CONCLUSION

   When we finished testing the dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit we were all very skeptical since as you can clearly see in our charts it didn't meet our expectations especially since we're talking about one of the latest powerline kits to hit the market. After using the kit for about two weeks however we now see that we made a mistake back then. True performance is not very good but what we failed to realize was that the dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit is not really about performance but ease of use/versatility and so you can easily cover a very large area and if you feel that the signal is not strong enough where you're located you can just take one of the adapters (from wherever you have it plugged), plug it near you and you're done. That's it, you don't have to do anything more and things get even better since it just takes a few seconds from the moment you plug it into the power socket until it can broadcast the received signal. Of course since our lab is located in a structure that has old electrical wiring (roughly 25 years old) chances are that you will get better performance levels (if you use it in a newly built office or house) but still the job of our charts is to showcase which powerline is faster so if performance is what you're looking for then we recommend taking a look at one of the other products in the devolo range like for example the dLAN AV Wireless+.

   Right now the devolo dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit retails for USD238.03 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 115Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) and although i can't really agree with the overpriced tag on the other side of the Atlantic we all believe that the price inside the EU is right on the spot for a kit that contains 3 powerline adapters that also feature WiFi. Of course as stated earlier if you place performance above size and you care not about cost then devolo has better solutions in their product line (including some upcoming ones) but if you want to expand your network both wired and wirelessly without breaking the bank the dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit is your way out and that's why we're giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size & Design
- 3 Powerline Adapters (1xdLAN 500 Duo/2xdLAN 500 WiFi)
- 500Mbit/s Compatible
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n Capable
- AES 128bit Encryption
- devolo Cockpit Software
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Price (USA)
- Wired & Wireless Performance Levels