D-Link DHP-701AV review: This HomePlug AV2 MIMO powerline adapter wins the speed prize
Powerline performance varies widely depending on how a home is wired and the location of a networked device relative to the router, but relative performance never varied in my tests: D-Link's adapter was always the speediest.
There's a reason for the superior performance: D-Link DHP-701AV adapters use more of the bandwidth on electrical circuits (2- to 86MHz) than standard HomePlug AV2 MIMO products, which top out at about 68mhz. That's why D-Link pegs the DHP-701AV's theoretical performance at 2000 Mbps as opposed to the 1200 mbps claimed by standard HomePlug AV2 MIMO products.
Of course, you'll only enjoy the performance advantage between devices equipped with D-Link AV2 MIMO adapters (but in my tests, all powerline products performed best when paired with products from the same vendor). Performance degrades dramatically on a network with AV2 MIMO adapters from different vendors.
D-Link DHP-701AV adapters are large and chunky compared with most competitors; good luck trying to use a second wall outlet for something else (and there is no pass-through outlet). Also, as word has gotten out about the product's stellar performance, street prices for a two-adapter starter kit are much higher than D-Link's $130 MSRP--and that's already higher than most other HomePlug AV2 MIMO starter kits. Supply and demand, doncha know. (D-Link expects prices to come down as inventories are replenished.)