Powerline Networking: Secret Sauce
Wifi. Everyone loves wifi. But sometimes it isn’t all it is cracked up to be.
Don’t get me wrong. I run a blog about computers, so I of course love me some wifi. If it weren’t for wireless networking, this blog probably wouldn’t exist. Thanks to wifi I can sit here in a coffee shop five miles from home and type a blog post while sipping on a latte.
But wireless networking isn’t perfect, as most readers are probably aware. I had a situation once where a desktop computer’s PCI wireless adapter would not pick up a signal in a certain room unless it was placed on top of a desk in the corner furthest from the access point. I don’t know why, although I assume the devil was involved.
Most people don’t know it, but there is a another way to set up a network throughout a home. It is called powerline networking, and it is something akin to magic.
Welcome to Powerline Networking
The concept of powerline networking is pure genius. All of us have wires throughout our homes, but they are not usually used to transmit data. Instead they’re used to transmit electricity – but they can, in fact, be used to transmit data as well. Rather than going to the great expense and hassle of snaking Ethernet wires throughout your home or apartment it is possible to simply piggyback on electrical wires to network computers throughout a home.
What’s the catch? Surprisingly, there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter if the electrical wiring used is in use or not and no modifications to the wires are required. Yet the benefits are great. Powerline networks can provide speeds of up to 200 megabytes per second. Also, because there is an actual wire transmitting the data, there is no need to worry about a weak signal causing network instability or speed issues.
Powerline Adapters
There is only one piece of equipment which you need in order to enable powerline networking – a powerline network adapter.
Powerline network adapters are small plastic pieces of equipment which plug into a power outlet and include one or more Ethernet connections. One powerline adapter is placed in the same room as the home’s primary router and connected to the router by a standard Ethernet cable. Once this has been done, powerline network adapters can be plugged into other power outlets in different rooms. A Ethernet cable can then be routed from the adapter to any PC in the room. Numerous adapters can be added and the adapters do not have to be of the same model or brand. There is typically no setup to be done as computers networked through a powerline adapter essentially see it as being no different as being connected by a normal Ethernet adapter.
The only potential problem is the fact that powerline adapters take up a plug. They MUST be connected to the wall socket – NOT a power strip! There are a few exceptions, but they’re higher-end products – your basic power strip from the hardware store won’t work. This can be an issue in some homes. But as long as you can spare a wall plug you should not run into any other problems.
Recommended Powerline Adapters
By now you should be intrigued. powerline networking offers you the ability to network your entire home without having to deal with the problems of wifi. Because powerline networking is still not as popular as wifi, finding a good powerline adapter can be difficult. For your convenience I have a couple recommendations.
Belkin Powerline Turbo Adapters
These are the adapters I use in my own apartment. I prefer the over many other adapters for one very specific reason – they look nice. You don’t get to choose where your power outlet is located, and a lot of powerline adapters look horrid. The Belkin adapters, available in either white or black, look interesting and sexy.
It isn’t all about looks, though. The can be purchased in a pack of two for under $100 dollars and they work right out of the box without any fuss. They’re a great way to get started or if you just want to run a network between two rooms.
Netgear Powerline AV Adapter with Ethernet Switch
This product from Netgear is excellent if you’re wanting to run a powerline network between two rooms with multiple devices. A standard powerline adapter only has one Ethernet connection, which means you’d normally need an Ethernet switch to split that one connection into connections for multiple devices. The has the switch built in, which gets rid of that headache.
Another handy feature of the Powerline AV Adapter is that it is made to sit away from the power outlet. Most powerline adapters are large, which can cause problems if there is furniture near the outlet or another bulky connector competing for the same outlet. The uses a standard cord connection, eliminating any possible conflicts.
In Summary
If you’re trying wifi and finding it just doesn’t get the job done as well as you’d like, buy some powerline adapters and try them out. I think you’ll be very happy with their performance. I personally will not go back to wifi for connecting desktop computers unless companies for some reason stop selling powerline adapters. Powerline networking and just flat out easier and more reliable.
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