ZyXEL 600Mbps Mini Powerline AV2 Gigabit Adapter Kit

Original title: DO NOT GET another router or wireless extender. GET THIS! So, I had tried three different routers (ranging in price from $50-$200, TP-Link, Belkin, Netgear). While all of them delivered my ISP's promised 50MB/S internet speed when I was within 10 feet of the router, the signal dropped to about 40 MB/S 20 feet away, and to 15MB/S ANYWHERE on the second floor. It was terrible. I realized this was nothing any router can fix because a techie told me that all routers are limited to a legal maximum output, so it doesn't matter how much I spend on the router or what brand I get, it's all the same. So, no router is going to solve your signal issue. Next, if you're thinking of getting a wireless extender, save your money. You gotta realize that these extenders will do nothing but extend a poor signal, that's it. They cannot improve poor signal strength. If you truly want speeds to equivalent those while standing next to your router, then you need to get an over power etherline adapter like this one. The only reason I got these ZyXel (my first pair) is because of other reviews and the reasonable price. I don't care if you get this brand or not, just get this type of adapter to save yourself a headache. All I did was plug one of these into the wall next to my router, hook up the ethernet cable (supplied) from the adapter to the back port of my router, walk upstairs to my room, plug in the other adapter next to my computer, plug in an ethernet cable (supplied) into the back of my computer, and you know what happened? 50MB/S speed upstairs! Full ISP promised speed!!!! Now, my house is pretty new, so the wiring is excellent. If you have an older home you may not get the same great results, but it will probably still be better than any router or wireless extender you can get. The setup, price, and awesome results were so great I bought the PLA4225 hub to use in my office where 3 computers need to be simultaneously hooked up. I'm leaving the downstairs area, where the wireless signal is strongest, as a truly wireless zone; but upstairs is now a truly high speed wired connection. I'm finally getting the internet speed I paid for all without having to put in expensive cable wiring in my house (I only have one place to hook up the modem, so this option is much cheaper than wiring a new more central location to put my modem/router in). MINUS ONE STAR: One thing to keep in mind is that this adapter MUST be plugged in directly into a wall outlet (not through some surge protector or cord, or a three way plug adapter). This is a problem in some sense. This unit is VERY big. Big enough to the point that if you have two outlets next to one another, it will prevent you from plugging in a device into the other one no matter how you position it. Therefore, even with this model, with the through way adapter, you will be down to one "outlet" from your original two when you plug this into the wall. UPDATE: After buying the PLA4225 I'm now even more disappointed in the 4215 (this product review), I'll get to that in a sec. First of all, everything was great with my new addition, I just plugged in the PLA4225 into another room, connected 3 devices into the unit, and it worked instantly. DO NOT install the configuration utility to do this (none of the CD's that came with any product worked anyways and the downloaded version of it is recognized as some useless media file). The instructions say that if you need to plug in 3 or more devices you gotta do it via the configuration utility. I couldn't install the darn thing and tech support told me I could just plug it in the wall and go. And voila! Everything was connected at full speed all over the house! LITERALLY plug and play. So, my beef with 4125? It's bulky and useless for the pass through feature. I told you before that this thing WILL block off one outlet if you're plugging it into the outlet right next to it. You're down to one outlet in the end (the pass through one on the unit itself). If you get the PLA4205 or PLA4225 kit, yes, there won't be a passthrough outlet as with the PLA4125 (this unit), and you'll be down to only one outlet (the one next to the one you plug in the 4225; it's not bulky enough to block the other outlet like 4215 is). So, the 4225/4205 is not as bulky and more aesthetically pleasing, so just go with the 4225/4205 instead as the 4215 pass through functionality makes it too bulky and doesn't actually save you an outlet unless you only have the one outlet to begin with instead of two side-by-side). Secondary title: Seemed awesome at first, failed very quickly. See story below. Update #2: Less than a week after getting/installing the PLA4215's, one of them got really hot one day and emitted some strange smell. Since then, the internet cannot get any faster than my wireless signal (15MB/S tops). Very disappointing. The PLA4225 still gets over 40MB/S. I called customer support who claimed that this was an environmental/wiring issue. That's odd, nothing changed in my home at all during the time period and the 4225 works just fine, I don't think the problem is environmental, and probably has something to do with the units themselves. I took off another 3 stars for the lack of longevity on these units, which at this price should at least have 2 years, not 2 days of issues free service. Final title: Finally figured out the problems... Update #3: I figured out the problem I mentioned with update #2 above, no thanks to any tech support from the company. The PLA4215 units are what you need if you ARE going to be plugging ANYTHING into any wall outlet right next to the wall outlet where a Zyxel unit will be plugged in (other than the one next to the router). The PLA4215's prevent signal strength decrease as a result of plugging something into a wall outlet right near the wall outlet where a Zyxel unit is plugged in. Therefore, DO NOT use a PLA4205 for anything other than as the unit connected to the router or else you'll decrease your wired speed by over 3 times. So, to avoid all this confusion, here are my instructions on how I made everything finally worked, wired speeds of 50MB/s all over my house, when set up correctly. Step 1: Get the PLA4205 unit and plug it into the wall next to your router (this will save you a wall outlet since it's not bulky). Or you ca use a PLA4215 to connect to the router but will lose a wall outlet. In any case, use the supplied ethernet cable to connect the PLA4205 or PLA4215 to the router. Step 2: For ANY single (not multiple) connection of a computer/device you need connected over the wire in another room ONLY use the PLA4215. Yes, it's bulky and you'll lose an outlet, but it will prevent you from losing internet speed if you plug in another device into the wall outlet next to this one. If you use the PLA4205 in another room and plug ANYTHING into the outlet next to this one, you'll lose internet speed. Step 3: If you need to connect MULTIPLE devices in another room then use the PLA4225. For some reason, I have no idea why, this unit doesn't suffer from dropped internet speeds over the wire even if something is plugged in next to it (unlike the PLA4205). And it saves you an outlet unlike the bulky PLA4215. I hope that helps! That's why I put the rating back up to 3 stars. It works great but is a hassle to set up/figure out all the problems.