Powerline networking - a buyer's guide

While not as well known or widely used as Wi-Fi or Ethernet, powerline networking�using your existing home electrical wiring to transmit data, turning every outlet in your house into a potential network connection�can be a lifesaver when Wi-Fi won’t reach or when you can’t (or won’t) run Ethernet cabling.

When You Need It
Whether powerline networking is better than Wi-Fi or Ethernet for a particular application depends on several factors: how much speed you need, how solid the connection needs to be, how much you can afford, and how good your house’s wiring is.

Compared to Wi-Fi, powerline reaches anywhere in the house with consistent bandwidth�meaning no dropouts. But it’s also much more expensive than Wi-Fi. Starter kits that will attach one device to your network start at around $140, with additional adapters costing $75 each. And if your wiring is noisy or made of aluminum, or if you have multiple breaker panels and outlets that create distinct circuits, powerline may not work in your house at all.

Compared to Ethernet, powerline reaches anywhere in the house without running new wires but is much slower. The latest powerline gear is rated at 200 Mbps, or about 100 Mbps in real-world usage. That’s about the same as 802.11n Wi-Fi but only one-tenth the speed of Gigabit Ethernet. Pricewise, powerline may actually be cheaper than running Ethernet cable between distant rooms.

So powerline networking is worth considering when it has cost or reliability advantages over the alternatives. Such scenarios may include the following:

Networking Remote Locations Powerline is perfect for providing access in areas of the house where your Wi-Fi signal is weak or nonexistent and where it’s too inconvenient or expensive to run Ethernet.

Video Streaming Powerline adapters can provide reliable bandwidth for video streamers and game consoles in your living room. Powerline throughput is not as high as with Gigabit Ethernet, but it’s high enough for HD video (which requires up to 25 Mbps.)

Extending Wi-Fi Access Need Wi-Fi in that attic suite or apartment over the garage where your main base station doesn’t reach? You can buy hardware that combines a powerline adapter with a wireless access point (see below). This means that you can create a Wi-Fi net almost anywhere there’s a wall plug. You could also plug a Wi-Fi access point (such as an AirPort Express configured in access point mode) in to a powerline adapter.

The biggest trick in buying powerline hardware is distinguishing among the three incompatible powerline standards out there.

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