INTRODUCTION

   Yesterday the IEEE group (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) announced the next standard in Ethernet connectivity which should be able to achieve remarkable data transfer speeds ranging from 400Gbps and up to 1Tbps. Of course to most users this will not be of much importance (at least at first) but for enterprises and professionals such speeds will be of tremendous value (especially when used alongside large SSD arrays). Until that day comes however the only equipment available to us are 1Gbps modem/routers and 500Mbps Powerline adapters like the ones we've been testing lately and because many of you seem to be out searching for the ideal adapter today we are testing the latest TPL-405E 4-Port 500Mbps Powerline AV adapter by TRENDnet.

   TRENDnet is a global provider of award winning networking solutions to small and medium size business and home users. Building networking solutions since 1990, TRENDnet enables users to share broadband access, multimedia content and networked peripherals for true anywhere connectivity. TRENDnet's diverse product line includes Wireless, Fiber, Switch, Gigabit, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM), Internet Camera, Print Server, Powerline, Bluetooth, Storage Server, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and Multimedia Accessories. Based in Torrance, California, TRENDnet maintains branch offices in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia. TRENDnet’s management system is ISO 9001:2008 certified (click here to view certificate). TRENDnet emphasizes continual improvement as an essential component of its quality management system. This ensures rigorous process standards across the entire organization with respect product development, product quality and all other pertinent enterprise functions. TRENDnet's 250-plus product portfolio is distributed in over 125 countries. The TRENDnet brand is consistently recognized for high quality, exceptional performance and professional support.

   The TPL-405E is the 3rd 500Mbps compatible Powerline Adapter on our test bench so its advertised speed is nothing really new to us. Still what makes the TPL-405E adapter unique is that right now it's the only 4-port Powerline Adapter available in the market (to my knowledge) which means that you can use it simultaneously with your PC, laptop/tablet, HDTV and Media Player/Internet Radio all at the same time, simple i know but at the same time quite useful right? However if you plan to use it with 4 simultaneous devices then speed can be an issue and so it's as usual up to us to find out what kind of performance you can expect from it and of course compare it with all the Powerline adapters we've tested in the past.