REVIEW: Devolo dLan Highspeed II Starter Kit

So I’ve had the Devolo dLan Highspeed II Starter Kit for a couple of weeks now and with my experience, it is time to send my review over to you guys.  If you haven’t seen the unboxing go and watch that video then come back and see the review video.  Basically I needed a new way to connect my Xbox 360 up to Live as well as something as a backup to keep internet in my room.  I could have gone with another wireless bridge, although they are hard to find, but I decided on these growing gadgets that use your homes internal power lines. So here’s the Devolo dLan Highspeed II Starter Kit but has it worked as expected?

Just up front you need to know that (as expected I guess) the box comes with everything you need to get started. 2 Ethernet cables and 2 plugs.  There is also a CD but this isn’t necessary to start with and only to configure security on the plug devices.  There are minimal instructions and to be honest they are nice and simple which is great considering it’s exactly all you need. Simply plug one dLan into the power socket with an Ethernet cable from it to the source, so in my case the internet router.  Then plug in the second dLan into another power socket near your destination device, for me the Xbox 360, and once again hook up the Ethernet cable between these two. That it? Yes, it really is easy. Now admittedly a wireless bridge isn’t rocket science to install and configure, but with the dLan you don’t need to fiddle with all the choosing which wireless access point and all the codes required to get them talking to each other.  So with that done the dLan lights started blinking like a Christmas tree at me and hey presto they were talking to each other! I turned on the Xbox just to make sure and within seconds I was connected to Xbox Live. The dLan Highspeed II did exactly what Devolo said on the box and so far the experience was heavenly.

So what about the design and looks of the thing? Well Devolo have gone with a blue design which is reality isn’t as bright as it appears on the box.  Other competitors have gone for a more neutral white or grey so this one may stick out in your living room’s colour scheme.  However the dLan cool design is only three simple LEDS showing power, device connection and connection to other dLan device. No need for troubleshooting manuals here, it’s very easy to see what’s wrong if your connection goes haywire.  Because it is a power plug the dLan is easy to conceal however there is a slight protrusion which can cause problems with tight small power plug holes making the one next to it unavailable.  Also, where it is probably used near a lot of electronics, it is hard to have a wall plug on its own so mine had to be used on power extender even though it recommends not to.  However with my experience so far it has still worked fine with no drop outs and I haven’t noticed a speed decrease.

So I’ve already mentioned the easy installation but the continued ease of daily use is a big advantage. On that note I have had no problems so far. The box touts it is very GREEN and energy efficient which is a thumbs up nowadays although in my opinion they probably could have saved some more by making the box smaller with only 4 real components inside but that’s just me being pedantic. The great power saving feature is a nice touch, in this eco-friendly world we live in, where the power light goes orange in a sort of standby mode and comes straight back to life when you need it.  My experience is with two devices and you can have more than two and they can be just as easily installed in the network but how well that works is questionable. Devolo say: The optimum application is no more than 15 dLAN adapters in a fully loaded HomePlug network.  I say: If you’re going to have lots, I recommend purchasing a proper wireless network.

The range is 200m and security features are customisable (but not necessary) via the CD so that seems good. Bear in mind if you have no security set up on it then in theory your neighbour could buy a dLan plug and poach off your connection…  I’m not totally sure how the dLan works, apparently it goes through your house power wires but if you have different lines upstairs and downstairs some people have had problems. Although from the Devolo site: Yes -- This is a normal situation, and as long as there is one electricity meter in the house/ building; generally, all the ring mains converge there and the data signal can cross ring mains

Overall my Devolo dLan Highspeed II is coexisting with my wireless network and provided a slightly cheaper different option to get my Xbox back online. There are competitors that have similar products like Belkin and Netgear however Devolo were the cheapest for the better speed when I looked. It can handle up to 85Mbps however to be honest all I’ll be using it for is internet access and I’ll never get better than 5Mbps at the moment but I guess it’s future proof.  So it does exactly what it says on the box and works perfectly for what I need it to.  So if you need to make a connection, whether it be wired or wireless, check Devolo out!