Is powerline a good alternative to WiFi?

[Raiden60]

I'm currently on 802.11n WiFi and the packet loss is really bad. At least I think it's packet loss, whenever I'm playing a game like CS:GO it freezes for a second then continues. Ping is usually not a MASSIVE problem, but ping isn't great.

 

So I've been looking at powerline and I think I have a good alternative to WiFi: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LV41PO4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=00Z85XMP8R1F4X8N8E2A&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=867551807&pf_rd_i=desktop

Has majorly good reviews, but I'm still a bit skeptical to performance, etc... I'm using BT Infinity, and I think I'm using the fastest plan, but I'm still only getting 32Mbps if I'm lucky. And I KNOW that there's a lot of internet traffic going on the 2.4GHz bandwidth so that probably interferes with my WiFi. If I could, I would route an ethernet cable upstairs and that would almost definitely be faster, but really I can't be arsed with electrocuting myself drilling holes and shit, so this seems like the best solution.

 

Anyway, if you use powerline, what's its performance like? I've watched a couple of videos that say good things but I'm still skeptical and I want to verify that it's gonna work. At the end of the day it's only £35 so it's worth a try.

[MattBoxer]

Its is much better that WiFi in my experience but it may be a good idea to look closer at some of the specs for them as they can be rated for 500Mbps but only have a 100Mbps port. However make sure to check other reviews as mine only lasted a year and a bit before it developed connection problems where it cuts out every 2 hours or so.

[Raiden60]

Just now, Mattboxer2000 said:

Its is much better that WiFi in my experience but it may be a good idea to look closer at some of the specs for them as they can be rated for 500Mbps but only have a 100Mbps port. However make sure to check other reviews as mine only lasted a year and a bit before it developed connection problems where it cuts out every 2 hours or so.

Well, for me, even 100Mbps is an improvement, but yes, I will do research before buying.

[porina]

I use it to bring networking to a cluster of PCs in a bedroom. After some initial weirdness it seems to have stabilised and is reliable. I can't recall what speeds I'm getting over it but let's call it 100mbit class and not a limit for my slower internet. I don't really use it for gaming or big file transfers so can't comment on that.

 

Alternatively you could also look at moving to the less congested 5 GHz band for wifi, if your devices support it?

[Raiden60]

Just now, porina said:

I use it to bring networking to a cluster of PCs in a bedroom. After some initial weirdness it seems to have stabilised and is reliable. I can't recall what speeds I'm getting over it but let's call it 100mbit class and not a limit for my slower internet. I don't really use it for gaming or big file transfers so can't comment on that.

 

Alternatively you could also look at moving to the less congested 5 GHz band for wifi, if your devices support it?

I have moved my mobile devices to the 5 GHz band but there's still a lot of traffic. 

[Unhelpful]

It all depends on the wiring of your house. If that's good, then powerline is great. If it's not good, then definitely go WiFi.

[Oshino Shinobu]

Here comes an annoying answer: It depends. 

The speed of powerline varies depending on the wiring in the building. Typically, the newer the building, the better powerline will perform. Older buildings can have speed and connection issues if the wiring's bad. From my experience, it's faster and more stable than WiFi, especially if there's a lot of traffic and interference over WiFi. It's worth a try. If not, then run a cable (that would be my preferred method, but not everyone's able or willing to run cables).

[Raiden60]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

Get a good kit rated for 500Mbps or better, so you got plenty headroom for signal loss from line noise and cable length.

And make sure to plug both piece directly into the wall socket instead of some extension or worse, a surge protector.

I've picked a kit that means I can plug it directly into the wall, so that's sorted.

Just now, Oshino Shinobu said:

Here comes an annoying answer: It depends. 

The speed of powerline varies depending on the wiring in the building. Typically, the newer the building, the better powerline will perform. Older buildings can have speed and connection issues if the wiring's bad. From my experience, it's faster and more stable than WiFi, especially if there's a lot of traffic and interference over WiFi. It's worth a try. If not, then run a cable (that would be my preferred method, but not everyone's able or willing to run cables).

Yeah, the house isn't exactly new, about 1970s but like you say, I'll give it a try.

[Scheer]

7 hours ago, Raiden60 said:

Yeah, the house isn't exactly new, about 1970s but like you say, I'll give it a try.

In the 70's a lot of houses used aluminum wiring, I'm not sure if powerline devices will care, but in general aluminum causes a lot of issues just with the electrical system.

If you are comfortable with it, pop off your breaker panel cover and check to see what wire your house is. If it is aluminum you may want to check into whether or not powerline will work properly over it. While you are in there, may as well see what gauge it is, and make sure if it is 14 that your microwave and other extremely high power devices are the only things on the circuit for that line.

[Raiden60]

Just now, Scheer said:

In the 70's a lot of houses used aluminum wiring, I'm not sure if powerline devices will care, but in general aluminum causes a lot of issues just with the electrical system.

If you are comfortable with it, pop off your breaker panel cover and check to see what wire your house is. If it is aluminum you may want to check into whether or not powerline will work properly over it.

At this point, I'm probably gonna try regardless. I will check though, thanks.

[steffen_anywhere]

8 hours ago, JoeyDM said:

1 hour ago, Scheer said:

In the 70's a lot of houses used aluminum wiring, I'm not sure if powerline devices will care, but in general aluminum causes a lot of issues just with the electrical system.

If you are comfortable with it, pop off your breaker panel cover and check to see what wire your house is. If it is aluminum you may want to check into whether or not powerline will work properly over it. While you are in there, may as well see what gauge it is, and make sure if it is 14 that your microwave and other extremely high power devices are the only things on the circuit for that line.

@Raiden60

 

Well in that case you still don't know how exactly the house is wired...you could still get terrible performance, like my neighbour is getting unfortunately... Generally, powerline is neat since it's superior to wifi over distances. So for your use case, powerline would be the better option if it works. Go for powerline and make sure to follow the tips of the others here when choosing adapters. Good Luck!