MacWireless Announces 200 Mbps over Household Wiring

by , 4:25 PM EDT, April 18th, 2008

Macwireless announced on Friday the immediate availability of a power line adapter," Powerline - 200 Mbps" for Macintosh. The device allows one to create a network with speeds of up to 200 Mbps using existing house wiring. It's particularly useful when obstructions block wireless networking.

According to MacWireless, the Powerline is ideal for:

• Sharing broadband internet access around the home or office.
• Connecting networks together.
• Sharing printers, scanners and other peripherals.
• Transferring and sharing files between computers.
• Playing network games - you can even connect your game consoles.

"Powerline Networking devices convert data from your computer into a signal that can be transmitted over standard AC wires. The signal does not interfere with the ordinary current traveling through the wires. You simply go Ethernet into one adapter and take Ethernet out of one or more adapters in different outlets. Powerline adapters use your existing wiring as an Ethernet extension cable," according to MacWireless.

No drivers are required, and the system will also work with Windows computers.

There are several products with different rated speeds in this family. The Powerline Network Adapter - 200 Mbps allows use up to 980 feet of electrical wiring. Each unit is priced at US$99.98, and at least two of the devices is required to set up a network.