Sling Media SlingLink Turbo Powerline Kit ( SL200-100 ) Review

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(More customer reviews)In a large (brand new 5-bedroom, 3500 sq ft house) it works pretty well. NOTE: my specific objective was to support a SlingBox (original) with cable Internet elsewhere in the house.
I've used SlingBox and SlingLink Turbo in two different configurations:
1. SlingBox connected directly to my router; SlingLink supporting other wired + wireless computers elsewhere in the house via a wireless router.
2. SlingLink connected the Internet and SlingLink broadcasting to SlingLink supporting my SlingBox and XBOX 360 as "slave" devices.
The first configuration is better (obviously) because SlingBox can "broadcast" up to a full 2.5Mbps over a LAN connection. The second configuration is better for everyday use since I get maximum Internet bandwidth on computers.
Findings:
1. Internet speed test dropped from 18-19Mbps down / 2.5Mbps up (Comcast w/ SpeedBoost) to 2100Mbps down / 800Kbps up.
2. SlingBox over SlingLink drops to 1.2Mbps (video quality is a bit choppy vs. perfectly smooth otherwise). I've had it spike to 1.6Mbps over the LAN.
3. Additionally SlingBox over the open Internet (original intended use) maxes out at 600kbps, which is a hair below what it was without SlingLink in the middle.
4. The only real "issue" with SlingLink is probably due to home wiring (i.e. on a semi-related note I had to re-wire every cable jack and replace the primary splitter that my electrical contractor originally installed because the cheap original hardware was so bad that ).
5. Newer SlingBoxes (AV/PRO/SOLO) may be more tolerant of "spotty" Ethernet connections, considering they have newer H.264 compression chips.
All in all I'm happy. Wireline Ethernet isn't perfect and would probably work a lot better in a condominium or smaller house. A larger house would/could justify multiple cable modems.


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The SlingLink Turbo brings network connectivity to any electrical wall outlet, making it ideal for the modern living room with blisteringly fast speeds up to 85 Mbps. With four switched ports, it connects your Slingbox, game console, DVR, computer or anything with an Ethernet jack to your home network. Now you can run high-speed Internet through your existing electrical wiring with a simple plug-and-play connection. Plus, SlingLink Turbo is compatible with any home router.

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Actiontec MegaPlug A/V 200 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter Kit (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)Years ago, I purchased one of the first through-power-line Ethernet kits on the market. At the time, the claimed throughput was low (say, 10mbps), and the actual throughput was ridiculously slow. Not to mention the fact that the connection seemed to hang inexplicably with great frequency. In a word: Not ready for primetime, not ready for anything, really...
Fast forward nearly a decade. By now, wireless Ethernet routers are cheap and easy to use and just about everyone has one.
Into this environment, Actiontec has dumped their new MegaPlug "200 Mbps" powerline network kit.
Your first question, and it's a good one, is: "What's the point?" And for many people the answer will be "none, really, in your situation."
BUT there are two sets of people for whom something like this--if it works--is a godsend.
First off, there are those who simply cannot set up something like a wireless router. It's not hard, but there are still a lot of complete tech phobes out there. Think: your Grandparents, or maybe even your parents. Sure, you could go over and set things up for them. But then what happens the first time the router goes down and needs to be rebooted or whatever? Panic calls at midnight are not most people's idea of bonus time.
The second set of people who could use something like this, if it works, are those with wireless dead spots in their homes. There are a lot of people like this, actually. No matter where you set up the wireless transmitter, some places just get no signal, or a very lousy one. Now, you can--if you are technically inclined--set up a wireless repeater to address issue. But it's a bit tricky for most people who don't relish spending their Friday night shopping the halls of Frys, Microcenter or BestBuy. This kit offers a simple alternative to a wireless repeater.
OK, enough on who might want this. On to the more significant question: Does it actually work, and how easy is it, really, to set up.
I'll answer the second question first. It is ridiculously, stupidly, unbelievably easy to set this up. Plug one unit in one wall outlet. Run ethernet cable from unit to your router. Plug second unit into another wall outlet anywhere else in your house. Run either cable from unit to the device you want to talk to router. And you are done. Even if you have trouble figuring out how to open the door of a refrigerator, it can't take you more than 5 minutes to set up.
And how does it work? SHOCKINGLY well. In a three story home with about 20 separate circuits (lines on their own circuit breakers), I was unable to find two outlets that could not communicate with each other at a reasonable speed, and without any disruptions. You aren't going to see 200Mbps in the real world, but I saw between 24Mbps and 34Mbps, depending on where I placed the two outlet plugs. Before you sneer, this compares to a normal transfer rate of about 18Mbps for a GOOD wireless G connection. In other words, the Actiontec kit gave transfer rates that were between 33% and 90% FASTER than wireless G!
I can recommend this unconditionally to those who need an alternative to standard wireless with one caveat (and it's a big one): This kit is quite pricey. It runs over a hundred bucks at the time of this writing, as compared to a good quality wireless G router, which can be purchased for as little as $30. In addition, this kit is good for connecting only one location to another single location, whereas wireless is...everywhere.
But if you can get past the price, this kit is terrific.

