I had been having sporadic problems with the wireless connection in the residence for quite some time. Everyone knows the drill. Boot up a laptop and try to make a connection. Some days/times it works other times it does and sometimes it drops off after a while to come back up when it feels like it. It’s really un-nerving. If you live or work in a two story house, it may be beneficial to install a 2 wireless routers with the same SSID one on each floor ot add a wireless access point to the other floor. This may help propagate the signal or add stability to a weak one.
One of the offices on the same floor ws using a Dell Optiplex 780 with a Dell wireless card. The antenna is in the shape of a hockey puck and about the same size and while the computer is only 50 feet from the wireless router, maintaining connectivity was a problem.
You can put up with problems with a laptop by moving around until you find the ‘sweet spot’ for the time but a desktop computer is a different story. Did I mention that the residence is not wired for Ethernet? Did I also mention that we do not use a telephone land line?
What is a person to do under these circumstances, especially when the other partner on the team insists on an immediate solution?
Simple, find a device that will send Ethernet over the 14 gauge electrical wiring in the house. I had tried it many years ago and frankly, the product didn’t work so I was skeptical.
I did some research and found that the local Staples carried the Netgear line of ‘Internet connection extenders’. These are also known as powerline adapter. There is a group called Home Plug Appliance that works on alternative Ethernet delivery methods for the home where speed and data transfer rates greater than the current wireless a/g/n standards can provide. members of the group include Linksys, GE, Sharp, Texas Instruments, Motorola and Netgear. Appliances from the HomePlug Powerline Alliance are certified to be simple, reliable, secure and work together.
So the concept is simple. Plug a pair of the adapters directly into the wall outlet (no power strips, please), connect one end to a network source like a router and the other end to your computer using an Ethernet patch cord. The nice part is that the device that connects to the router becomes the Ethernet source for other devices that plug into a wall outlet. It even works when you’re vacuuming. Click here to review the details of the standard. You can also navigate the site for more information concerning, applications, devices, videos, etc.
Follow the link to get the datasheet on my device, the Netgear Powerline AV 200 Adapter – XV2001.
Installation is a snap. Just clear out a conveniently located AC recepticle on outlets at both ends, use the patch cords provided in the kit, click Factory reset switch on both devices. If the downstream computer is running and the Ethernet port is live, you’ll see the Powerline LED turn green indicating your at 85Mbps. Not bad.
Needless to say, I highly recommend this product. You can check out other devices at the HomePlug Powerline Alliance site.
This posting is provided “as is” with no warranties, guaranties or any rights whatsoever. All content is based on the author’s experiences and opinions and is not intended to influence the actions of the reader.