Linksys by Cisco Powerline kit supports four devices concurrently

Philip Wong | Mar 18, 2009

(Credit: Linksys)

Although I've a wireless network at home, I'm always at a dilemma when it comes to decent coverage and sustained bandwidth in my enclosed home entertainment room filled with network A/V boxes. This is also where the new Linksys by Cisco PLTK300 Powerline kit fills the void, unlike most other similar offerings. The package includes a four-port adapter which allows you to hook up a game console, Blu-ray player, A/V receiver and Web TV concurrently. Compared to a single-port adapter and separate network switch, this not only minimizes clutter but also possibly reduces overall power consumption.

There is one problem, though. Since the PLTK300 supports the slower 85Mbps speed instead of the new 200Mbps standard, it may not be suitable for transmitting resource-intensive HD videos. Nevertheless, the kit should be more than adequate to handle just about everything else, including music, photo, Internet radio and BD-Live web content. The Linksys by Cisco PLTK300 kit is available in Singapore for S$169 (US$121.83). We've not received further information on regional pricing and availability.

Filed under: Home AV
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