There’s another alternative to a wired network: Devolo’s MicroLink dLAN products are capable of turning your home’s main power circuit into a ready-made networking infrastructure. Using electrical cabling for transporting data isn’t a new concept, and wiring in the average home can support a variety of frequencies. As electricity uses 50/60Hz signals, extra data can be transported along the same wiring at a higher frequency, without causing any interference. It’s been dubbed Powerline networking.

Devolo’s MicroLink dLAN Highspeed Starter Kit features two deep-blue Powerline adaptors. Each adaptor incorporates an Ethernet socket and is defined on a network by its own MAC address. You simply install the configuration software on a PC or Mac and connect the adaptors to the devices you want to network (using standard Ethernet cables). Plug the adaptors into the mains and that’s it: instant networking.

While the first of Devolo’s dLAN adaptors could only support a data rate of 14Mbps, the new Highspeed adaptors push this up to a more useful 85Mbps. So while you can use a wireless ADSL router to broadcast OTA broadband through your home, key multimedia devices – networked DVD players, digital media adaptors – can be linked together via speedy dLAN units. It’s perfect for streaming DVD video or for hooking up, say, an Xbox 360 in the living room to a Media Center PC in the study.

This is the closest to plug-and-play networking that you’re going to find. The Powerline technology just works – you don’t have to install any new cables, and unlike wireless, there are no concerns over range. Data security is also assured, not only by the encryption technology that’s built into the adaptors, but also by the fact that your data can’t leak out beyond the mains wiring in your house.

Words of caution: integrating 85Mbps adaptors into a network that already uses older 14Mbps models will slow the speed of the entire network. And like wireless networking speeds, real-world Powerline speeds are usually half those mentioned on the box. Nevertheless, if you already have a wireless network, a dLAN system makes an ideal companion. You might find the adaptors pricey, but they’re well worth the investment.