TP-Link AV1000 Powerline TL-PA7017P (kit)

Our analysis

Plugging a powerline adapter into the only free outlet behind a desk usually costs you that outlet. Each adapter here has a socket built into its front, and on paper that is the one thing that separates it from the TP-Link TL-PA7017 kit: same AV1000 rating, same single gigabit port per adapter. With outlets to spare, the plain kit does the same network job.

What stands out

• No new cable through the house. One adapter goes into an outlet near the router, the other near your setup, and the two talk over the wiring that is already in the walls.
• A wired port where you play. Your PC or console connects by cable at the far end, instead of Wi-Fi fighting through two walls.
• Pass-through outlet. The adapter has its own socket on the front, so plugging it in does not cost you the outlet.
• AV1000 over HomePlug AV2. The kit is rated for up to 1 Gbps, which matches the gigabit RJ45 port it gives you.

Where it falls short

A direct cable is still faster, and what you actually get depends on how your home is wired: treat the 1 Gbps on the spec sheet as a ceiling, not a promise. If running a cable is possible at all, a cable is still the better fix, and a powerline kit only makes sense when it is not.

Look elsewhere if

You can run a cable: do that instead. The shielded Cat 8 Ethernet cable in our catalog is 3 m long, enough when your desk sits near the router.

We explain when powerline makes sense, and when a router or a cable is the better answer, in best gaming router 2026: Wi-Fi 7 vs Ethernet cable. More options live in our Ethernet cables and adapters category.