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[MattyG]

So just recently, I got a free upgrade to 50Mbps download speeds. The problem is, the way my house is setup, my router is down in the living room where my parents use it for their iPads and Apple TV, while my PC and PS4 are aaaaaaaaall the way on the other side of the house on the second floor. Predictably, I get pretty bad Wi-Fi reception, with speeds down to 1Mbps whenever anything is on downstairs.

I have a $50 Staples gift card, and I've been looking into some solutions for my problem. One would be to wire my room for cable and put a second router in. That won't work at all. I don't really have the expertise or know anyone who could do that, so that's out. My other two options are these powerline adapters (which, now that I look at it, would only give me one port to plug anything into, so one thing would have to use Wi-Fi) or this Wi-Fi extender, which I could plug both my PC and PS4 into via ethernet.

So which should I get? Which would give me better performance? I'm leaning towards the Wi-Fi extender due to the 4 ports, but if it's going to be barely any difference, I'll get the powerline adapters and deal with only having one port.



Edit: So I went to Staples, and they didn't have the powerline adapters. None of the other stores in the area did either, so I figured what the hell, I'll try the network extender and see how it goes.

I've got it on my desk with my PC and PS4 plugged in through LAN and these are my speeds at all times, even if both my parents and I are streaming Netflix.

 

[NewGame]

I've used powerline for over 2 years. It's amazing.

WiFi extensions are voodoo and witchcraft levels of effectiveness.

 

[Aztechnology]

I'm having some dead spot issues as well. Interested to see what people recommend.

 

[NJDEN]

I have no experience with Wi-Fi extenders, but I have used powerline adapters...

They are great when they work.

I set a computer up in the living room and I was only getting speeds in the kilobytes on a powerline adapter. When I disconnected and reconnected the Ethernet cable the speeds would temporary shoot up only to come back down... They work well for web browsing and small file transfers, but when I wanted to download Shadow of Mordor I ended up running a really long Ethernet cable from my router to my living room until the download was finished.

That's just my experience with them, I'm sure success varies depending on user, usage and electrical setup.

 

[Mailbox]

It really depends on your electrical set up, but in most cases, i'd say go with powerline.

I was using a basic starter kit from d-link and it was flawless, but then i bought a 3-port out kit and they were incompatible (when i tried to use 2 from different kits my whole house speeds would be borked), so i just started using the that pair and gave the old pair to a friend.

My new pair work great for the most part, but have DNS errors every so often which just requires me to just reset the ethernet connection on my computer or just flip the switch off and on on the actual 3-port out side (basically its not a big hassle).


I haven't tried out the version that also outputs a wifi signal, but I'd imagine that would work well too.


That said, make sure you plug it into a wall socket and not a power strip

 

[MattyG]

I have no experience with Wi-Fi extenders, but I have used powerline adapters...

They are great when they work.

I set a computer up in the living room and I was only getting speeds in the kilobytes on a powerline adapter. When I disconnected and reconnected the Ethernet cable the speeds would temporary shoot up only to come back down... They work well for web browsing and small file transfers, but when I wanted to download Shadow of Mordor I ended up running a really long Ethernet cable from my router to my living room until the download was finished.

That's just my experience with them, I'm sure success varies depending on user, usage and electrical setup.

This is partly why I'm leaning toward the extender. We have a lot of stuff plugged in in out house, and I don't know how much that would affect the signel on a powerline adapter. At least with the extender it's pretty much guaranteed to connect.

 

[Mailbox]

This is partly why I'm leaning toward the extender. We have a lot of stuff plugged in in out house, and I don't know how much that would affect the signel on a powerline adapter. At least with the extender it's pretty much guaranteed to connect.

oh, the amount you have plugged in wouldn't be too much of a problem.

What they mean by electrical setup is more like how your place is wired.
Some places don't have they wires connecting to every place in the house, but I doubt it would be a problem. Just get a kit, don't plug them in near a place that uses tons of electricity and you should be fine

 

[phisheep]

I get the best of both worlds.

Got three powerline adapters with Wifi, configured them as extenders. So have seamless Wifi throughout a rather rambling Victorian flat and also ethernet everywhere.

Works like a dream.

 

[Astral/H3X]

So just recently, I got a free upgrade to 50Mbps download speeds. The problem is, the way my house is setup, my router is down in the living room where my parents use it for their iPads and Apple TV, while my PC and PS4 are aaaaaaaaall the way on the other side of the house on the second floor. Predictably, I get pretty bad Wi-Fi reception, with speeds down to 1Mbps whenever anything is on downstairs.

I have a $50 Staples gift card, and I've been looking into some solutions for my problem. One would be to wire my room for cable and put a second router in. That won't work at all. I don't really have the expertise or know anyone who could do that, so that's out. My other two options are these powerline adapters (which, now that I look at it, would only give me one port to plug anything into, so one thing would have to use Wi-Fi) or this Wi-Fi extender, which I could plug both my PC and PS4 into via ethernet.

So which should I get? Which would give me better performance? I'm leaning towards the Wi-Fi extender due to the 4 ports, but if it's going to be barely any difference, I'll get the powerline adapters and deal with only having one port.

