TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Fast
- +
Well built
- +
Extra gigabit Ethernet ports
Cons
- -
Expensive
- -
Only one adaptor comes with the extra ports
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
We're big fans of Devolo's powerline networking adaptors, so we had high hopes for the Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+. The Devolo dLAN 500 AVplus and the Devolo dLAN 200 AV Wireless N Starter Kit both received glowing reviews from us, and even the Devolo dLAN 200 AV USB Extender was well received.
All of those networking devices might have had their ups and downs, but there were certain things that remained consistent, namely their solid build quality, ease of use and handy software in the shape of Devolo's dLAN Cockpit, which makes it easy to set up and monitor a home powerline network.
In a lot of ways it's a similar kit to the Devolo dLAN 500 AVplus. Speeds between the two adaptors that come with the kit can reach a maximum of 500Mbps - far faster than the standard 200Mbps of a lot of its competitors, but slower than the blistering 1Gbps offered by the Netgear Powerline AV+ 500.
Streaming high definition content to one device was handled with aplomb, and with multiple devices connected and streaming, it hardly wavered.
The key difference between the Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+ and the Devolo dLAN 500 AVplus (along with a lot of its other competitors) is that one of the adaptors comes with three gigabit Ethernet ports, which turns it into a very speedy networking switch. It also allows you to connect three wired devices to the adaptor - rather than one - eliminating the need to buy extra adaptors.
Verdict
The Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+ comes at a high price, at over £100 in the UK or $160 in the US, so is certainly at the higher end of the powerline adaptor market in terms of cost. But if you're after a speedy network across your home and have a few devices that need to be connected, then it's going to be money well spent.
