Western Digital WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 15 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 10 stars

  Finally, a powerline adapter that works!

  by David_Johns on September 28, 2011

  Pros: Performance is best I have tested by far out of 7 different PLN adapaters.
  Easy installation like all others
  Plugs into the wall with a standard cord instead of the whole adpater being attached - saves room for a large plug to use the other socket.

  Cons: runs a little warm

  Summary: After trying mulitple products to transmit data over electrical lines, I found one that works. Several of the Netgear and Belkin products tried provided poor overall results. Although they were ...

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  Summary: After trying mulitple products to transmit data over electrical lines, I found one that works. Several of the Netgear and Belkin products tried provided poor overall results. Although they were good enough to do basic websurfing and email, they were not able to stream HD video or transfer large files.
  I tested many different adapters and tried connecting them to different outlets. I initially hooked both adapters to the same extension cord (results were 85% of incoming signal - 33Mbps) and moved the adapters to an electrical outlet farther away, each timing seeing a hit in performance. I continued to walk the adpater away from the router trying to get to the end destination were I want to hard wire a TV, BD player, and A/V receiver. By the time I hit the outlet with those items connected, performance was typically down to 5-12% of orignal signal (1.5 - 5 Mbps). This is not enough to stream HD movies.
  Just when i though I was going to have to get in the attic and run Cat5 wire over cathedral ceilings, I found the WD mentioned on the CNET forum. I found the item in a local BBuy and decided I would give it one last go. I hooked it straight to the final destination right out of the box and tested it. BD player gets 17.1 Mbps, TV is getting 16.9 Mbps. More than enough to do what I need.
  The WDLiveWire adapter, as CNET reviews stated, is the best adapter on the market today. My testing confirmed that.
  Strange that a company not known for networking has created a better product than those companies that live in the networking realm.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  Not a good product

  by MYAGOTCHANANA on May 1, 2012

  Pros: I can't honestly provide any good points about this product

  Cons: Slow and unreliable. Wireless is faster.

  Summary: I bought two sets of this product. I wanted to use it to provide internet to my media players and to a computer. One set failed out of the box ...

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  Summary: I bought two sets of this product. I wanted to use it to provide internet to my media players and to a computer. One set failed out of the box and it took six weeks to get a replacement from WD. When the units work, they operate at a low 15-50 MPS. This provides a slow but adequate throughput for streaming video. It has occasional drop outs and buffer depletion. Then for no reason at all, it will stop working, for long periods of time (Days-Weeks). Then again for no reason it will start working again. It is so unreliable that I have had to give up and go back to wireless.

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• 9 stars

  Dead simple to set-up

  by Bowen88 on April 19, 2012

  Pros: Using a power cord doesn't block the other receptacle plug. Super easy to set-up. Four ports on each end.

  Cons: Not as fast as gigabit hubs when transferring files. Will not work for some older homes (Knobs and Tubes wiring).

  Summary: Get this if you need to connect to the internet without the hassle of wiring the whole house.

  Summary: Get this if you need to connect to the internet without the hassle of wiring the whole house.

• 9 stars

  Works well for this low tech user

  by ztitanic on March 7, 2012

  Pros: I am low tech - plug units in, attach ethernet cables and it was ready to go after brief stumble configuring - solved a slow speed wireless n situation that seemed intractable - quite happy - we have three phase but haven't noticed any problems

  Cons: Print out / review documentation before installing, doc's aren't the best but helpful to someone like me - when configuring it is the "distant" component that needs to be set up on the new network, duh..

  Summary: After a few weeks of use I am very pleased - speeds much, much higher and no apparent / recurring issues - considering purchase of another unit for streaming to HDTV ...

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  Summary: After a few weeks of use I am very pleased - speeds much, much higher and no apparent / recurring issues - considering purchase of another unit for streaming to HDTV - think about where your "free", i.e. non surge protected, wall outlets are and how that factors into setup - otherwise, if I can do this then will be a snap to more savy users

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• 10 stars

  Another fine home network recommendation by Dong Ngo

  by delair2 on November 17, 2011

  Pros: Simple to install, FAST-- much faster than my old Netgear 85 Mbps wall-plugged adapter, Instant access to four more ports, The form-factor is very convenient as it doesn't cover up the whole wall plug like the other wall-plugged Ethernet adapters.

