TP-Link AV1000 Gigabit Powerline Starter Kit (TL-PA7017 KIT)

Our analysis

Where the TP-Link Archer BE230 improves the Wi-Fi itself, this kit skips it: the TL-PA7017 is a pair of AV1000 powerline adapters, one next to your router and the other next to your PC or console, and your home's electrical wiring carries the connection to a Gigabit Ethernet port. It is for the room where Wi-Fi is weak and running a long cable is not an option.

What stands out

• A wired port where there was none. Each adapter has one Gigabit Ethernet port, and the kit includes two Ethernet cables, so a console or desktop gets a cable connection without drilling walls.
• Plug, pair, play. TP-Link says there is nothing to configure: plug both in, press Pair on each, and the link is encrypted with 128-bit AES.
• HomePlug AV2. It works with other HomePlug AV and AV2 adapters, so you can add a third room later.
• Power-saving mode. TP-Link says it cuts consumption by up to 85% when nothing is connected.

Where it falls short

• AV1000 is the powerline signal rate, not your real speed. TP-Link itself says throughput varies with wiring, electrical noise, AFCI breakers and adapters on separate circuits.
• This is the version without a passthrough outlet, so each adapter takes a wall socket. Plug it straight into the wall, not into a power strip.

Look elsewhere if

You can run a cable from the router: a Cat 8 Ethernet cable avoids the wiring and noise variables powerline depends on. If the whole house has weak Wi-Fi, a mesh like the TP-Link Deco BE5000 covers up to 613 m² with three nodes. We compare both paths in our gaming router guide.

For me, powerline is the honest middle ground: it will not match a real cable, but it gives a console in a far room a wired port without touching the walls.