TP-Link TL-PA8033PKIT AV1300 Gigabit Passthrough 2x2 MIMO Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, Powerline Network Adapters with 3 Gigabit Ports for Smart TVs or Game Consoles, No Configuration Required

Never used these kinds of devices before, and after some research, I opted for the TP-Link TL-PA8033PKIT AV1300 model. I've been using it now for roughly 2 months, and have been pleasantly surprised by the result. The signal I'm getting, which unfortunately is capped by the adapter well below what you'd expect from Ethernet speeds direct from your router, is more than enough to play YouTube in high definition, and stream content from the likes of Netflix, Disney+, and the Sky Sports web browser app without buffering issues. I like to watch my shows when I do my long runs on the treadmill, and I can do so now without my videos pausing to buffer. Now, why powerline adapters? Because I researched a range of options before arriving at this one. Our house has solid brick walls coupled with layers of insulation, which is a nightmare for Wi-Fi signals. The hope was to get a decent Ethernet connection in a garden shed, and unfortunately, running an Ethernet cable from the house to the shed just wasn't feasible in our case. Too many holes needing to be drilled, through those aforementioned thick stone walls. And whilst our Wi-Fi signal reached the shed, it was patchy at best. Video streaming worked, but the quality was awful; I could barely watch Snooker on the BBC iPlayer, for example, without facing the dreaded spinning buffering wheel every minute or so. That's when I researched these 'powerline' adapters. And I’ll be honest: I thought they’d be a waste of time and money. Glad I was wrong. Mine works, doing all the things they suggest you not do when setting them up. The adapter connects to the main router using a Network Switch, I don't have a baldy notion if the house's electrical wiring causes interference, and the adapter that lives in the shed is plugged into a surge-protected gang socket. Setting them up was as easy as hitting 'Pair'. It hasn’t run hot, its signal hasn’t dipped once; it’s been a solid addition to the shed that has, more-or-less, solved whatever connectivity issues we had before. From this adapter, I'm running three Ethernet cables: a Wi-Fi range extender which has more-or-less fixed the stability issue of Wi-Fi in the shed and also extends our signal across the garden, a mini PC I use to watch my streaming services when I use the treadmill, and an Ethernet-to-USB C cable so I can hard-wire my phone and tablet. The pass-through plug has also been useful, and in it, I’ve got a plug with two USB 3.1A sockets and two USB-C sockets. One of the 3.1A sockets powers the TV’s Chromecast without issue, and the other provides a charging lead for an old phone my brother uses as a camera when he’s playing dart matches online. Now, hindsight is 20/20 as they say. At the time I bought this, the model that comes equipped with a Wi-Fi option was a little more expensive. I should have just gone with it. The Wi-Fi range booster I mentioned further up does the same thing, and ended up costing slightly less, but I should have just opted for the Wi-Fi model. You live and learn.

These powerline are adaptors are very easy to set up (basically just plug them in, connect up the Ethernet cables and go). They are fast, using MIMO technology to improve connection speed. The mains passthrough was essential for me. I can't afford to lose one of my wall sockets. I have used them to setup a network connection to our annexe (Wifi didn't work well, since the intermediate walls are thick stone!), one is connected to the ADSL router, and the other to an external ethernet cable that runs through to the annexe. I am getting about 350Mbps this way over a distance of about 50', which I am happy with (my best wifi setup was < 1Mbps with frequent dropouts and only partial coverage). As a bonus, I have been able to wire up my Sky TV box and Apple TV, giving a more reliable and faster network connection. There is a button on the side that allows you to secure the network when you set things up. I have done this, though it probably doesn't matter much in my home setting. In a public setting, this would be essential of course. One of the adaptors has three Ethernet ports and the other has only one. This works for me, but since my router only has two ports, I've had to buy an external ethernet switch as well. This was still cheaper than the starter package that has two 3-port adaptors. These ones have no Wifi (I didn't really need that, and again the price was high to add it - about £40). In service, the adaptors have been reliable. The only connection problems I've had have been with loose connections (old cables). Do make sure you use high-speed Ethernet cables and buy new ones if you need to. Good Cat6a ones can be had very cheaply now, though Cat5e/Cat6 should be good enough. Once I'd replaced my old cables with new Cat6a ones everywhere, my network has been running well. The only other problem I have is that my subwoofer is picking up interference. The network management app lets you see the point-to-point throughput rate and change a few simple settings (whether the LEDs are on, traffic prioritisation, name). It's basic, but works well. You need to be connected to the same subnet as the adaptors to use it (I can't connect to it from my laptop via wifi for example). The adaptors themselves are quite sleek and modern looking, but mine are hidden away, so appearance wasn't a deciding factor. Overall, I'm pleased with these. I would happily buy more if I needed to connect anything else directly. They are a lot less trouble than wifi and are a valuable addition to my network kit.

