13. 04. 2010

4.5/5

Arno Kral, Taras Sajuk

Tom's Networking Guide

Review Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD with firmware 2.0

Ripened to full bloom

Bravely Belkin introduced new Powerline Technology with Gigabit speed in 2009 ? and promptly got beaten. Now the new firmware 2.0 solves most of the F5D4076's problems, which achieve a multifold of Homeplug-AV throughput and now can keep pace even over longer distances.

Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD (F5D4076)

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Firmware-Update was overdue

In summer 2009, Belkin had dared to bring an innovative home networking technology to the market ? the Gigabit Powerline Adapter F5D4076 based on the dual-band PLC chipset "mediaxtream (GGL541) built by the Spanish-English company Gigle Semiconductors. Dual band because Gigle not only uses the amateur radio band between 2 MHz and 30 MHz utilized by industry standards as HomePlug 1.1 and UPA, but also a second one between 50 and 300 MHz ? although with much lower signal strength.

Belkin's Gigabit-PLC-Adapter F5D4076 look simple, yet elegant. The LEDs indicate the state of the network as usual. (Picture: Belkin)

For the courage to innovate Tom's Networking Guide Germany had granted Belkin's Dual-Band Gigabit adapter with the Technology award ? and immediately attracted the anger of the competition, especially Netgear, drawn to:

• Belkin Gigabit-PLC adapters consume two to three times as much energy as comparable devices made by Netgear or Devolo,
• a power saving mode is lacking,
• the adapter does not correspond to the EUP-2010 standard,
• its performance ? particularly over longer distances ? was miserably,
• compatibility with HomePlug products was not given
• the Gigabit-PLC-adapter could not coexist with Homeplug 1.0 Turbo (85 mbps)
• the advertised mesh feature did not exist, and
• in general the Belkin Gigabit-PLC adapters were much too large.

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So sounds a competitor who has bet on another horse gotten angry about the fact that he can offer a competitive newer generation product only much later. With its new Powerline solutions Netgear bets on Atheros' new AR7400-chipset, designed for semi-gigabit-speed. However, this chipset is currently only available to three "preferred customers" (Netgear, Devolo and probably LEA) but available in volume production at the earliest in the second half of 2010. Whether Belkin but can keep the lead of more than a year critically depends on whether these criticisms still endure in the new firmware version 2.0.

Well, the results of Tom's Networking Guide Germany's triple-play test ? from page 4 in this review ? shows clearly that the performance deficiency over distance is corrected: The Dual Band Gigabit-PLC adapter includes a HomePlug-AV-compatible part, which works in the frequency band 2-28 MHz, and second part called "mediaxtream", which communicates at frequencies between 50 MHz and 300 MHz, although with about 100,000 times less power than in the Homeplug AV part. This explains why the mediaxtream bit rates achieve peak values of 882 mbps only over short distances.



The Powerline chipset GGL541 used by Belkin's Powerline Chipset provides two transmit and receive units, one being compatible with the proprietary industry standard HomePlug AV / HomePlug 1.1 (right) and the second "mediaxtream" part, universally applicable for different transmission media. (Graphic: Gigle Semiconductors)

The doubling of the transmitting and receiving devices, i.e. the physical interface (PHY), explains the higher power consumption. Unfortunately, there is still no power-saving mechanism in firmware 2.0, so that this criticism keeps justified. However, the energy consumption holds within limits: 6.6 watts under full load, dropping to 6.3 watts in idle state. A visible cut-off as established in INT6400-based PLC devices cannot be observed in the laboratory. After some inactivity, the power consumption nonetheless reduces to 4.8 watts, likely to be caused by shutting down the mediaxtreme part as the adapter stays fully accessible via HPAV ? for example to reactivate a connected PC by Wake-on-LAN.

Under full operation the surface temperature, measured with an IR thermometer, indeed rises to peak values of 51° Celsius. Amazingly the overhand feeling is not burning hot ? possibly a merit of the black surface which obviously radiates more heat as initially assumed.

On the other hand: Because there is no sleep mode, Belkin must not worry about EuP-2010 (Energy using Products). It is in fact not standard that applies to comly but merely an "Eco-Design" guideline with the goal to "decrease the consumption of energy relevant products". The list of previously treated products includes boiler and combi boiler, water heater, PC (desktops and laptops) and computer monitors, imaging equipment, consumer electronics such as televisions, stand-by and Off-(Off-mode) losses, battery- chargers and external power supply unit, office lighting, street lighting, air conditioning, electric motors, industrial refrigerators and freezers, household refrigerators and freezers and all other refrigerators and freezers, Haushaltsgeschirrspül and washing machines, small plant for burning solid fuels, clothes dryer, vacuum cleaner, simple and complex set-top boxes and lighting in private households". Powerline adapters are not even mentioned.

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