Corinex launches power-line multimedia adapter
Corinex AV Powerline Adapter
The product: Corinex has a power-line adapter that the company claims will run at a blazing 200Mbps. That's fast enough to support bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming HD video, and simultaneously offer Internet connectivity to the rest of your home. You can connect the unit to a wireless router and create a power-line extension to your existing network. The unit supports up to eight priority-classification queues that help ensure the quality of service for streaming applications such as video and VoIP.

The price: Corinex's AV Powerline Adapter sells for $140.

The prospects: Power-line technology is a viable alternative to wireless in certain situations, but it has had a tough time winning market share in the face of the Wi-Fi explosion. Also, we've heard conflicting reports of power-line gear's reliability in houses with circuits powered through separate electrical phases and those with older wiring. Time will tell if power-line technology will be able to surmount these obstacles.

By Allen Fear, senior editor, CNET Reviews