Powerline ethernet adapters aren't a brand new technology, but they have come into eminence with the need for high speed home networking due to gaming systems, wire and dish television, and voice over IP applications which require fast network connections. Remember though, powerline ethernet adapters speed up your LAN, that is your neighborhood network that includes of your home. They do not speed up the WAN, that is your access to the Net and the Wide Area network. If you have a slow DSL connection, or maybe worse, a dial-up modem, powerline ethernet will allow your home network to be fast, but will do nothing for your connections to the external world.
Powerline ethernet aims to be plug and play. Ideally, you would simply plug in your first adapter into the outlet, and your second adapter into the second outlet, and connect your network wire to all of these adapters, and you would be ready to go. Luckily , this does occur some of the time, but there can be issues with interference, different electric circuits in the home, or some configuration issues if you set up your adapters for encrypted connections. Remember though, this is an end-user product, and the setup should work, otherwise technical support is available.
The rate you achieve with these adapters would most likely be between fifteen and 50 mbps. Advertised speeds are between 85 mbps and two hundred mbps, though some gigabit powerline ethernet adapters are also being publicized these days. The speed becomes slower as interference or distance becomes an issue . Homeplug 1.0 is the right standard to use, and though the homeplug coalition claims that manufacturers following its standard will be intercompatible, it would be best to not only select the same brand, but even the same make and model of powerline adapter to be certain additional adapters are compatible. The explanation why I say this is that some directions on products are discussing incompatibility.
in comparison to wireless technology, powerline adapters have some benefits such as better bandwidth, and better connections in enormous spaces. Wireless-N would be the sole similar technology to powerline connections, and the choice will depend upon the express situation. Some folks will have poor wireless connections due to wireless phone interference, walls or other obtacles and will achieve superb results with the powerline ethernet. As far as cost, it seems to me that wireless-n and powerline ethernet are about equivalent. If you have a portable, or a cell phone that will use the neighborhood network, you definitely need a wireless network.
except for 2 story homes, you may also have a combined approach. You'd need a wireless router downstairs which connects to the dismal, and one of its ports would broadcast the ethernet upstairs using the powerline adapter. Your second powerline ethernet adapter would get this signal, and this would connect to a wireless access point. This would broadcast a wireless network in your 2nd floor, and you could connect both physically and wirelessly upstairs ( assuming your WAP had both physical ports as well as the wireless capability ).
.
Eric is the owner of ActionTec Megaplug Powerline Ethernet Adapter page - part of a cool site about powerline ethernet adapters |
Main 
