The walls of our homes are already wired for electricity, so it only makes sense that consumer electronics manufacturers would try take advantage of those existing cables to provide easier Ethernet and HDMI connectivity. After all, no one likes to have unsightly cables strung all over the place, especially in a fancy home theater setup.
As enticing as a cord-free lifestyle sounds, it rarely turns out to be very practical. Internet speeds drop precipitously once ethernet is funneled through power lines that weren’t designed for such use, so you can image that high-quality HDMI video and audio signals don’t fare much better.
Powered transmission
The Iogear HDMI Over Powerline Pro Kit ($399.95 MSRP; $300 on Amazon) includes two nearly identical black plastic boxes measuring 5.9x 3.7 x 1 inches thick. The front LED lights indicate when the device is powered on and transmitting data, and a reset button is used on rare occasions to restart mischievous connections. The build quality is good, aside from four rubber feet on the bottom which tend to pop off and get lost easily.
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