Powerline Routing

Setting up a home network might be a bit cumbersome if you have to lay out extremely long LAN cables or use multiple access points just to reach all the corners of your house. There is a simpler solution to all of this in the form of powerline networking, so we’re glad to have gotten our hands on Aztech’s homeplug wireless starter kit, which includes the HL113E and HL113EW.

Not familiar with powerline networking? Basically, this type of networking makes use of your existing electrical wiring as a gateway for your data traffic, which essentially removes the need for new cables. This makes it easier to include every room in your house to your network.

As stated, this bundle comes with two white and lightweight adapters, the HL113E and HL113EW. The HL113E has a minimalist design to it and has three status LEDs on its front side plus an Ethernet port at the bottom (this will act as your Ethernet adapter). The same can be said for the HL113EW, the large unit that functions as your wireless extender. It has three status LEDs and a Wi-Fi Protected setup button on its front, two Ethernet ports on its bottom side, and has WLAN capabilities.

Setting up the kit is really easy; you simply plug the HL113E into a wall socket and connect a LAN cable to it from your modem or router, and then plug the HL113EW into a wall socket where you want to add network access. Once done, you can either use the Ethernet ports or connect via Wi-Fi through the HL113EW. From here on out, you’ll be able to configure the HL113EW just like your usual router.

In the web UI, you can change the wireless settings, including SSID, password, channel, and mode. When it comes to security, this bundle provides 128-bit AES encryption, and you can choose between WPA, WPA2, or WAP for your WLAN, which is more than enough for home usage. The Wi-Fi connection the HL113EW provides follows the 802.11n standard and allows up to 150Mbps of data throughput, while the LAN connection provides up to 200Mbps. When we used this kit, we were able to get the rated data transfer rate when we transferred files via Ethernet and Wi-Fi. The wireless signal was good up to around 15 meters, provided that there were no obstructions.

The Aztech HL113E/EW bundle is an example of a product that works great out of the box and is easy to set up. With an SRP of $70, you’ll definitely want to look into this if you’re just about to create your home network.

AT A GLANCE

FREQUENCY BAND
2MHz to 30MHz
SECURITY
128-bit AES Link Encryption
DATA TRANSFER RATE
Up to 200Mbps
CHIPSET
Qualcomm Athero QCA6410