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Trendnet shrinks power-line adapter big time with the TPL-407E

Trendnet's new Powerline AV 500 adapter comes in a supercompact size, yet still provides a pass-through outlet.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
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Dong Ngo
The new TPL-407E Powerline AV500 adapter from Trendnet is much smaller than its peers.
The new TPL-407E Powerline AV500 adapter from Trendnet is much smaller than its peers. Trendnet

LAS VEGAS--Today at CES 2013, Trendnet significantly shrank the Powerline 500 AV adapter with the introduction of the Nano Adapter with Built-in Outlet, model TPL-407E.

As the name suggests the new adapter is supercompact yet comes with a built-in pass-through receptacles for users to plug another device to the same wall socket that it occupies.

While this is not the first Powerline AV500 adapter that comes with this feature, it's the first on the market that comes in this compact size. In fact, it's more compact than the XAV5501 from Netgear cut in half.

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Supporting the Powerline AV500 standard, the new TPL-407E turns a home's electrical wiring in to network cable and supports data rates of up to 500Mbps. Trendnet says the adapter comes with a pre-encrypted network signal for security, and you can sync multiple adapters together by pressing the Sync button.

The new adapter also comes with embedded power-saving technology that's said to lower power consumption by up to 70 percent in standby mode.

Trendnet says the TPL-407E Powerline adapter is available immediately and costs $70 for a single unit. Generally, you need at least two units to create the first power-line connection, and in this case, first-time power-line user should opt for a kit of two TPL-407Es, which costs $125.