Powerline Adapters

What is a Powerline Adapter?

In this category, you will find smart Powerline adapters that you can use to strengthen the Wi-Fi connection in your home via the home's electrical installation.

A Powerline adapter typically consists of two devices:

• A sending device that functions as a router, which connects to your internet
• A receiving device, which for example connects to a socket at the other end of the house (be aware that the power must run on the same circuit).

After that, the Wi-Fi signal is sent through the existing electrical network in the home and the signal becomes strong at the other end of the house.

Powerline adapters always come in pairs, so you have both a receiver and a sender.

Many choose to use powerline adapters in homes where it can be difficult, or nearly impossible, to run a cable from their router to their computer.

If you have a good electrical installation at home, a powerline adapter can be the perfect solution, as they can often provide a good speed that can approach that of a normal internet cable.

Powerline adapter for ethernet cable - easy solution in complex homes!

With a standard internet/ethernet cable and a set of powerline adapters, you can enable a wired internet connection to your computer - even in the most twisted homes.

Many, perhaps slightly older, homes may have installations where the internet socket/router can only be connected at one end of the home.

With powerline adapters, you can create an extension of the cable connection with your home's electrical installation in the wall.

As mentioned, it requires that the electrical group is the same where you connect these adapters, otherwise they cannot connect to each other.

Powerline adapter speed

If we talk about speed, powerline adapters can achieve relatively good speeds, but that requires everything to work well in your home's electrical installation.

Additionally, your internet speed from your provider must of course also be good, as there is often a speed loss when using a device like a powerline adapter.

The actual speed you can achieve with a powerline adapter can vary greatly, and it is due to several factors:

• Age of your electrical installation. Your cables in the wall need to be good and relatively new in order to achieve a high speed with a powerline adapter. Older cables may be fine if your internet speed isn't incredibly high to begin with.
• Electrical noise. In for example apartment complexes where there can be many wires and installations in the wall, you may experience lower speeds due to interference from other cables or electrical devices in the building.
• Distance. The distance also plays a big role in relation to speed. The farther the signal has to travel through the wires in the wall, the weaker it becomes.

There will always be speed loss, just like with WiFi - however, powerline adapters are often more stable in the signal itself compared to WiFi, which can have many fluctuations.

Powerline adapter installation guide

Fortunately for you as a user, a powerline adapter is what we call "plug-and-play" technology.

This means that the only thing you really need to do is connect the devices correctly, and a connection will be made automatically.

To make it very simple, you can follow these steps:

1. First, be completely sure that the sockets you connect the devices to are on the same group in your electrical installation.
2. Unpack both powerline adapters and figure out where they should be placed.
3. The sender should be located close to your router, and the receiver close to the device you want to connect an ethernet cable to.
4. Insert an internet cable from your router to the powerline adapter that is close to the router.
5. Now connect a cable from the other powerline adapter to your computer.
6. Press the "pair" button if this is present on the devices, this must be done on both adapters.
7. You will now have a connection on your computer with an internet cable.

If this does not work immediately, the biggest reason is generally that the sockets you used are not on the same electrical group in the home, and this can often make them not work and unable to communicate with each other.

Powerline adapter with WiFi

Modern powerline adapters are not just for cables but often also include an option to use them as WiFi extenders.

This makes them a complete solution that can be used for either WiFi or wired connection with a regulated internet cable.

However, they are rarely as good as powerful WiFi extenders, so if it's only WiFi you want to use, you should probably buy a WiFi extender, which we also have in our range.

Powerline adapter VS WiFi extender - which is best?

One of the big questions for many is whether the best solution is powerline adapters or WiFi extenders.

The answer to this can vary depending on your home's layout as well as your needs for speed, etc.

Powerline adapters are the best solution if you want a stable connection, and you have a home where you are sure the electrical groups are the same in the rooms you want to send and receive the signal from.

WiFi extenders are the best solution for those who perhaps live in an apartment where it is not possible to adjust the electrical groups, and you just want to extend the WiFi signal from your living room to your bedroom.

Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages, but overall, powerline adapters often provide a more stable and fast signal if everything works as it should.

As mentioned, it can be incredibly difficult to get powerline adapters to function optimally in older buildings, which is why WiFi extenders are often more popular in these situations.

Also, find other smart solutions to extend your network signal, such as an effective solution from Ubiquiti UniFi series.

You can also find an effective WiFi booster that is easy to install and provides your wireless network with a better signal throughout the home or workplace. If you need a network card for your computer, we also have this in our range.