Mobile Hotspot now or later?

[Andrewf]

5G is right around the corner. I'm on the opposite side of the house from the modem and my roommate doesn't want to move it. The latency and lag are horrible. It doesn't need to be more than 5GB a month if all I do is play online and not download anything. So I figured a mobile hotspot is the best option for now. So the question begs itself.

 

Should I fork out a couple hundred for a good one now, or wait for the low-latency promising 5G?

[SpookyCitrus]

Mobile Hotspot is a bad idea in my opinion. If you've never tried to use a hotspot for gaming don't, its absolutely terrible. My suggestion would be to get powerline adapters. They essentially convert the electrical wiring in your house into Ethernet. There are a lot at different prices but depending on your houses wiring and which adapters you get you could even get pretty much your full download and upload speeds. One plugs into the router and a wall outlet next to it the other into your ethernet port on your device and a wall outlet next to it creating a hardline connection.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-Adapter-Ethernet-Passthrough/dp/B0778Y6K6N/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=powerline+adapter&psr=EY17&qid=1575487617&s=cyber-monday&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

[Andrewf]

12 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

They essentially convert the electrical wiring in your house into Ethernet. 

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-Adapter-Ethernet-Passthrough/dp/B0778Y6K6N/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=powerline+adapter&psr=EY17&qid=1575487617&s=cyber-monday&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

That seems too good to be true. Will any outlet work or maybe it needs to be a GCFI?

 

What about this one?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tp-link-powerline-av500-nano-adapter-starter-kit-white/2080136.p?skuId=2080136

 

I could pick it up now and test it and return it tonight if it doesn't work. What I would do is plug it straight into my xbox and forget the Smart TV. Or is the extra ethernet port worth it for extra wifi?

[SpookyCitrus]

12 minutes ago, Andrewf said:

That seems too good to be true. Will any outlet work or maybe it needs to be a GCFI?

 

What about this one?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tp-link-powerline-av500-nano-adapter-starter-kit-white/2080136.p?skuId=2080136

 

I could pick it up now and test it and return it tonight if it doesn't work. What I would do is plug it straight into my xbox and forget the Smart TV. Or is the extra ethernet port worth it for extra wifi?

Yes those should work, however they're a slower model only 500mb/s while there are gigabit models out there for a little bit more, but if your internet is slower than 500 they should be fine. I've setup powerline adapters in a few different homes and I've only had a problem once when the house was fairly old and had spotty wiring. I was actually going to suggest you try them out then return if they don't work for you. In regards to the outlet question, I haven't had trouble with them in really any wall outlet, however they do not work in a surge protector or plugged into a UPS or extension cord, they HAVE to be plugged directly into the wall outlet, another reason I linked ones with an outlet pass through.

[Andrewf]

3 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Yes those should work, however they're a slower model only 500mb/s while there are gigabit models out there for a little bit more, but if your internet is slower than 500 they should be fine. I've setup powerline adapters in a few different homes and I've only had a problem once when the house was fairly old and had spotty wiring. I was actually going to suggest you try them out then return if they don't work for you. In regards to the outlet question, I haven't had trouble with them in really any wall outlet, however they do not work in a surge protector or plugged into a UPS or extension cord, they HAVE to be plugged directly into the wall outlet, another reason I linked ones with an outlet pass through.

Yeah UPS and surge protector makes perfect sense. We actually had our comcast upgraded for free recently and it's definitely over 80Mpbs. Not MBps. I hate how they try to trick you.

 

At any rate, you're right. I think I'll try the Best Buy one, it's pricier but I have 30 days anyway haha. Here I am thinking I knew it all about tech. You have earned yourself a solved. Thank you so much!

[SpookyCitrus]

7 minutes ago, Andrewf said:

Yeah UPS and surge protector makes perfect sense. We actually had our comcast upgraded for free recently and it's definitely over 80Mpbs. Not MBps. I hate how they try to trick you.

 

At any rate, you're right. I think I'll try the Best Buy one, it's pricier but I have 30 days anyway haha. Here I am thinking I knew it all about tech. You have earned yourself a solved. Thank you so much!

No problem let me know how they work for you! Or if you need any help you can message me on here.

[cole0622]

4 hours ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Mobile Hotspot is a bad idea in my opinion. If you've never tried to use a hotspot for gaming don't, its absolutely terrible. My suggestion would be to get powerline adapters. They essentially convert the electrical wiring in your house into Ethernet. There are a lot at different prices but depending on your houses wiring and which adapters you get you could even get pretty much your full download and upload speeds. One plugs into the router and a wall outlet next to it the other into your ethernet port on your device and a wall outlet next to it creating a hardline connection.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-Adapter-Ethernet-Passthrough/dp/B0778Y6K6N/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=powerline+adapter&psr=EY17&qid=1575487617&s=cyber-monday&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

I would be concerned about those for security reasons for one and I have a feeling that it would not only be susceptible to dirty power, but might contribute to it. I haven't done any testing with those.

