Devolo dLAN 500 AVPro Uni Switch Review May27

Devolo dLAN 500 AVPro Uni Switch Review

The Devolo dLAN 500 AVPro Uni certainly makes for an interesting piece of kit. It’s designed for home or office use, boasting the ability to transmit data over traditional RJ45 gigabit Ethernet as well as wiring already built into most home and office buildings: Coaxial, RJ11, twisted pair and even the power outlets. It also supports a single Power-over-Ethernet port to connect things like IP Cameras where you previously would have needed to modify the building itself to run the cable, at a price point of approximately £210 online. The feature that caught my eye the most was the concept of transmitting network data over the existing power line. In theory, this offers a lot of versatility for home and office applications. By using the already-existing wiring there’s no need to ensure there’s a terminated cable, simply plug one dLAN 500 into the wall in the office space, plug another dLAN 500 into the wall near your modem or router, connect your office systems to the switch and away you go. If I’m not in a position to go run cables through walls and floors (such as renting or leasing the office/home space) for connectivity, this can solve many my networking issues. The added Coaxial, twisted pair and RJ11 are icing on the cake: If placing a dLAN 500 closer to one of these outlets as opposed to power is more convenient or more available, this switch offers that kind of versatility. From a more technical standpoint, Devolo says that over the non-RJ45 lines, we should see transmission rates “up to 500Mbps” and should see ranges up to 600m over Coax, RJ11 and twisted pair. Over power, the range is reduced to 300m – which is understandable given that those lines are traditionally reserved...