TP-LINK AV1200 Gigabit Passthrough Powerline (3 – Port) Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

Now that we have had a look at the A1200 from TP-LINK in a little more detail, set up the devices and had a good number of hours playing with them we can now move onto bringing our experience to a close.

The A1200 by TP-LINK can easily be scrolled past while browsing online e-commerce sites to find some means of expanding your network capabilities, mainly due to this smart little device blending in with all the other powerline pass through out there and many missing the potential which the A1200 stands out in so many departments with.

Cosmetically, the A1200 is very basic and of a substantial size to many other powerline passthrough options on the market but nevertheless is not an eyesore in any way.

Build quality is excellent, no rough finishes or uncut mould marks and each port are set well into the shell of the transmitter and receiver; No cheap and creaky plastic was used. Oh and allowing a power socket to not go to waste, what a clever and very good idea TP-LINK!

Set up wise, the TP-LINK A1200 is an extremely easy device to set up and configure to meet your required specifications. The provided manual, short yet sweet, gave all the information needed and more in case you had any support questions regarding this product.

Coverage expansion was brilliant and did exactly what was required, expanding the wireless range of your home Wi-Fi. Both 2.4Ghz and 5.0 Ghz bands saw a big increase in download speed to the point of allowing for the use of much more bandwidth intensive tasks to be an acceptable objective.

Expansion of LAN based devices was also a key feature advertised and also delivered very well. Rather than running a long network cable or resulting to the use of Wi-Fi from a dongle, given if you had no option to use the Wi-Fi expansion of the transmitter and receiver, the A1200 was a fantastic example of how a product SHOULD work as stated. Running a line into the transmitter and using the very well constructed wiring loop my house had made for the full potential of the receiver to show and very well at that. Now I can run my PC at its full download/upload potential without a mass of network cables or use the jumpy Wi-Fi from an old router.

I would like to take this time to note the obvious to some but not so much for many. The A1200, like ALL powerline throughputs, require VERY GOOD home wiring/electrics to operate. If you intend on using a device like this in an old house, you can be sure to see very little to no improvement due to age and electrical deterioration. Also, note that all electrics on the circuit between transmitter and receiver must be on the same loop. Jump loops or non-interconnecting loops means that electricity cannot transmit the signal to the receiver, this losing the data sent.

Overall, I am very impressed with TP-LINK’s latest product for network expansion and would highly recommend anyone wanting to do exactly this in their home to pick on up now. Why might you ask? Because you will soon see that as technology advances, the need to keep on with high download/upload speeds is a must and the A1200 provides this is two levels; Wi-Fi and LAN. There is no downside to operating such a device in your home, no addition to your electricity bill or jumpy interference, just standardised throughput. With all this said, I would like to award the TP-LINK A1200 the recommended award for being an outstanding product and as mentioned, a must for anyone in a new structure and wanting to expand their networking potential. Good work TP-LINK!