and loss of network printers and files. This tends to happen on first power up of computers in the morning. We’ve seen this maybe a dozen times over the 18 month period of having Devolo products installed.

Where we lost connectivity, we found the solution was easy: Unplug the Devolo “node(s)” from the mains socket, wait a few seconds and then plug back into the mains. The network takes around 30 seconds to sort itself out and we’re back in action. Interestingly, we’ve seen this issue occur several times after local storms and power outages. We wonder if there is something in the Devolo “nodes” that is perhaps susceptible to extraordinary power fluctuations. We have to mention that, at our office location, we see probably more than our fair share of mains power fluctuations so our experience is probably tending towards “worst case”.

Security

With any network, it’s important that your data is secure from unwelcome interception and intrusion. This is especially important for mains based devices where you could possibly be sharing your electrical circuit with neighbouring homes or offices.

dLAN 200 products offer 128 bit AES encryption as standard. Setting up encryption is as easy as pressing the little grey button on the dLAN200.

Limitations

With every implementation of any technology idea, there are inevitably some limitations and restrictions on use in a practical context. Mains wiring based networking is no exception. Here are the technical limitations that are not fully covered by sales & marketing literature:

• Not suitable for 3 phase supplies. Many businesses (especially manufacturing), require 3 phase mains supplies to power industrial equipment. Each phase is on a separate circuit with isolated wiring. Therefore, it is not possible to enable network between isolated circuits.
• Environments with high mains interference. Excessive mains spikes and surges such as those found on circuits connected to heavy electrical machinery, motors, welding equipment etc could, we suspect, cause problems for nearby mains networking solutions. We have no way of quantifying these possible effects without a suitable testing environment but offer this as a possible caution.

Overall Impressions

Overall, we have been pleasantly surprised and impressed by the dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit.

We liked:

• That it played nicely with our older dLAN network.
• Setting up the new “nodes” was as simple as a button click.
• The network “seems” to be fast & reliable.
• Extending our network by utilizing existing mains circuitry has worked out as a cost effective and reliable option for our office scenario.

There are a some nice to have features with the dLAN 200 AVsmart+ devices:

• LCD “quality” display. We didn’t find this especially informative as any networking problems we would diagnose experimentally (e.g. plug, unplug and observe). A network is usually fairly binary (it works or it doesn’t). If it doesn’t work, LCD displays will be of some help but ultimately, the solution is usually in identifying and fixing problems that are wider in scope than simply whether Devolo “nodes” can connect to each other.
• The “pass through” 3 pin mains connection. Useful if you are short on sockets (which we are not). If, however, you are challenged for free mains sockets, you will appreciate this feature.
• Management software. You can optionally install management software on your Mac, PC or Linux computer which gives an overview of the Devolo devices on your network. We didn’t test this software. If you are so inclined, it may help in diagnosing networking problems.

Could be improved

We would have liked to have seen some more practical help guides on how to resolve networking issues specific to Devolo devices. For instance, we have found out through trail & error that the universal “fix” for Devolo based problems is to unplug the device from the mains, wait a few seconds and then plug back in. It takes about 30 seconds for the devices to sort themselves out.

We couldn’t help feeling that some of the nice to have features such as the LCD diagnostic display and the monitoring software have been added as work arounds to the inherent problem with mains based networking (loss of connectivity due to mains power spikes & surges).

Perhaps as important as providing tools to aid in diagnosing a lost connection on a Devolo device, it would be helpful to educate customers:

• That mains based networking can and does fail from time to time.
• How to quickly and easily fix the problem (i.e. unplug, wait, re-plug).

Mains based networking has come a long way in the last couple of years and modern devices are now far more robust solutions than the early devices.

If you’ve been put off by the poor reviews of older mains networking systems, perhaps now is the time to take another look. You might be surprised at how good the technology is now and it could be a good option for you if the unreliability of wireless or the hassle of LAN is putting your off extending your office or home network.

Devolo dLAN 200 AVsmart+ Starter Kit – Bridge – Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, HomePlug AV (HPAV) – external (pack of 2 )

• Up to 200 Mbps
• Integrated Power Socket
• Dynamic PowerSave Technology

With the dLAN 200 AVsmart+, devolo supplies the best home network over the electrical wiring! Without any expertise, you can connect your network-compatible devices such as PC and Mac computers, game consoles, network printers or NAS hard drives to one another and to the Internet at a maximum speed of up to 200 Mbps. dLAN does this wirelessly over the entire household electrical wiring. This way, every power outlet becomes a network jack in no time! devolo’s dLAN adapters also combine easily and

Rating: (out of 1 reviews)

Price: £114.39