[SpookyCitrus]

16 hours ago, cole0622 said:

I would be concerned about those for security reasons for one and I have a feeling that it would not only be susceptible to dirty power, but might contribute to it. I haven't done any testing with those.

Neither of those assumptions are correct. I've installed and used them on more than 10 occasions, most newer models are able to be password protected and are in my opinion more secure than using a wireless network. As for dirty power, they do not contribute to it but are instead affected by it, they use the electrical wiring in your home to transfer the signal and if you have bad wiring or dirty power they cannot do it effectively or sometimes even at all. I have not had or heard of any instance where powerline adapters have caused or contributed to dirty power, only of them being affected by it when it's already present. 

[cole0622]

3 hours ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Neither of those assumptions are correct. I've installed and used them on more than 10 occasions, most newer models are able to be password protected and are in my opinion more secure than using a wireless network. As for dirty power, they do not contribute to it but are instead affected by it, they use the electrical wiring in your home to transfer the signal and if you have bad wiring or dirty power they cannot do it effectively or sometimes even at all. I have not had or heard of any instance where powerline adapters have caused or contributed to dirty power, only of them being affected by it when it's already present. 

I figured they would be effected by dirty power, you don't think the signal will propagate back through the line? I understand there password protected, but so is wifi.

[SpookyCitrus]

8 minutes ago, cole0622 said:

I figured they would be effected by dirty power, you don't think the signal will propagate back through the line? I understand there password protected, but so is wifi.

From my testing and others who have heavily tested them they does not cause or contribute to dirty power, as for the password protection and WiFi comparisons, using power line adapters is essentially the same as using a hardwired connection, there is no need for wireless in the home at all when using powerline adapters, they don't send out an accessible signal from anything other than another of the exact same adapter and will have to be paired so you have to be physically in the home, and be physically able to pair another adapter to the one connected to the router, in my opinion that's much more secure than using wireless networks.

[cole0622]

So if im in a house and my neighbor next door is using one and were on the same circuit I cant hijack the connection? which model would you recommend

[cole0622]

48 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

From my testing and others who have heavily tested them they does not cause or contribute to dirty power, as for the password protection and WiFi comparisons, using power line adapters is essentially the same as using a hardwired connection, there is no need for wireless in the home at all when using powerline adapters, they don't send out an accessible signal from anything other than another of the exact same adapter and will have to be paired so you have to be physically in the home, and be physically able to pair another adapter to the one connected to the router, in my opinion that's much more secure than using wireless networks.

Did a little digging and it seems there broken as far as security

[SpookyCitrus]

1 hour ago, cole0622 said:

So if im in a house and my neighbor next door is using one and were on the same circuit I cant hijack the connection? which model would you recommend

No, you have to have physical access not only inside their home but to their powerline adapter.

[SpookyCitrus]

1 hour ago, cole0622 said:

Did a little digging and it seems there broken as far as security

Not really, someone can't hack into them. They would have to have physical access to pair it with another adapter. So that means access to your home. If you don't have WiFi and just use the adapter there shouldn't really be security risks unless someone is coming into your home. You have no experience with them so trying to explain to you how they work is a little hard. Link your sources on who's saying they're broken security wise.

[cole0622]

28 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Not really, someone can't hack into them. They would have to have physical access to pair it with another adapter. So that means access to your home. If you don't have WiFi and just use the adapter there shouldn't really be security risks unless someone is coming into your home. You have no experience with them so trying to explain to you how they work is a little hard. Link your sources on who's saying they're broken security wise.

Ok, explain it to me how ever you like since I apparently don't know

[SpookyCitrus]

4 minutes ago, cole0622 said:

Ok, explain it to me how ever you like since I apparently don't know

They create a physical hardwire connection just like if you were to run a standard ethernet cable from a router to a computer. They are two physical adapters that plug into the wall outlets, most only work with two, some models can have multiple but they have to be paired in order to work together, in order to pair them they have to be in the same house on the same electrical wiring and you have to physically push a button on both to pair them. Without physical access to both the house they are setup in and the adapter itself they cannot be accessed. A wireless network is broadcast and isn't a physical connection, it can be accessed from the outside easily. These not so much, say you have a non-wireless router and only use these to connect your devices around your house, there's no way for them to be breached or connected to by an outside source without out physical access. They use the physical wiring in your home and depending on the quality don't bleed onto the grid. Like I said it's hard to explain, I don't know exactly what you're referring to by security, I'm assuming you mean if someone wanted to access your connection without your permission, I would say no, unless said person could physically get into your home and pair another adapter to the ones already set up. They essentially are an ethernet connection, they don't use wireless signals or anything like that, it was possible in the early years for them to bleed the connection into the grid but that has since been fixed with encryption and security protocols built into the new models.

