Bought four to use for a home network. Very easy to set-up and use, so they get a point for that.
But like others said, I've had each one fail, one after the other. The first one died in a couple weeks - no lights, just a buzzing sound. Another two weeks later, a second one died the same way. And a week later, a third one died the same way.
Each time I followed their RMA process and received a replacement (another point for being responsive), but the process takes weeks and you have to pay your own shipping. For the replacements, I'm approaching the same two week mark on those and fear the same thing will happen (the hardware and firmware numbers are the same as the first batch). Not good. If I only had one pair, my entire network would have been dead this entire time.
I wish they would fix that hardware glitch, because otherwise they are incredibly easy to use and very fast.
This product is astoundingly horrible. I can't believe it was even brought to market. I've read reviews of this thing, and most reviews seem to omit (strangely), the most important limitation of this product.
It only works if the two electrical sockets being used are on the same circuit. That is, if they share the same fuse or circuit breaker.
This is a limitation, that, in my view, makes the product useless. I have a small home, but within my home I have over 20 circuits. My PC is plugged into my office circuit, which also includes a plug in my garage and backyard, but no other plugs in the house. My general household plugs are split over 5 different circuits. D-link's claim that this will allow you to turn any plug in your house into part of a home network, is pure fiction. Unless those two plugs happen, by chance, to be on the same circuit, then they cannot be networked. With 5-10 circuits in the typical household system, the odds of two plugs in different parts of the house being on the same circuit is unlikely. Why would I want to network 2 plugs in the same room or same part of the house?
What's worse is that this fact is not disclosed in any of the literature, which seems intentional, given the importance of this limitation. The packaging says "plugs must be on the same electrical system". This is presumably their weak effort at disclosure, but it is hardly truthful. It should say somewhere, plainly, that all networked plugs must be on the same CIRCUIT. And now it does say that somewhere. Here.
I'm disappointed in D-link. They make some quality products, I wouldn't expect this sub-standard product marketing from them.
I returned it. Pure junk.
I've been having some problems with my wireless range upstairs, so I decided to try out these units for my front upstairs room. Wow! It's incredibly easy to set up - just plug them into a power receptacle, connect the ethernet cable, and BAM!, it works. No software setup necessary (at least with Windows XP).
I also plugged one unit into a surge protector (an APC UPS), and it works fine! I've read that some other brands don't work when plugged into a surge protector, so this was a big plus.
I bought almost 2 dozens of these device and installed it in my network to connect network cameras and access points. They worked well but only for a while. After 3 to 4 weeks, they died one by one. Would no longer work. I brought them back to the store and got replacements. The replacements also died after a few weeks. Called tech support but they are clueless.
I am now on my third batch, hoping the problem has been eliminated.
I just bought this product today and have plugged it in throughout my house and have no problems at all.
I paid $149 CAD which seems expensive but without the need to purchase network cables it's not that bad.
dlink package says 'outlets and wiring must be part of same electrical system'.
As stated on their web site Q&A - reality is that they have to be same CIRCUIT! no breakers in between. That is a big difference from same system. So unless you live in a place with only 10 outlets (max per circuit) you most likely will have no use for this. For the money, this product stinks.
i bought this start up kit yesterday, and within 10 mins of playing around with wires i had it up and running... without ANY configuration, which is AMAZING! i hate HATE HATE wireless networking, due to the security issues, and setup, and no guarantee of signal. i have an OLD linksys G (which may be the source of my problems) and 2 wireless usb adapters... signal gets dropped ALL the time. so in frustration, i finally bought these (i've been searching for a while) and i'm completely happy. my only con for this, is the lack of single adapters for purchase... i have 1 more pc to set up, but will have to shell out $170 CDN to get it.
As with the previous two comments, I purchased these and they started dying. I have had the first one replaced by RMA...at my cost. Called them after the next two died at the same time. Cust Service admits there is an issue and they are waiting for a new batch to arrive in July. They still want me to pay shipping to return the failed units (4 our to 5 so far). I refuse to be penalized for their quality issues.