Powerline Ethernet Adapters
Powerline ethernet adapters allow you to deliver internet access to areas of your house or business that are located far from your WiFi router. They eliminate the need for WiFi extenders, which in most cases provide slower speeds than powerline adapters and can introduce latency, or a lag loading web pages. They are also more secure than WiFi extenders because they are less susceptible to hacking.
They usually come in pairs and the way they work is you plug one into a power outlet near your WiFi router and connect a provided ethernet cable from your router to the powerline adapter. Then you plug another powerline adapter into a power outlet in a different room and connect a provided ethernet cable from the powerline adapter to your computer or TV or other device. Then the internet is delivered from your WiFi router to your computer or TV or other device through the wiring of your house via signals sent between powerline adapters as shown in this image:
Since powerline adapters are essentially the same as connecting your TV or computer directly to your WiFi router via an ethernet cable, they are great for streaming content to a TV in a different room as there will be no lag or buffering. They’re also great for gaming where a fast internet connection is required. But the uses cases don’t end there. You can use them to create a local-only network of security cameras or convert your existing landline phones to use an inexpensive VoIP (Voice over IP) service.
Here are some powerline adapters that I recommend:
Note that you can get powerline adapters that have an integrated AC passthrough power socket so that you can use the powerline adapter as a traditional electrical outlet to plug your other devices into. But some powerline adapters such as the TP-Link AV600 above do not have this feature.
Since powerline adapters typically come in 2-packs, your initial 2-pack will connect one device to the internet since one of the adapters will be used to connect your WiFi router to your house wiring. If you need to connect more devices you simply buy another 2-pack, which will connect two more devices to the internet.
One other thing to consider is that using powerline adapters to connect your devices to the internet cuts down on WiFi inside your home, which could improve the quality of your sleep, especially if your bedroom is far from your WiFi router.
-Cambria Tech Guy
(PS – I’m not affiliated with TP-Link)