Netgear PA-101 Home Phoneline USB Adapter

Average customer rating: 4.0

Positive - from comp. eng. student
Cheap, simple, convenient
It, quite simply, rocks
Good way to set up a fast, efficient, simple network at home
Good product overall

Netgear PA-101 Home Phoneline USB Adapter

Manufacturer: Netgear
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00004SYLO

Related Categories:

Phone Line Networking

USB Network Adapters

Phone Line Networking

USB Network Adapters

Accessories

| Netgear | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics

Amazon.com Product Description

The PA101 USB home phone-line adapter from Netgear turns your home phone lines into a high-speed computer network. Just plug one end into the PC's USB port and the other end into a telephone wall jack (phone cable is included). Within minutes you can play multiplayer games, share files and printers, and even access the Internet on all the computers in your home at the same time. Netgear's do-not-disturb technology designs are conscious of your phone use, so you can enjoy continuous data exchange without any disruption to your phone service.

Netgear provides a limited lifetime warranty on parts and labor.

Product Description

NETGEAR Phoneline adapters allow you to transform the existing phone lines in your home into a high-powered computer network. Just plug one end into the PC's USB port and the other end into a telephone wall jack (phone cable is included). Within minutes you can play multi-player games, share files and printers, and even access the Internet on all the computers in your home at the same time - just like you do at work or at school. All this without installing any new wires in your home! NETGEAR's "do-not-disturb" technology designs are conscious of your phone use, so you can enjoy continuous data exchange without any disruption to your phone service.NETGEAR brings the latest technology to the home consumer market and makes it possible to have a 10 Mbps network equivalent to the typical corporate network connection. Now you can share files and data between home computers at the speed and efficiency of a professional network cutting down on time wasted by slower speed technologies. Your phone lines instantly become high-speed information arteries between Phoneline10X adapter-equipped PCs, laptops, their attached printers and other peripherals. NETGEAR also provides the technology to allow you to simultaneously talk on the phone while you are exchanging data among computers! The enclosed FirstGear software CD provides everything you need to share a modem - 56K, DSL, or Cable - that is connected to your PC. All of your computers with NETGEAR Phone line adapters can access the Internet simultaneously over your existing home phone wiring using only a single Internet account. And you're protected with NETGEAR's added firewall security.

Customer Reviews:

Positive - from comp. eng. student.......2004-01-09

I don't know why these things don't exist in the market very much. Ethernet is all over the market, but you would need cabling for that. I connected my Windows XP computer to my father's (also XP) in the other room, and it's working very well, and couldn't be cheaper. You don't even need their software, XP recognizes the device and you can set up a small office or home network with XP - very easily. Arrived fast too. Really fast. Maybe because I'm in CA, and they ship from CA too.

Cheap, simple, convenient.......2003-12-21

Highly recommended! An easy way to have a network installed in your home or office within minutes. Never had any problems connecting my 2 laptops running Win98 and WinXP. Internet sharing, worked same well. Consider savings over wireless equipment that would give you the same data transfer rate, but for 10-15 times more money. It is not worth it to pay that much just for the convenience of walking aroung the apartment with your laptop (What if you have only desktops?). I believe anybody still prefers working at the desk, and not on a porch, toilet or in a bath. Use wires you already have at home - your phone line. This device is simple and thus brake- and error-safe.

It, quite simply, rocks.......2003-08-29

After recently moving into a new house, I soon found there was no feasible way to get a wired ethernet setup going, what with architectural constraints.
I just wanted to share cable internet access among our 3 computers, without going wireless; the low throughput and limited range of an affordable wireless solution (802.11b) doesn't appeal to me.
After a bit of research, I picked up a Linksys HPRO200 router and ordered this litte gem.
It took one week to receive the PA-101, and within 5 minutes, my network was up; and I didn't have to configure an access point, WEP encryption, or any of the hassles of wireless. No need to route any ethernet cable between floors either.
It's too bad this technology is being rendered obsolete; sort of reminds me of the way Beta VCRs were supplanted by VHS. The inferior product was marketed more aggressively...
On the bright side, HPNA 2.0 adapters can be found for as litte as $5 now.
And yes, the PA-101 works just fine with windows ME, and 2000, and 98. I've tested all of them, and recommend this for anyone.

Good way to set up a fast, efficient, simple network at home.......2003-05-28

No problems setting up this system which transfers data between rooms via the phone jacks . I have broadband internet access which works plenty fast on the networked computers in the house.
I'm under the impression that this system is being phased out as it's not being offered any more at the large stores in my area (Best Buy, Frys, etc.) I'm attributing this to the wireless push being made by Netgear and others.

Good product overall.......2003-03-22

It works as advertized, and good for laptop use since phoneline PC card choices are limited and so-so. It would be good for desktop use if you do not want, or know how, to install a PCI card. However, for desktop use I would recommend the PA-301 PCI card. It is a great way to network home computers and share a high speed (broadband) internet connection without running wires through your house. The 10Mbs is very adequate, and comparable to wired ethernet, considering that (broad)bandwidth usually gets you 2-5Mbs. To some extent, the 10X phoneline networking through your existing phone wiring is more dependable than 802.11b wireless. However for laptop use, the whole idea of being mobile is to be free of wires. I bought it initially for laptop use, but decided in the end to go wireless. I use wired 10/100 for my main desktop, phoneline connection (PA-301) to network each of my kid's desktop, and wireless for my wife's laptop as well as mine. However, the PA-101 really works and does not interfere with regular phone use. You CAN actually surf the web (high speed connection) and talk on the phone at the same time....

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