Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

TC + Powerline Ethernet Adapters

R

Rocco83

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2011
292
420
I am getting ready to setup a new wireless network at my house. My main problem is that my Man Cave is located in the back of my 40x60 garage which has metal siding and a metal roof which tends to mess with wireless signals. Currently with the network I have now the cable modem is located about 200 feet away in my master bedroom hooked up to a 802.11g wireless router which is barely getting the signal to the bathroom in my garage where i have a 802.11n bridge. I'm running ethernet from the bathroom 50 feet into my Man Cave and it is just a big mess.

I've decided to bump everything up to 802.11n and move the modem out to the Cave to hook up to a new 2TB TC. I was wondering if anyone had experience with Powerline Ethernet Adapters and could help clue me in a bit on whether or not they would be beneficial in this situation. Here is the two different scenarios I am bouncing back and forth.

Option 1:
With the TC purchase 2 AirPort Extremes. Set one up in my bathroom where I have my bridge now and set it up for WDS to bounce a signal into my house where I can have another AirPort Extreme catch the signal and stream wirelessly to the Desktop and ATV in the house. I would have a good wireless signal in the cave for all my goodies out there and i'm still unsure as to how good the signal will be in the house for everything else, but i'm assuming with there only being about 200 feet between my TC and 2nd AirPort Extreme the quality of the signal should be strong without. This option just costs more than I wish to spend.

Option 2:
With the TC purchase 1 AirPort Extreme and D-Link DHP-501AV PowerLine AV 500 Adapter. I could hook one up to the TC and place the other one optimally in the house to be hooked up to the AirPort Extreme. I would be able to have a stronger signal from the AirPort Extreme and place it wherever I want.

Does anyone have experience with powerline ethernet adapters? I see that people use them to hook up directly to computers out of the reach of their routers and bridges, but I've yet to see anyone hook one up to a router to broadcast out from it. I do not see why it wouldn't be possible. With that in mind, I would be using the two PEAs in 2 separate buildings on 2 separate circut breakers. Does anyone know whether or not this is possible? I am sure if it is it will cut down on signal strength by time it makes it the 200+ feet through powerline to get there, yet I still believe if it offers speeds up to 500Mbps it would have to be connecting faster than if i were to connect to my far router through WDS.

Sorry if I seem to be rambling. Any input from anyone with experience with powerline ethernet adapters would be extremely appreciated.
 
after more digging I found that option 2 is completely viable. so now i guess i just need opinions and hopefully info. from people with experience with the PEAs.
 
I was unsuccessful with powerline ethernet adapters in my house. (An earlier version of the DLink adapters you are looking at.) Apparently, the house wiring has to be compatible. There is some kind of a bridge device that you can install between the two buses in the breaker box to improve performance. (I did not try that.) I had purchased my adapters from Best Buy and they took them back, no questions asked. If you go this route, make sure you can return them if it does not work.
 
gwerhart0800 said:
I was unsuccessful with powerline ethernet adapters in my house. (An earlier version of the DLink adapters you are looking at.) Apparently, the house wiring has to be compatible. There is some kind of a bridge device that you can install between the two buses in the breaker box to improve performance. (I did not try that.) I had purchased my adapters from Best Buy and they took them back, no questions asked. If you go this route, make sure you can return them if it does not work.
Click to expand...

From what I have read, the above is correct. I was thinking about doing the same thing until I read several articles regarding the pros and cons of PEAs. Also, Even if your house HAS compatible wiring, the amount of things plugged into the outlets will directly affect the bandwidth the PEA provides. More things plugged in and turned on, the slower your speed will become. Since I'm moving in to a new house, I'm just going to round a really long Ethernet cable to a switch.
 
Thanks for the input. I almost ordered them online today due to the fact that the closest place like BestBuy is 50+ miles from my house. I think though I will just head to one for ease of return if they don't work. I still think trying the PEAs will be a much better option for me if they do work. If not, when I take them back I can just grab another bridge to go the WDS route. I really do not want to run a 200' + line underground from the garage and through the crawl space of the house to do it the good old ethernet way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back