Hands-On Powerline Networking: How Well (Or Not) Are Latest-Generation Devices Working?

(Cautious) good news, first; powerline networking technology has matured to an impressive degree from a reliability standpoint, at least with respect to my particular test bed, and across my limited test time. I've actually been running a mix of XAV5001s and four-port-hub-inclusive XAV5004s (in network node positions 2 and 3) since this spring, and they've handled power losses and other hiccups with aplomb, never requiring occasional (or not-so-occasional) manual unplug-and-replug sequences to revive their network connections as was the case with early offerings. The INT6400-based devices that they replaced were equally robust. And Sigma Designs' adapters worked without a hitch, too, at least in the several-day span that I used them.

Maybe it's a nitpick, and maybe under normal operating scenarios it might even be seen as a plus, but at least for testing purposes I wish that the XAV5001's Ethernet LED (the one on the right, with the adapter right-side up) would blink during active data transfers. As for the Powerline LED (the one in the middle), it's sometimes green:

sometimes yellow:

and sometimes red...even when installed in the exact same power plug!

Here's what the XAV5001 user guide says, "The Pick A Plug feature lets you pick the electrical outlet with the strongest link rate, indicated by the color displayed by the LED. Green: Link rate > 80 Mbps (Best). Amber: Link rate > 50 and < 80 Mbps (Better). Red: Link rate < 50 Mbps (Good)." But don't be alarmed (as I initially was) if an adapter's Power LED (the one on the left), normally green, turns amber:

That color change simply signifies that the adapter hasn't seen any network traffic passing through it for a while, and has therefore automatically transitioned into a power savings mode. Trust me, it'll wake up again once you 'ping' it.

The Sigma Designs/Motorola adapters exhibited similar behavior to their Qualcomm/Netgear peers, with the PLC Link LED sometimes green:

and sometimes red:

Again, this occurs even when used with the exact same power outlet plug, at different points in time. My email to Sigma Designs' PR contact requesting an explanation of the difference between 'green' and 'red' went unanswered, but I suspect 'red' also signifies a somehow-degraded powerline connection in this particular case.