[section_title title=”Introduction and Specification”]
Introduction
Manufacturer: TP-Link
Model: AV1200 Gigabit Passthrough Powerline 3-Port (TL-WPA8630P KIT)
UK Price: £114.99 @ Amazon (At the time of review)
US Price: To be confirmed (At the time of review)
Today we will be taking a look at the latest home networking product that the infamous TP-LINK has brought to the table, the powerful AV1200 gigabit passthrough powerline with AC Wi-Fi, to see if it is the answer to Wi-Fi expansion and “other room” interfacing.
Founded in 1996, TP-LINK has become one of the world’s leading providers of SOHO & SMB networking products, offering both innovative and award winning solutions to the market. Ranked No. 1 provider of WLAN products, TP-LINK supply to over 120 countries, serving tens of millions of consumers worldwide. TP-LINK is a company that is fully committed to developing its products, services, and consumer relations through extensive R&D, strict Quality Assurance practices, and effective outreach initiatives. Customer loyalty through interaction, focus and feedback are policies that help form the TP-LINK culture, as well as a commitment to achieve, and a dedication to innovate.
The AV1200, like many products of this variety, is designed to offer not only an extension of your Wi-Fi to other aspects of your house but to allow for a hard wired connection to devices that may be in another room or even on a different floor. Passthrough Powerlines work by using your house’s wiring to finish a networking interlink between PC (or other devices) and router/switch. Many other products claim to do this, but what we are looking for today is a product that is easy to set up and connect to, works seamlessly, offers better overall connectivity for hardwired and wireless devices but delivers all that at an affordable price. Can the AV1200 do this? Let’s find out!
Specification
Taken from the Specification page of their website, which can be found here, let us see what the AV1200 has to offer on paper.
| HARDWARE FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Standards and Protocols | HomePlug AV2, IEEE 1901,IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz, IEEE 802.11a/ac 5GHz |
| Interface | 3 * Gigabit Ethernet Port, Power Socket |
| Plug Type | EU, UK, US, FR, AU, CH |
| Button | Pair, Reset, LED On/Off, Wi-Fi Clone |
| LED Indicator | Power, Powerline, Ethernet, 2.4G Wi-Fi, 5G Wi-Fi |
| Dimensions ( W x D x H ) | TL-WPA8630P：6.0 x 3.0 x 1.7 in. (152 x 75 x 42mm) TL-PA8010P：5.2×2.8×1.7 in. (131×72×42 mm) |
| Power Consumption | Maximum: 10.8 W (230V/50Hz) Standby:5W (230V/50Hz) |
| Range | 300 meters in house |
| SOFTWARE FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Quality of Service | ToS Supports up to 4-level type QoS Support up to 8-level VLAN priority field |
| Security | 128-bit AES Encryption |
| Modulation Technology | OFDM |
| IGMP | IGMP v1/v2/v3 |
| OTHERS | |
|---|---|
| Certification | CE, RoHS |
| Package Contents | AV1200 Passthrough Powerline AC Wi-Fi Kit: TL-WPA8630P & 2-meter CAT.5e Ethernet Cable * 2 Quick Installation Guide |
| Box Dimensions (W X D X H) | 9.1 x 7.5 x 3.9 in. (230x190x100 mm) |
| System Requirements | Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac OS, Linux2 |
| Environment | Operating Temperature: 0°C ~ 40°C (32°F ~ 104°F) Storage Temperature: -40°F ~ 158°F (-40°C ~ 70°C ) Operating Humidity: 10% ~ 90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5% ~ 90% non-condensing |
Information can look well on paper but what does this all actually mean in reality, you may ask. We will now begin to unravel this with extensive testing and in-depth conclusion of this product, but for now, we will move on to a closer look of the AV1200.