 

And just so were clear, you yourself say you have never tested them, I'm guessing have probably never used them either, that's why I feel as though you don't know how they work.

[cole0622]

5 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

They create a physical hardwire connection just like if you were to run a standard ethernet cable from a router to a computer. They are two physical adapters that plug into the wall outlets, most only work with two, some models can have multiple but they have to be paired in order to work together, in order to pair them they have to be in the same house on the same electrical wiring and you have to physically push a button on both to pair them. Without physical access to both the house they are setup in and the adapter itself they cannot be accessed. A wireless network is broadcast and isn't a physical connection, it can be accessed from the outside easily. These not so much, say you have a non-wireless router and only use these to connect your devices around your house, there's no way for them to be breached or connected to by an outside source without out physical access. They use the physical wiring in your home and depending on the quality don't bleed onto the grid. Like I said it's hard to explain, I don't know exactly what you're referring to by security, I'm assuming you mean if someone wanted to access your connection without your permission, I would say no, unless said person could physically get into your home and pair another adapter to the ones already set up. They essentially are an ethernet connection, they don't use wireless signals or anything like that, it was possible in the early years for them to bleed the connection into the grid but that has since been fixed with encryption and security protocols built into the new models.

 

And just so were clear, you yourself say you have never tested them, I'm guessing have probably never used them either, that's why I feel as though you don't know how they work.

You use them so much and it doesn't seem like you know how they really work. You seem to understand the basics but not much more than that. what am I referring to as security in this cases is yes without your permission/potentially knowledge. Ok maybe I read an old document, what encryption do they use and how did they fix it

[SpookyCitrus]

20 minutes ago, cole0622 said:

You use them so much and it doesn't seem like you know how they really work. You seem to understand the basics but not much more than that. what am I referring to as security in this cases is yes without your permission/potentially knowledge. Ok maybe I read an old document, what encryption do they use and how did they fix it

I never said I was an expert. I just have a lot of experience with using them and some minor testing. I don't know the exact encryption or changes they've made but they have been done. 

[cole0622]

23 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

I never said I was an expert. I just have a lot of experience with using them and some minor testing. I don't know the exact encryption or changes they've made but they have been done. 

Do you know when the fix was made?

[SpookyCitrus]

Just now, cole0622 said:

Do you know when the fix was made?

Not off the top of my head I think 4 years ago, they differ from company to company most knock off or little known brands still haven't fixed it. Only the high quality models or name brands have implemented it. One of the big reasons I only go for well known brands and the more high quality models.

[cole0622]

23 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Not off the top of my head I think 4 years ago, they differ from company to company most knock off or little known brands still haven't fixed it. Only the high quality models or name brands have implemented it. One of the big reasons I only go for well known brands and the more high quality models.

Not sure If this is pre or post fix but I found this https://www.bentasker.co.uk/documentation/security/282-infiltrating-a-network-via-powerline-homeplugav-adapters

it mentions a point that i made and perhaps it was unclear but a common thing especially in cities is the fact that houses share a circuit effective making your outlet someone else's outlet so a simple diagram would be power plant > substations > local transformer > bld1/bld2/bld3 and so on.

[Andrewf]

Wow this is some interesting info guys.

On 12/5/2019 at 8:02 PM, cole0622 said:

On 12/5/2019 at 7:33 PM, SpookyCitrus said:

 

 

Since you two seem to be very informed on powerlines, etc. maybe one of you can help me with this.

 

I got the one from best buy, I'm using it until the one @SpookyCitrus linked me arrives. It worked in minutes like advertised. Seemed great at first.

 

Every couple minutes it drops significantly in speed, causing lag. It's definitely better than WiFi though. I was thinking it had to do with the outlets being on opposite sides of the house and something to do with phasing or something(I read somewhere about it) and yes, the outlets are on different sides of the breaker panel. 

 

I got this one. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear-powerline-ac1200-gigabit-ethernet-adapter-2-pack-white/4002029.p?skuId=4002029

 

I don't know if it will make a difference.

[cole0622]

It could be dirty power causing interference

[Andrewf]

Just now, cole0622 said:

It could be dirty power causing interference

Is there a way to fix it without going into the wiring? The house is pretty old from ~1960s and we just had faulty wiring fixed as well.

[cole0622]

No not really as dirty power is caused by everyone on your grid. AC is a pure sine wave until devices (mainly motors) feed back distorting the sine wave