How would you like to use your home power line not only to run your computers but network them as well, with a network connection as close as the nearest wall outlet? One of the first shipping consumer systems to realize this long-held dream is the just-introduced Phonex NeverWire 14 QX-201 ($129 per node at www.phonex.com). Each of these HomePlug 1.0-compliant devices consists of a modem-sized box with just two connectors--a power plug and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack. Plug the NeverWire 14 into the power line (but not a surge protector, which attenuates the signal) and each Ethernet-equipped computer or hub, and the power line becomes part of your network, running at up to14Mbps.

Installation is literally plug-and-play. With no software drivers to install, the NeverWire 14 should work on any Ethernet network--I did all my testing with Macs. Up to 16 units can be used on a single network, with no individual configuration required. Each unit has five status LEDs and three switches. There's a "Hub/PC" crossover switch, a test button to check the link, and a button to set an optional 56-bit DES security mode (to keep your similarly equipped neighbor out of your network--a usable signal will travel until it hits a line transformer).

In my testing, the NeverWire 14 managed real-world throughput of between 1.08 and 2.81Mbps--in the same ballpark a...

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