  Cons: Avoid loading the software CD

  Summary: This humble looking product should be on a CNET top ten list for 2011.

  Summary: This humble looking product should be on a CNET top ten list for 2011.

• 8 stars

  Easy setup & works well

  by jmmk on August 19, 2011

  Pros: Plugged units in, ran install CD and was up and running. Access is almost immediate every time without all the wifi dropped connections. Works well on old home electrical system in home built in 1958. Multiple ethernet connections for the various equip

  Cons: Smaller would be better.

  Summary: Works very well in single family home with 1958 electrical system. Wifi is nice, but powerline network is better in this situation.

  Summary: Works very well in single family home with 1958 electrical system. Wifi is nice, but powerline network is better in this situation.

• 10 stars

  It works!!!

  by ias1277 on May 12, 2011

  Pros: Fast setup (plug and play)

  Cons: Wished I knew about this sooner

  Summary: I have a dual band gigabit N-router and still kept getting dropped connections with my Xbox 360. I also wanted to connect my TV and Blu-ray player to my network ...

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  Summary: I have a dual band gigabit N-router and still kept getting dropped connections with my Xbox 360. I also wanted to connect my TV and Blu-ray player to my network but did not want to buy the USB adapters for them. At first I had bought a new modem and router to install near my TV, blu-ray and Xbox but found out Comcast would charge for ANOTHER Internet connection. I then decided to use a wireless bridge (even though I had a feeling it wouldn't work)...while at Best Buy I saw the Western Digital power line kit and thought "Why not give it a try".
  
  After getting home, I had the whole thing setup in 5 minutes. My Xbox connected as soon as it turned on and I was able to stream a movie from Netflix in HD. TV setup was easy as well. Waiting on kids to go to sleep so I can setup Blu-ray.

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• 9 stars

  Easy to install and better performance than expected

  by evansjw428 on February 28, 2011

  Pros: Very easy installation and configuration. The four ports per adapter is a great feature

  Cons: Power cord and provided ethernet cable is a little short

  Summary: The perfect device for extending your network when wifi just won't do it. The four ports are great at the entertainment console to connect the Tivo, TV, etc.

  Summary: The perfect device for extending your network when wifi just won't do it. The four ports are great at the entertainment console to connect the Tivo, TV, etc.

• 9 stars

  A great and simple device I would recommend.

  by Filidor on January 20, 2011

  Pros: Extremely easy setup. It functions right out of the box and works well.

  Cons: Wasn't a fan of the WD Livewire Utility.

  Summary: Great addition to the home network to clear up cable clutter, add range to our network, and is neat in general. It had a extremely easy setup (plug and play), ...

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  Summary: Great addition to the home network to clear up cable clutter, add range to our network, and is neat in general. It had a extremely easy setup (plug and play), and it was simple to set up the security on it as well. The many ports each device is a great feature.The Livewire utility that came with the device (not required for use) has something to be desired. I personally haven't noticed any differences in speeds than I had before. For what you get and the price, this I believe was the best Powerline kit out there.

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• 4 stars

  video review of wd livewire

  by msf80 on January 20, 2011

  Pros: - 4 port - switch ready.
  - look and feel nice while holding it.
  - quite robust.
  - easy to setup.
  - 4 port - switch ready.

  Cons: - sub-par performance in 3 phase circuit - (~ 50 Mbps) in real-life environment.
  - sharing power strip, noise generating equipment (phone charger etc) , surge protection - decrease performance.
  - expensive ($100 per kit).

  Summary: Like:
  - quite robust.
  - easy to setup.
  - 4 port - switch ready.
  
  Dislike:
  - sub-par performance (~ 50Mbps), lag when streaming 1080p content (Big Bug Bunny) as above.
  - ...

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  Summary: Like:
  - quite robust.
  - easy to setup.
  - 4 port - switch ready.
  
  Dislike:
  - sub-par performance (~ 50Mbps), lag when streaming 1080p content (Big Bug Bunny) as above.
  - hot after continuous ON - 24/7 - almost burn my hand.
  
  Experience:
  Much better experience when if they can fix the weakness especially all my dislike items. However, I found a video review on YouTube ( http://******/VYt7J) that got me interested but I am waiting for them to be launched before I can buy! You should see for yourself.

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