HomePlug Networking
Although this flavor of networking products hasn't exactly set the world on fire since its introduction a year or so ago, it may be poised for a second run at small networking fame and fortune. Actually the second attempt at getting your home's electrical power wiring to double as networking cable, HomePlug advertises a raw 14Mbps data speed with actual speeds in the 6Mbps range - about what most 10Mbps Ethernet networks run at.
The newest set of products sport a smaller "wall-wart" form factor (yup, they look like a largish DC power supply) and lower list prices around $90. But since manufacturers have reduced prices on the larger previous-generation products, it will take awhile for the newer products to show their price advantage.
Siemens Speedstream 2521 Powerline 802.11b Wireless Access Point
The first products that are available for sale come from Siemens Speedstream. They have a line of three products, the SS2501 Powerline Ethernet Adapter, the SS2502 Powerline USB Adapter, and - what I think is the real sleeper - the SS2521 802.11b Wireless Access Point. This last one is an 802.11b Access Point packaged in a "wall-wart".
The 2521 has a HomePlug network interface instead of the usual 10BaseT Ethernet jack and includes a Compact Flash radio card. When connected to your Ethernet LAN via a companion Powerline Ethernet adapter, it provides an easy and relatively inexpensive way to add one (or more) Access Points to your wireless LAN to cover those pesky dead spots that have been giving you trouble. It costs around $113 on-line, and as I said, requires a HomePlug to Ethernet adapter to connect into your LAN on the other end. But if the thought of tearing up walls or paying an electrician to install CAT5 cable has been holding you back from adding Access Points to improve your wireless LAN's coverage, just add this to your wish list and hope that Santa is good to you!