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Actiontec MegaPlug HPE200AVP Kit Powerline Network Adapter HLE20003-01KP 754

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VIZIO VBR210 Blu-Ray Player with Wireless Internet Application, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this Blue-Ray player from Target 2 weeks ago and love it. I read the reviews on the 220 model after my in store purchase and was really concerned at first but have not experienced any of the issues mentioned in those reviews. I am glad though I purchased the Target 2-year $19.99 replacement warranty just in case.
The Blue-Ray player comes with a set of composite cables included in the box which I used while I was waiting for my HDMI cables. The picture even with just composite cables was great. The Vizio 210 has one HDMI port, one composite video/audio port or one component video/audio port (cannot use composite if using component), one digital coaxial, one usb and one ethernet port.
Wireless setup was a snap and I was connected in 30 seconds. The only annoying thing is that the wireless adapter on the back of the Vizio unit has a red light which flashes continuously. No dropped wireless connections like reported with the 220 model. Vizio recommends using their router but this is no doubt a marketing ploy as any wireless router will work.
The upconverting works really well. We got the new Bruce Springsteen dvd/cd set which includes some really old video concert footage. It looked really dark and hard to see on the regular dvd player but looks much, much better on the Blue-Ray player.
Had no issues playing Blue-Ray movies and while it does take about 10-15 seconds to load the Blue-Ray disc I did not find this unexpected as the Blue-Ray disc contains a lot more data than a regular dvd. Also had no issues stopping and restarting a movie as it remembered where I stopped the disc. This was reported as an issue on the 220 model. It also gave the option to continue from the stopping point in the movie or restart from the beginning of the movie which I like.
There is a usb port on the Blue-Ray. It will play video and audio files contained on an inserted usb thumb drive and will also upconvert those videos files. I have not tried hooking up my laptop via usb yet but will provide an update. I use a 16GB usb thumb drive and the Blue-Ray player displays the usb drive folder structures and file names on the tv so it is easy to find stored media.
I have only used Pandora so far and that has worked really well. I will update this review after I have tried Netflix and BD-Live.
The only odd thing I noticed when I tested this player with hdmi, component and composite cables was that when I use component video/audio cables the zoom settings on my tv did not work correctly even though they worked fine with hdmi and composite cable. In all fairness this could be a tv issue and be unrelated to the Vizio.
UPDATE 1/19/11: Netflix works great and streams very quickly. However there have been a few incidents where the VBR210 froze either during streaming or at movie commencement and had to be powered down and restarted. There were also two incidents where there was severe pixelation and both incidents were resolved by powering down the VBR210 and restarting it after a few minutes. Overall in relation to the number of movies streamed these have not been significant issues and were quickly resolved. Still no issues playing either Blu-Ray or regular DVDs. It does appear though that because this unit does not have internal memory that the USB drive is critical for streaming to work properly. I use a 16GB thumb drive which is approximately 50% full. Also my Cisco-Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster has worked flawlessly with this VBR210.


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The VIZIO VBR210 Blu-Ray Player with Wireless Internet Apps delivers full 1080p high-definition video, 7.1 surround sound and connects wirelessly to the Internet to stream movies, TV shows, music and more.

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