TP-Link AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter Starter Kit

Review: TP-Link AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter Starter Kit

by Parm Mann on 17 September 2012, 17:00 4.0

Final Thoughts and Rating

The TP-Link AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter Starter Kit may look basic in terms of both features and aesthetic design, but these adapters are not to be judged by their cover.

TP-Link as a brand may be unfamiliar to some, but the AV500 Kit is able to offer enough speed to go head-to-head with some of its premium competitors, and with a price tag of just under £50, this is a solution that's bordering on 'no-brainer' territory.

Struggling to get a wireless signal? Opposed to drilling holes in walls? Then TP-Link's AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter Starter Kit should be high on your shopping list for a capable, fast, secure and easy-to-use networking solution.

The Good

Strong, stable performance
Ultra-easy installation
Affordable price tag
Three year warranty

The Bad

Performance linked to environment

HEXUS Rating

TP-Link AV500 Gigabit
Powerline Adapter Starter Kit
(TL-PA511KIT)

HEXUS Awards

TP-Link AV500 Gigabit
Powerline Adapter Starter Kit
(TL-PA511KIT)

HEXUS Where2Buy

The TP-Link AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter Starter Kit is available to purchase from Amazon and Overclockers UK.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

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I am using 200Mbps TP-Link kit myself and love it. Very easy to install and no issues what so ever. Speed is definitely not 200MBps or anywhere near but setup is easy and since I rent I don't need to drill walls etc. Also my walls and all electrics are horrible. We've had 2 ‘floods’ (tap left running in attic) and it was never properly fixed. So.. Can't expect decent signal over copper that is questionable quality at this stage. Plus 2 wires Vs 8 for data is clear where to go for better quality and speed.
Good article. Spot on conclusion.

I literally just installed the 200Mbs kit as the above user and I can attest that for up to 30Mbs (that's the max of our Virgin line) it is more than adequate and so easy to setup.

I love TP-link equipment have been using it for a while and have found that while it isn't always the fastest for me it hits the golden triangle of networking stable performance, reliable operation, and low cost.

Wow, I didnt realise 85mbps, I thought that it would be 10mbps and thats why i only got an 85mbps set, I only get 1.2MB/s which is a bit below that set of 85s but they probably use brand new wires where my house wiring is probably 20 years old, think i may have to get myself a 500meg pair, considering they are going quite cheap now, it seems i get everything just before it drops in price, I paid £140 for my 120GB SSD and now you can get em for like £50

Wozza365
Wow, I didnt realise 85mbps, I thought that it would be 10mbps and thats why i only got an 85mbps set, I only get 1.2MB/s which is a bit below that set of 85s but they probably use brand new wires where my house wiring is probably 20 years old, think i may have to get myself a 500meg pair, considering they are going quite cheap now, it seems i get everything just before it drops in price, I paid £140 for my 120GB SSD and now you can get em for like £50

Never look back at things like that. You get everything fresh and get all the benefits of new tech while others wait ;) You know the drill, there are Innovators followed by Early Adopters followed by Majority and then Laggards. Btw Apple fans are somewhat new breed of Camping Innovators - kind of culture of theirs.