Instruction: Extract information from the supporting document to answer the given question.

Input:
Question: Are they sensitive to minor power surges? I had to replace a couple of Netgear XE102 plug in units for that reason. Are these less prone to failure?
Document: Further research on the internet said that all powerline device uses this extra piece of software. I suspect my problems with Netgear software stem from their failure to include/install this extra piece of software. But the units are supposed to be plug&play and the software are not needed, unless you want to monitor and configure (rename the units) your powerline network. Installation instructions was minimal the Dlinks had a little more instructions, but basically it is the same process.
I'm sorry to say I couldn't give this a good test because it interferes with my x10 home automation and vice versa. I think the reason many have had problems with the units disconnecting is they may have other devices that are sending garbage over the power line, like CFL bulbs. They don't play well together.
It literally took me just three minutes to plug in the two units to power outlets and connect the network cables. No software to worry about, and the speed feels as fast as 100Mb "fast" Ethernet. The connection is as stable as regular Ethernet. I highly recommend it for any stationary devices.
My experience may not be normal. I went through a lot with these things and am left less than satisfied. First off, the only benefit these can have is on your internal network. They will max out your connection to the internet, when they work, but you can do that with lower capacity adapters. My situation was this: I wanted to use the 4 other Netgear power adapters I had bought over the last 6 months with the Nano500.
My old Netgear worked fine and never showed this problem before (on these same power lines and plugs).I will next try Netgear XAVB5001 Powerline Network Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) and if that fails, I will try another brand. I want to get my speed up to the 500MB/s advertised and so far, I have failed.As another reviewer said, these units may or may not work, but in my case I got exactly the same problem reported by another reviewer; more than a coincidence.
Netgear is not new to the Internet-by-power devices, and so it's clear they've taken what they know, and shrunk it down and sped it up. I have the Powerline AV200 set, so I wanted to compare it to the Powerline Nano500 set, and see what's up here.First, both the AV200 and Nano500 connect in much the same way. Connect one plug to your router, plugged into the wall (NOT a powerstrip/surge protector).
This set of powerline network adapters were very easy to set up and have dramatically increased the speed of streaming HD video from my computer to my TV upstairs. They do stick out from the wall some, but not much further than a standard plug would stick out from the wall. I do wish the included CAT5 network cables were a couple feet longer, but the length was just barely long enough for my needs.
When I plug these in within the same room I can get a green connection, indicating better than 100Mbps. Anything upstairs goes to red....and I mean extremely red. The link did not even operate as fast as my wirless N connection. I was not even able to get my full available cable internet speed of 10Mbps...much less stream HD video. If you want a basic internet connection, this will work.
I wound up returning these to Amazon but not because of any deficiencies. I had ordered these to replace a previous version ( Netgear 2501 ) that I had been using for almost two years. My Internet service had just been upgraded to a higher speed connection and I was not able to see that speed through the powerline adapters.
After dealing with 3 Netgear reps and a lot of back and forth and testing over a couple of weeks, they came to the conclusion that the model XAV101 does not, in fact, work with the Nano500. They were kind enough to send me the model that replaced the end-of-life XAV101s, model XAV2001. They do work.The other issue I discovered was they appear to be more affected by the quality of your electrical outlet that other models.
Answer: I know I had a power surge a few weeks back that destroyed a few of my surge protectors but my netgear plugs still seem to be working fine although I have not done any intense network tests to prove it one way or the other.