One Cool Solution to Weak Wifi Signals - Comments Page 1

So I could I possibly acquire one internet service account and then say connect two, three, four, apartments or duplexes to that internet account thereby splitting the cost of one isp account between the number of connected users?

This is a very controversial technology, and the one article by Bob I strongly object to.
All of these powerline adaptors are creating a huge RFI problem which is polluting the HF Radio Spectrum, giving rise to thousands of compaints from users.
Despite worldwide opposition by Technical Groups, the Military and virtually every major Amateur Radio Society these devices have been allowed on the market by lax regulation and manufacturers pressure groups.
The problem is that house mains wiring and the appliances connected to it are not designed to carry Ethernet signals, and is neither balanced nor screened. The whole house downstairs and upstairs acts like a huge antenna spreading the interference.
Ethernet signals are usually carried on "CAT5" telephone wiring, which is twisted pair designed for this purpose thus does not radiate to any significant degree.
Please do not use these adaptors. Modern WiFi is cheaper and gets nearly everywhere anyway, without causing people any problems.

I have used the D-link powerline system. It works great between the house and separate garage located 50-60 ft. from the house. Another unit feeds internet to a Sony TV. Speeds are equivalent to a wired system with no lags on computers or Tv.
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Do both of these adapters have to be plugged into the same circuit?

I bought these power over ethernet kits and they are a waste of money. Never worked. A wifi extender is much better. In fact many ISP's like Comcast givw you a modem that has wifi built in at no extra cost. I removed all but 2 of my ethernet cables, because wifi is faster. Only my Internet TV and an Older XP that does not have wifi and is prety far away in the basement away from the 2nd floor modem.

I bought these power over ethernet kits and they are a waste of money. Never worked. A wifi extender is much better. In fact many ISP's like Comcast givw you a modem that has wifi built in at no extra cost. I removed all but 2 of my ethernet cables, because wifi is faster. Only my Internet TV and an Older XP that does not have wifi and is prety far away in the basement away from the 2nd floor modem.

And most important, your receiver has to be on the same circuit as the router.

This definitely sounds like something worth looking into. Thanks.

How would this compare with a WiFi extender, both with regard to performance and price?

I wish that I had had this info 3 years ago before we moved into our present house. I didn't have to drill holes but I do have a few repeaters in strategic places.
Thank you for the info, I will try to remember for the next move.

I highly recommend powerline ethernet if you are doing any type of streaming video to your HDTV. When I switched from wifi, it made a huge difference.

The technology is not new, it's been around for a good while now. I was aware of it some 20 years ago, and have been using it for 4 or 5 years. I have had no problems with it, and have successfully extended the range of my WiFi network to include my printers, a desktop and a tv set-top box. I have 5 units, and found it very easy to set it up.

Years ago I bought a Linksys model for my son's Xbox and they seem to work great.

I agree with John Rogers: not a good idea. Note the "disconnect your appliances" warning? It's because EVERY electrical device can and does introduce electrical noise into the powerline, sometimes resulting in harmonics that can build and infiltrate more sensitive electrical equipment and damage them, sometimes irreparably.

And what happens when that noise comes from, say, the electric provider, or a lightning strike? Bye bye computer, and bye bye data.

IMHO, stay away. Use wifi, or wired Ethernet. If this were a reliable and mature technology, we'd be getting our Internet and our cable tv over powerline, instead of that part of the technology falling by the wayside, as it stands now.

I was an eager and optimistic fan of this 'power-line ethernet' as an option for a hurricane proof home owned by a beach-dwelling client of mine in Florida... The only problem is that it only worked if all the outlets ran through a singular service.

As many people in Florida know, your original home may have had many additions that required changes to your service which required a new box and if the outlets you are trying to tie together are not on the same service, you may end up as disappointed as I did --

You can use them anywhere - as long as they're on the same transformer. Easy to check - just test.
Works like a champ - plug another router in to get wi-fi in another place (not necessarily in your house).
Idiot proof ...
jbs/

These devices emit Radio Frequency Interference like mad. Anyone with a radio living close to you will get very bad interference. If it is a smart ham, he/she will contact you and ask that you correct the issue. It is YOUR responsibility to correct the problem as the owner of the RFI generating devices. If you do not, you could be subject to enforcement actions by the FCC, this can include fines! Consider carefully your purchase of these devices...

We used a D-Link Powerline Ethernet adapter for about 2 weeks, and then it died. It worked great while it worked, but because it failed so quickly we won't be investing in another until the reviews indicate that all the kinks have been worked out

As one of the Ham operators mentioned, and also having been working as an Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer (30+ years now) I filed comments with the FCC on the technical incompatibility of powerline broadband with radio reception. One result of all the engineering comments the FCC got is that all such equipment is SUPPOSED to notch out Amateur frequencies, and sometimes it does. A lot of the time, especially with inexpensive, directly-imported gear, it doesn’t.

Legally, the FCC is supposed to investigate interference with licensed services like Amateur Radio, and tell the powerline net user to turn his equipment off when it's confirmed, but political pressure (IMO) led the FCC to turn a blind eye to interference in these cases. And frequencies OUTSIDE the Amateur bands aren’t notched. There are a lot of folks on those frequencies, too, including the military. That’s when I complain to the Defense Department about interference to Military Auxiliary Radio System reception – and let the Pentagon handle things.

One more item; powerline internet (and Ethernet) systems are legally required under FCC Rules to accept whatever interference they receive, including CB’s, Ham Radio, military, police, or even radio noise from electric razors, vacuum cleaners, plasma TV’s or one of the new high-efficiency furnaces or air conditioning systems. FCC Part 15 says you just have to live with it.

Don’t count on this technology being reliable.

I have been using this technology since 2009 and I've had no problem at all. but my question is, to expand my network do I need to get the same brand adapter or will anyone of them work?