Not too long ago, I tried out the Devolo dLAN 1200+ WiFi kit, which I was very impressed with. Now Devolo has extended their range of powerline kits, made some tweaks and as a result, we now have the Magic 2 Mesh WiFi kit, offering speeds of upto 2400mb/s. We were fortunate enough to get a kit sent over to try out.

Spec & Features

The Magic 2 kit is essentially a powerline kit, with the capability of producing a mesh WiFi system on your home network. By doing this, Devolo state they will be able to offer ultra high speed wireless coverage, throughout your entire property, size permitted ofcourse!

Standards:
IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac(2.4 / 5 GHz concurrent) , IEEE 802.3az, IEEE 802.1p
Auto MDI/X
Wi-Fi Alliance
HomeGrid Forum (HGF

Stated transmission speeds:
-Wi-Fi 867 (mbps, 2×2 MIMO/ 5 GHz), Wi-Fi 300 (mbps, 2×2 MIMO/ 2,4 GHz)
– Ethernet 10/100/1000 (mbps)
– Powerline 1200/2400 (mbps)

Range:
– Powerline upto 500m
– Wireless upto 300m

In The Box & Design

There are two magic 2 kits available, the first one includes one powerline point, the other includes 2. We got sent the later kit, meaning we got 3 plugs in total, two powerline and one hub. There is also the associated instructions and an ethernet cable, used to plug the hub powerline into your home router.

As for design, they look pretty sleek and modern. They offer a very subtle design, with very little going on, apart from some branding, a couple of buttons and indicator lights. They come in a gloss white finish only. All three of the powerlines are quite large, with the hub being slightly smaller. They each include a plug adapter on them, meaning you do not lose out on a vital socket when used. The two powerlines also include 2 ethernet ports, allowing for more flexibility. They do however look somewhat unsightly if they are on show, especially against a dark wall and chrome socket, like in my set up.

devolo_magic_2



Set Up & Performance

Set up for fairly straight forward and quite well documented in the instructions. In brief, plug the hub adapter into a socket near your router. Then plug the provided Ethernet cable into the hub & your router, and wait for the correct indicator light. Note you must plug all the powerlines directly into a socket, not via an extension lead. Then plug the two powerlines in, wherever you want around your house, and after about a minute, the indicator light will change and set up will nearly be complete. This then allows you access to your internet via the ethernet ports on your powerlines and via a new WiFi access points. Notice I said new access points, there is a further stage to combine the points into a mesh system, which is a case of pressing the wps button on both your hub and powerlines, but thats all detailed in the instrucstions.

As for performance, they maxed out my connection and offered a very stable wireless connection. I am currently running a mere 90mb connection into my home, achieving wired download speeds of 9mb and wireless speeds of around 70mb on my existing router (5ghz). Wired connection via the powerline offered near on identical speedstoo when compared to a direct feed into my router. As for wireless speeds, it actually improved upon my router by upto 20%, which was very welcome. Connectivity to the mesh system was good, no issues with any dropping of signal at all during my week long trial. Distance reached further than my home and garden, which my existing router couldn’t achieve, although one of the powerlines was at the furthest point from the router, to achieve this.

Verdict

Overall, very impressed with the build quality, ease of installation, wireless coverage and overall speed of the kit. Although being restricted by my incoming line, this kit can offer far better speeds than what I achieved, and are now a fundamental requirement for streaming, gaming and alike. The starter kit (1 powerline) is currently available for £170, while the multiroom kit (2 powerlines) is available for £270.

For further information, head over to the Devolo website.