Home networking vendor Actiontec introduced a family of powerline networking products under the MegaPlug brand.
The three-unit line consists of an Ethernet adapter, wireless network extender and a four-port hub. These will have a 85Mbps data transfer rate, a six-fold increase over first generation products made under the HomePlug 1.0 standard, the company said.
“Our 85Mbps MegaPlug products make it possible to build powerline networks that can support new services such as TV over IP, digital video recorder networking and whole-house video and audio streaming,” said David Appleman, Actiontec’s business development VP.
Shipping this month are the MegaPlug Ethernet adapter, wireless network extender and four-port Hub with suggested retail prices of $59, $99 and $89, respectively.
An Ethernet adapter is required on both ends of the network, at the PC and at the device being networked, Actiontec said.
The extender works to extend a Wi-Fi network into a home’s dead spots or outside, up to 1,000 feet away. It is plugged into a wall outlet to pick up and resend the Wi-Fi signal.
All MegaPlug devices utilize data encryption so users do not have to worry about their data being intercepted over the neighborhood’s power line.
