Conclusion and final thoughts
So let’s just sum up what the Netgear XE104 brings to the average user’s home network.Well for a start, the sheer simplicity of use is outstanding. It really is a true ‘plug and play’ device in every sense. If the Netgear XE104 was one of those ‘Networking for Dummies’ books, it’d be a pamphlet... with just three words: ‘Plug it in’. Honestly, unless you want to make use of the encryption software to lock down the network, you don’t even need the manual, just plug everything in and turn it on, that’s it.
For gaming purposes you can't fault the XE104. Even though the top speed is limited to 85Mbps, this is more than enough for gaming and plenty faster than an ADSL connection anyway, so even if you’ve multiple machines connected and they’re all spanking the network, it’s highly likely that the bottleneck is going to be at your ADSL speed and not on the network itself.
In fact, given the number of LANs I’ve been to in people’s homes, the XE104 is a near perfect solution. Instead of everyone having to bring switches or some enterprising fellow ‘borrowing’ a 20 port switch from his work, a few of these XE104s would do the job brilliantly... and the stairs would be a safer place to walk without a bundle of network cables tangled all down them.
Where the XE104 does fall down is on the bandwidth available for media streaming, which, looking to the future, could eventually be a problem. 85Mbps just isn’t enough for high-definition content which, when I tried to stream some 1080i footage, was choppy at times, rather like watching a poor DTB signal.
Click for larger imageNow you could argue that I’m expecting too much from the XE104 and it’s unfair to criticize it for not being able to cope with hi-def bandwidth when it clearly says 85Mbps on the box and in a way you’d be right, it is asking too much of the XE104. So perhaps the fault lies with me for buying the wrong kit for the job? Well, yes, in a way it does but don’t forget that I wanted to connect a switch and, not being able to confirm whether or not this was possible, I went for the only 4 port option available, which is the XE104.
But now I know that all the Powerline and Homeplug devices support switches, would I buy the XE104 again? Well, even for my home network as it is right now, probably not. There are several reasons for this, the first being that with the XE104 I haven’t got to muck around with switches, which take up another power socket and just add to the clutter of cables and devices either in my office or under the TV in the lounge. Having an all-in-one solution is neater, more elegant and, because I’m only buying the XE104 and not a Powerline plug and then a switch too, it’s also cheaper. Also, seeing as none of my network hardware runs at anything more than 100Mbps, my devices would become the bottleneck on a 200Mbps system. This all sounds positive, so why wouldn’t I buy them again?
Well, looking into the future when I’ll very likely be streaming high definition content, the 85Mbps limit becomes a problem. But, and this is a very good ‘but’, if I moved to a 200Mbps solution now, I’d have to invest in a gigabit switch and upgrade other hardware in my network to support the higher speeds. I don’t have gigabit LAN on my motherboard, I only have a pair 10/100Mbps switches and my router has just a 10/100Mbps switch built in...
So to take advantage of a 200Mbps Powerline device I’d have to upgrade at least three other bits of hardware, which would work out to be a pretty expensive exercise for the sake of streaming HD... but at least the option is there to gradually upgrade and not bottleneck at the XE104. And that’s the key point. The XE104 isn’t future proof and even though it was recently launched on the market, it’s already looking at becoming obsolete.
So overall the XE104 gets a thumb s down from me because, despite its ease of use and neat design that minimises cable clutter and the fact it does away with the need for a switch, it’s just not got the speed you’ll need in the future. But it’s well worth mentioning that if you’re only looking for a clutter free way to hook up your equipment and high definition streaming is something that you definitely won’t need then there is a fairly strong case for getting the XE104. It does it all in the one handy plug and is as idiot proof as it gets... it’s just a shame it can’t go faster.
Pros
Simplest set-up ever
Does away with the need for a separate switch
Perfect solution for gamers with lots of kit
Cost effective
Cons
Just not quick enough to be future proof
A great solution for the average user but for home media streaming it’s just not quick enough.
