NetGear has announced the Powerline AV 500 family. The company also announced the NetGear Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender Kit, which it says is the industry's first powerline + wireless-N access point solution with automatic wireless set-up.

NetGear Powerline AV solutions let consumers set up a home network. With such a set-up, consumers can simultaneously enjoy HD video streams on multiple TVs and computers and makeVoice over IP (VOIP) phone calls using the electrical wiring and outlets already in their homes as the conduit to the Internet. NetGear powerline technology also gives consumers a way to create a Ethernet LAN connection using any ordinary electrical outlet.

NetGear Powerline AV 500 products are all HomePlug AV certified. Designed for compatibility with the draft IEEE P1901 global standard for high-speed powerline communications, users can enjoy data rates of up to 500Mbps. In addition, all AV 500 products come with a Gigabit Ethernet connection, which is suitable for attaching a NetGear Stora or ReadyNAS to enable multiple HD streams to TVs or other devices.

The adapter in the NetGear Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit is smaller than a deck of cards, (XAVB5001) and has the benefit of only taking up one electrical outlet without blocking the adjacent one.

The NetGear Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit, while sharing the same performance and design benefits as the NetGear Powerline 500 AV Adapter Kit, offers an extra integrated and filtered power socket for "pass-through" capability. This integrated power socket can be used as an ordinary power socket for other electrical devices.

The NetGear Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender kit combines wireless-N 300 WiFi with the AV 200 powerline to create an integrated solution to turn any home electrical outlet into a Wi-Fi hotspot. As with all other NetGear powerline products, it is HomePlug AV certified.

The NetGear Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit will be available online and in retail stores worldwide this fall at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$159 USD. The NetGear Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit will also be available in the fall for $179. At the same time the NetGear Powerline AV 200 Wireless-N Extender Kit will roll out for $169.99. For more info about NetGear powerline products, go to http://www.NetGear.com/products/home/powerline-and-coax/default.aspx