Somehow, I'm getting the feeling that you might be using the default equipment that your ISP gave you. Please, OP, tell me this isn't true.

Powerline is great, Wifi Extenders are meh IMO, and routers are awesome.

 

[speculawyer]

PowerLine is probably a better bet.

 

[Crayon]

+ 1 for powerline. Shit works. My speeds arent very high over it but it adds no latency and never acts flaky.

 

[DJ_Lae]

Try the powerline adapter if you can buy it from some place that is good about returns.

I had one that worked great for about a year, then it all went to shit. Replaced it with another model, same issues. It was weird as I didn't add anything major to the circuit or nearby sockets, nothing changed that should have affected anything. The connection just dropped every few minutes and rarely peaked above 1mbps even when it worked. Prior to that I was getting a solid ~50 or so.

Dumped a wifi card in my desktop and that ended up being far more reliable, weirdly enough.

 

[MattyG]

Somehow, I'm getting the feeling that you might be using the default equipment that your ISP gave you. Please, OP, tell me this isn't true.

Powerline is great, Wifi Extenders are meh IMO, and routers are awesome.

We're using the default modem (because that's the only option as far as I know), but we have a Linksys EA6400 router. Nah, the ISP tried to get us to use their router, but I was having none of it!

 

[PSYGN]

It depends. I have tried several powerline adapters (aka homeplugs) and they can only carry around 20Mbps through my powerline and their software reports that my powerline isn't clean (or something to that effect). In my case the wifi extenders had better throughput and even ping times... coverage wasn't so much an issue for me but my main focus was getting good up/down and ping and the wifi extender had the homeplug beat much to my surprise. Both of them are susceptible to interference, but I would go with the powerline adapter first. If you're unlucky like me, then try the wifi extenders second. There are hybrids out there as well. The best solution would of course be the ethernet cable which I am using right now (100ft) but it can also be the tackiest looking if not managed properly.

 

[morningbus]

It's a bit more expensive, but look into MOCA adapters. They are just like power line adapters but they use the coaxial cable wiring of your home instead.

Your house probably was wired with cable more recently than electricity and in my experience they work much, much better.

Every power line adapter I've tried has knocked my speed nearly in half. With MOCA, I get the full speed of my connection.

 

[Five]

Powerline adapter didn't work in my old house, but the electric setup there is almost sixty years old and there's a lot of interference in the house. WiFi extender worked just fine, albeit with a mite of lag and slightly reduced bandwidth.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

a signal repeater may introduce lag into the connection, does your current router have antennas the general omni directional routers have smedium good range but point the antenna and the range can be much higher. otherwise try the powerline and hope you dont get too much interference, i hear they work great though. a house that big sounds like the perfect time for a second WAP though wire a new hub up closer to your side of the house and then things can connect to your home gateway thought that WAP.

 

[Meier]

I have been using the same powerline adapters since 2008 and they've been wonderful. They get my vote.

 

[MattyG]

So it sounds like I'm going to go powerline first, and Wi-Fi extender if that doesn't work out. Thanks for the help everyon, I'll report back tomorrow once I test them out!

 

[Marty Chinn]

Neither. Get a better router. Believe it or not, a better router can make a HUGE difference. Try a Netgear Nighthawk 7000 or a Asus AC68. Switching pretty much doubled my WiFi coverage. I say this having experience using both Powerline adapters and wifi range extenders. Neither stacked up to a new router.

 

[MattyG]

Oh yeah, one other question; would an ethernet splitter work with the powerline adapters? I want to plug my PC and PS4 in, but all the powerline adapters I see only have one ethernet port.

Neither. Get a better router. Believe it or not, a better router can make a HUGE difference. Try a Netgear Nighthawk 7000 or a Asus AC68. Switching pretty much doubled my WiFi coverage. I say this having experience using both Powerline adapters and wifi range extenders. Neither stacked up to a new router.

If I had the funds, I definitely would. Maybe next year.

 

[Symphonia]

Just get an extra-long LAN cable. I'm in a similar situation (router in my living room, PS4 in my bedroom) and originally tried an extender, and had no luck. Bought a cable for £30 and it works like a charm.

 

[MattyG]

Just get an extra-long LAN cable. I'm in a similar situation (router in my living room, PS4 in my bedroom) and originally tried an extender, and had no luck. Bought a cable for £30 and it works like a charm.

I would, but there's no way my parents would be down with that, and it would be a pain in the ass anyway. It'd have to go across my living room, through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, through another hallway, and across my whole room.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

I would, but there's no way my parents would be down with that, and it would be a pain in the ass anyway. It'd have to go across my living room, through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, through another hallway, and across my whole room.

how close are the stairs to the room you need signal in just get cable from homedepot cheap and then put the WAP by the stairs it should be plenty signal for the other part of the house no need to run a direct line all the way to your room

 

[chung_sao_ming]

I would, but there's no way my parents would be down with that, and it would be a pain in the ass anyway. It'd have to go across my living room, through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, through another hallway, and across my whole room.

Is your house carpeted? If so you can get a flat Ethernet cable and run it under the carpet.

