Powerline networking might not be the most popular technology around, but it can prove to be extremely useful in quite a number of situations, and for this reason, companies such as NETGEAR invest heavily in the development of new technologies and products in this segment.

And, in fact, we haven't mentioned NETGEAR just as a random example, because the company has just announced the launch of what they deem to be the fastest powerline networking adapters currently available, the NETGEAR Powerline AV 500 family.

NETGEAR Powerline AV 500 products have been designed for compatibility with the draft IEEE P1901 global standard for high-speed powerline communications and allow users to enjoy data rates of up to 500Mbps.

In addition, all AV 500 products come with a Gigabit Ethernet connection, which can really come in handy for attaching a NETGEAR Stora or ReadyNAS to enable multiple HD streams to TVs or other devices without overburdening one's home router.

The adapter in the NETGEAR Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) is extremely compact and also has the added benefit of only taking up one electrical outlet without blocking the adjacent one.

The NETGEAR Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501), while sharing the same performance and design benefits as the NETGEAR Powerline 500 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB5001), offers an extra integrated and filtered power socket for "pass-through" capability.

This integrated power socket can also be used as an ordinary power socket for other electrical devices.

Next in line comes the NETGEAR Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender kit (XAVNB2001), which combines wireless-N 300 WiFi with the AV 200 powerline to create the first integrated solution to turn any home electrical outlet into a WiFi hotspot.

This empowers consumers to extend their WiFi coverage to places in their homes where it is difficult to get a WiFi connection.

The kit automatically connects into an existing home WiFi network and it also supports the standards-based WPS push button security set-up.

The NETGEAR Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) will be available online and in retail stores worldwide in the Fall 2010 and has an MSRP of $159 USD, while the NETGEAR Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501) will also be available in the Fall 2010 and has an MSRP of $179 USD.

Finally, the NETGEAR Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender Kit (XAVNB2001) will be available online and in retail stores worldwide in the Fall 2010 and has an MSRP of $169.99 USD.


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