Powerline adapters are the best thing ever

[Don Julio Anejo]

Well, except for sex, calamari and mochas made with real chocolate chips.

So I finally got fed up with my wi-fi that cuts out every 10 minutes and half the time doesn't work at all (even though the router is only 2 walls and 8 meters away), walked into my local NCIX and picked up a pair of powerline adapters.

And let me tell you, it's absolutely awesome! It's like plugging your computer directly into your router, except without doing that. Stuff actually downloads! It takes me less than 20 seconds to open a page! I don't have to use my phone's 4G if I have to quickly check something important...

... Yes, I get excited over useless gadgets. Woe, alas is the life of a tech geek. Sue me, in a completely figurative, absolutely non-legally binding way.

[Grinner]

I known about these for a few years now, and I still don't get how they work. Absolutely, beautifully incomprehensible.

How do they work, anyway?

[Chilingsworth]

Well, except for sex, calamari and mochas made with real chocolate chips.

That's a somewhat odd list of best things in the world...

But, I totally agree with it.

[factotum]

How do they work, anyway?

By transmitting a signal through the mains wiring in your house. It's fairly easy to separate out a high-frequency signal from the 50 (or 60, if you're USAian) Hz mains voltage.

[Vizzerdrix]

So... This make computer go fasterer?


WHat if you have old tin ceilings or old wiring? Will it still work?

[Erloas]

I'm not sure how well they would work on older (specifically not copper or corroded) wiring, but I would imagine any power line that isn't a safety hazard would probably work fairly well.

I'm not sure how much those adapters run, but the other option is that you simply get a good wireless router and make sure you have a good wireless adapter on your computer as well. There are a lot of cheap routers around and they have issues, from poor signals to signals that look good but are slow or drop out occasionally.
I fairly recently bought a new router and it has fixed all of the problems I was having with my previous ones. I've pretty much given up on Netgear and Belkin wireless products, routers especially. I know the router is Asus, I'm not sure about the wireless adapter, but I think it might be Asus as well.

[Grinner]

So... This make computer go fasterer?


WHat if you have old tin ceilings or old wiring? Will it still work?

Well...utilizing the latest in black sorcery, powerline adapters let you route a signal directly through your dwelling's powerlines (i.e. wall sockets) instead of relying on wireless routers, which aren't always reliable.

As long as you're getting electricity, I imagine that they will work.

[factotum]

So... This make computer go fasterer?

No. It might make the network connection between your computer and your Internet router go faster, though.

[Androgeus]

No. It might make the network connection between your computer and your Internet router go faster, though.

Yhea, you need to download some extra ram to make your computer faster

[Don Julio Anejo]

I'm not sure how much those adapters run, but the other option is that you simply get a good wireless router and make sure you have a good wireless adapter on your computer as well. There are a lot of cheap routers around and they have issues, from poor signals to signals that look good but are slow or drop out occasionally.
I fairly recently bought a new router and it has fixed all of the problems I was having with my previous ones. I've pretty much given up on Netgear and Belkin wireless products, routers especially. I know the router is Asus, I'm not sure about the wireless adapter, but I think it might be Asus as well.

Oh, I've used them before, but a much older and cheaper kit that came with my friend's XBox he let me borrow, and they were a breeze after I figured out to plug them directly into the wall, not through a power bar.

Wireless though? Believe me, I've tried everything. From my provider's DSL modem/router, to a couple of routers (including a pretty high end one in DIR-655 which I've used for the last while and still do as my actual router), to even a corporate Cisco one that I borrowed for a week (that took me about 20 hours to setup). They all completely and utterly sucked in my current room, the only explanation I have is something giving off really bad interference. Probably the other 20 wi-fi's that I'm detecting now and at least another 10 I'm not.

[Chess435]

Yhea, you need to download some extra ram to make your computer faster

Wait, you can actually download RAM?

Edit: I can't believe I fell for that.

[Grinner]

Wait, you can actually download RAM?

Yes. Yes, you can.

[Killer Angel]

Well...utilizing the latest in black sorcery, powerline adapters let you route a signal directly through your dwelling's powerlines (i.e. wall sockets) instead of relying on wireless routers, which aren't always reliable.

ah, I knew it was something like that!

[Zaggab]

I've heard people say that those things cause interference on the powergrid as a whole, so that if too many people use them, there would be problems with power cables and power stations, and sensitive equipment getting damaged.

Is there any truth to that?

[factotum]

There isn't enough power in one of these to cause problems via the power grid--heck, the total power draw of your computer alone is probably a hundred watts or more, whereas the signal these things put out would be a fraction of a watt at most. Mains cabling is not usually well-shielded for radio frequency interference, though, so you might get some interference that way; doubt it would be powerful enough to cause problems, though. (If it *were*, these devices would be banned!).

[Yora]

So... This make computer go fasterer?


WHat if you have old tin ceilings or old wiring? Will it still work?

No, he just had a really crappy internet connection and now has a different one.

[Weezer]

Oh, I've used them before, but a much older and cheaper kit that came with my friend's XBox he let me borrow, and they were a breeze after I figured out to plug them directly into the wall, not through a power bar.

Wireless though? Believe me, I've tried everything. From my provider's DSL modem/router, to a couple of routers (including a pretty high end one in DIR-655 which I've used for the last while and still do as my actual router), to even a corporate Cisco one that I borrowed for a week (that took me about 20 hours to setup). They all completely and utterly sucked in my current room, the only explanation I have is something giving off really bad interference. Probably the other 20 wi-fi's that I'm detecting now and at least another 10 I'm not.

Have you tried shifting the channel your wi-fi is on? Most people leave it on the default, so if you kick it up to 11 or 12 you'll get rid of most of the interference. I had a similar problem in my new apartment until I figured that out.

[valadil]

I'm not sure how well they would work on older (specifically not copper or corroded) wiring, but I would imagine any power line that isn't a safety hazard would probably work fairly well.

Our wiring is subpar. Performance is noticably worse on powerline than ethernet. With a wired connection, I could stream some HD video to my PS3. With powerline, I get stuttering on some SD video (though not all thankfully). I think the speed tests put powerline about halfway between wired and wireless on my setup, but it's been a while since I tested.