Just be careful to measure how much you need as you need a deceptively long run of cable especially with stairs.

 

[MattyG]

how close are the stairs to the room you need signal in just get cable from homedepot cheap and then put the WAP by the stairs it should be plenty signal for the other part of the house no need to run a direct line all the way to your room

Do you mean put in another coaxial jack closer to the stairs? I would, but I have no idea how to do anything like that. I've been told that that would be the best solution, but I've never felt confident screwing around with anything like that.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

Make a Parabolic dish for your router antenna. Worked for me

 

[Wind's Howling]

Powerline Adapters are your friend considering the situation you are in. I recently bought a new Devolo set and my speed on the second floor went from 2mbits on WIFI towards 70mbits with those Devolo homeplugs.

It is just a shame the PS4 never fully utilizes that speed but it seems to reach 30mbits most of the time. That is more than enough for gaming, Netflix and downloading PSN titles.

Best thing you can purchase. Trust me.

 

[GaimeGuy]

TO STAND OUT

ABOVE THE CROWD

EVEN IF I GOTTA SHOUT OUT LOUD

 

[Aureon]

Uh, just buy a switch and get a ethernet cable from the router to your room.
That's the solution which requires, by far, the least expertise.

 

[Wind's Howling]

Uh, just buy a switch and get a ethernet cable from the router to your room.
That's the solution which requires, by far, the least expertise.

Powerline Adapters require the same amount of expertise.

 

[TheContact]

I just used another router, if you have another ethernet jack just go from router to router. Otherwise use an extender or the power line adapter

 

[Symphonia]

I would, but there's no way my parents would be down with that, and it would be a pain in the ass anyway. It'd have to go across my living room, through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, through another hallway, and across my whole room.

That's what I had to do. Took about 20-30 minutes to lift the carpet, secure the cable, lay the carpet back down, and hook it up. Time and money well spent.

 

[Ladekabel]

Can't comment on a wifi extender but I've been using powerline adapters for over 5 years without a problem. I can recommend them. But don't put them in a power strip!

 

[Aureon]

Powerline Adapters require the same amount of expertise.

When they work.
If.

 

[Drake]

I've been thinking of a powerline adapter for my ps3. I stream movies and TV shows from my PC to my ps3, but the wifi adapter in the ps3 is so bad I get constant stuttering. You can get a pretty cheap kit off of amazon for like 28 bucks.

 

[Wind's Howling]

When they work.
If.

It was pretty much plug 'n play here in my house.

It does matter how your electricity is wired and how old the wiring is.

 

[Seraph_Nicholas]

Is hardlining absolutely impossible? When I was dealing with a situation like yours (parents room/router on the third floor, me in the basement), I ended up getting 500 feet of ethernet and a staple gun, and ran it down the outside of the house. Think outside the box - A wired connection is worth it.

 

[MattyG]

So I went to Staples, and they didn't have the powerline adapters. None of the other stores in the area did either, so I figured what the hell, I'll try the network extender and see how it goes.

I've got it on my desk with my PC and PS4 plugged in through LAN and these are my speeds at all times, even if both my parents and I are streaming Netflix.

 

[Relix]

I get the best of both worlds.

Got three powerline adapters with Wifi, configured them as extenders. So have seamless Wifi throughout a rather rambling Victorian flat and also ethernet everywhere.

Works like a dream.

This works. I bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OIA1Z9I/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Simple as heck to use.

 

[LCGeek]

Go powerline considering your situation involves gaming. The more you deal with wifi problems the worse it gets and even ideally it still garbage at a certain point compared to ethernet. Unless your wiring sucks or is seperated try to avoid wireless.

 

[TheLaughingStock]

99.9999999% of the time go with powerline.

 

[Sir Abacus]

Wireless.

A powerline networking kit is a great way to extend your home network to the distant reaches of your house using your existing electrical wiring. It’s useful for places (like a garage, attic, or faraway bedroom) that don’t get a good Wi-Fi signal and where it would be impractical to run an Ethernet cord. However, it’s not a good replacement for Wi-Fi over short distances (read more about this in our “Flaws but not dealbreakers” section). Even the fastest powerline kit we tested couldn’t compete with the signal from a good router in an average-sized house.

It's not just a matter of "oh it's a hardline so its automatically better". Circuit breakers, shitty old wiring, devices spewing noise onto the electical circuit. All of it takes a hit. If you're in a single family detatched residence you're not going to have any noise on the 5GHz band.

If you really want a hardline do the work and run Cat 6e to the rooms.

 

[The Lamonster]

Powerline is AMAZING.

 

[clav]

Powerline with ground plug (3 prong) + AV2.

Two prong adapters are for smaller house setups, preferably apartments.

Preferred order: Ethernet over Coax > Powerline > Wi-Fi Extender

 

[LCGeek]

Wireless.



It's not just a matter of "oh it's a hardline so its automatically better". Circuit breakers, shitty old wiring, devices spewing noise onto the electical circuit. All of it takes a hit. If you're in a single family detatched residence you're not going to have any noise on the 5GHz band.

If you really want a hardline do the work and run Cat 6e to the rooms.

5ghz sucks through walls and over distance.