Bought to replace a pair of TP-link "500mpbs" powerline adapters. First of all - you should know TP link and competitors claims on the speeds of these adapters are not much better than blatant lies. My old "500mps" adapters only actually had 10/100mbps ethernet ports on, which means there's absolutely no way you could ever get over 100mbps from it. These 1300mbps adapters do actually have a full 1000mbps ports (which I confirmed on the router when I got them) so I expected better results than the old set. TP-link provide a utility you can download which allows you to tweak some settings and shows a link speed between adapters. There's a photo on one of the reviews. This is also nonsense - you are not getting this speed for actual data transfers. If you're getting these to use to provide broadband speeds around the house, you're probably fine, they'll be quick enough. If, like me you're using them to network a NAS / storage device and stream video, copy files etc, then the speed actually matters. The good news is, these aren't bad for what they are & the price. From the old 500mbps adapter I actually got about 60mbps. I live in an older house, but the wiring is new, and the speed between adapters not actually that far, so I'm confident this couldn't be made any better by fiddling about with things. With the new 1300mbps adapters I've measured I'm getting around 125mbps, so a decent speed up and in-line with what I expected given a google about for the actual speeds to expect from these things (well worth a search and a read as there are some brilliant comparisons between these types of devices and actual measured speeds) All in all - super easy and quick to setup (plug in and go!) and a decent speed up for my home network setup, allowing me to stream HD video. Wish TP link wouldn't fabricate the speeds of these. Independent tests with the two adapters next to each other have shown these simply aren't true!

Review of TP-Link TL-PA8033PKIT. I purchased this powerline kit to use with my new Freely internet based TV located in an upstairs room. Having already tried a wi-fi extender with little success & not wanting the hassle of routing an ethernet cable between floors I decided powerline was the best option. As our house is an early 70's build & still using the original red & black wiring I wasn't sure how well powerline would work, but I'm pleased to say that it works a treat. My connection speeds are exactly the same through powerline as they are when plugged directly into my router & I can now enjoy my Freely TV without any picture freezing or connection dropout. As this version has three ethernet ports I now also have a wired connection for my PC & internet radio in the same room. Speeds will vary depending on the wiring in your home, I was lucky in getting a good result but others may find it doesn't work for them if they have split circuits between floors going to separate consumer units for example. It probably helps that this powerline device uses all 3 wires, Live, Neutral & Earth for its data path, lesser versions only use Live & Neutral, so it's worth the extra spend for this feature alone. My only criticism of this unit would be the location of the three ethernet ports exiting out of the top of the plug, it would have been far neater & more convenient if they'd been located at the bottom, they also get quite warm in use. Because these units are not wi-fi you cannot use the TP-Link Tether app to customise your settings, instead there is a Utility on the TP-Link website that you can download on to your PC which will let you access the device settings, I've only used it to turn off all the LED's on both plugs. Overall a great device that has given me a reliable & more secure wired connection vs wi-fi for my devices.

Easy to set up, you can usually just plug and play with these and they'll give you good speeds out of the box. However after about a year they kept dropping connection to each other on a weekly basis, and the only solution was a full reset of both items via the TP Link app. After 2 years of use, one of the items has completely stopped working.

I bought this kit to replace a similar ASUS powerline extender that had become unreliable. This worked straightaway, with easy pairing and good throughput. I am expecting to add a WiFi extender, so that ability was important.

Bought 23rd November 2023, support window closed 23rd November 2025, died (no power light) 28th November 2025. Worked very well until its demise. I have had many tp-link products before and this is the first that I have had a problem with. Apart from the odd reset it has worked flawlessly in the two years I’ve had it.

Great product.