Netgear Universal Internet Adapter for Home Entertainment-3D (XAVB5004)

If the onslaught of internet-ready HDTVs, blu-ray players, and gaming consoles has you thinking you have to wire your home with CAT-5 cabling, think again. With the Netgear Universal Internet Adapter for Home Entertainment-3D (XAVB5004) you can install a 4-port gigabit Ethernet switch right next to your home entertainment devices in a matter of minutes and without breaking a sweat. The XAVB5004 ($169.99 list) is a powerline networking solution that uses your home?s electrical wiring as a conduit for network traffic. While not as speedy as a dedicated CAT-5 setup, Netgear's powerlin offering provides more than enough throughput for streaming video from online services like Netflix and Hulu, and it offers two ways to prioritize network traffic for applications that require maximum bandwidth. Its flaws are minor; the adapter heats up after half an hour of use, and the user manual is not included in the box.

Features and Specs

Included in the XAVB5004 kit is an XAV5001 Powerline 500 AV adapter, an XAV5004 Powerline 500AV 4-port adapter and power cord, two Ethernet cables, and a Resource CD with a quick install guide and Netgear?s Powerline Utility. As with the XAV5001 kit, Netgear does not include a user's guide on the CD but provides a link to one on their website. ?

The XAV5001 adapter is the same one that comes with the Powerline AV 500 Powerline Adapter Kit and measures 3.3 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches (HWD). The glossy white adapter weighs 0.4 pounds and sports three LED indicators that provide power and network activity status. ?A blinking green Power light means that the adapter is starting up or is going through a security setup, while a solid light means the adapter is powered up and ready to go. The light turns amber when the adapter goes into power saving mode.

The second light is the Powerline indicator. It glows various colors when the adapter is connected to a network and blinks when transmitting or receiving data. A solid green light means it has a link rate that is greater than 80 Mbps and an amber light means the link rate is somewhere between 50-80 Mbps. A red light indicates a slow rate of less than 50 Mbps. The third LED is solid green when the port is linked and blinks when there is network activity. The Ethernet port is located on the bottom of the adapter and there are Factory Reset and Security buttons on the right side. The housing has vents to help dissipate heat but the adapter tends to run warm after being plugged in for more than half an hour.

The XAV5004 is a 4-port switch. It has a shiny black finish and measures 1.2 x 5.4 x 3.9 inches (HWD). The Netgear logo is stamped on the top of the adapter, and there are three LEDs on the front panel that have? the same characteristics as the indicators on the XAV5001, with one small difference; the Power LED glows a solid blue when powered up and blinks blue when resetting or going through the security setup. You don?t get status LEDS for individual each port like you do with the D-Link DHP540 switch.

At the rear of the switch are four color-coded and numbered Ethernet ports, a security button, a recessed button for restoring the switch to its factory defaults, and a two?pronged power jack. The number 1 and 2 ports have green labels that identify them as high priority QoS (Quality of Service) ports for connecting to gaming consoles and HDTVs, for example. Data coming and going through these ports is given priority over other network traffic to ensure smooth video and multimedia playback. You can also set QoS priorities manually using the Netgear Powerline Utility.

Installation

Installing the XAVB5004 kit is painless. Start by plugging the XAV5001 adapter into an outlet close to your router and connect it to the router with one of the Ethernet cables. Next, plug the XAV5004 switch into an outlet as close to your internet-ready devices as possible. Use the Powerline LED to determine which outlet offers the best connectivity as not all outlets provide the same link rate. For example, you?ll want a solid green light for streaming HD video to an HDTV.

If you want to add 128-bit AES encryption, push the security button on the switch and hold it for two seconds until it blinks. Within two minutes, press the security button on the second adapter and it will be assigned the same randomly generated encryption key as the first adapter. You now have a four port gigabit switch that can be used to bring wired Ethernet to all of your home entertainment devices, including web-enabled HDTVs and blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and streaming boxes such as Roku, Boxee, and Apple TV.

In addition to assigning QoS priority, the Powerline Utility software scans your network and displays the model number, MAC address, and firmware version of each connected device. Clicking on a device gives you the ability to name it and manually assign an encryption key and a QoS priority. You can also update the firmware with the click of a mouse button.

Performance

The XAVB5004 kit worked like a charm. The Powerline Utility detected a link rate of 500 Mbps from the adapter to the router and 156 Mbps from the adapter to the switch, which is more than adequate for streaming HD video and right in line with the DHP540?s rate of 158 Mbps. Episodes of The Office in HD streaming via Netflix played smoothly with no trace of lag and the soundtrack was perfectly synced to the video. Copying a 100MB folder via the XAVB5004 took 17 seconds, while a 500MB folder took 1 minute and 13 seconds. The D-Link DHP-540 was a bit faster with speeds of 13 seconds (100 MB) and 1 minute and 8 seconds (500 MB). By way of comparison, it took 1 minute and 18 seconds to copy the 100MB folder over my wireless 802.11 N network and a whopping 9 minutes and 25 seconds to copy the 500 MB folder.

If you?re looking to bring wired Ethernet to your home theater components or simply want faster transfer rates than you get with Wi-Fi, the Netgear Universal Internet Adapter for Home Entertainment-3D Kit (XAVB5004) is a reasonably priced solution that installs in minutes. Whereas the pricey D-Link DHP540 ($199.99 list) comes with just the 4-port switch, the XAVB5004 comes with a powerline adapter and a 4-port switch so you can get up and running right out of the box, and it?s around $30 cheaper.? Affordable pricing, ease of use, and solid performance earn the XAVB5004 our Editors? Choice for Powerline networking products.

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