What is a powerline Adapter?
A Powerline Adapter uses your existing home electrical wiring to create a cabled computer network. You need at least two adapters to create your initial network. You plug the first adapter into a wall socket and connect it to your existing internet router using an Ethernet cable. The other adapter is plugged into another wall socket and into the device you want hooked up to your computer network. You need another adapter for each device you want to plug into your powerline network. See the diagram below for an illustration.
Most of us have Wi-Fi networks that we run in our homes today. Powerline adaptor networks have some advantages over Wi-Fi. The powerline network has more reliability, is easier to use, less hacky and runs at more consistent speeds. You can also use a Powerline Network system as a Powerline Wi-Fi Extender to areas of your home where Wi-Fi doesn’t reach.
Top 5 Best Powerline Adapters
1. TP-Link WPA4220KIT
The TP-LINK TL-WPA4220KIT AV500 Powerline Wi-Fi extender is great for sending 500 Mbps of high-speed transmissions for higher streaming needs like gaming consoles and HD videos. This powerline adapter has a Wi-Fi clone button for easy configuration throughout your home powerline network. Some things to keep in mind; the AV 500 is fairly harder to set-up for some, the Wi-Fi extension is not far enough at times, most times Mbps average around thirty to fifty, and it needs to be rebooted at least once a week.
2. NETGEAR PL1200-100UKS
NETGEAR PL1200-100UKS 1200 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapter Home plug comes as a twin pack as well, and you get an I Gb Ethernet port. This powerline adapter is great to use for your more demanding high-speed devices like smart TV’s and gaming systems because of the high rate of powerline speed at twelve hundred Mbps. The powerline network gives the ability to connect sixteen adapters for seamless gaming and streaming high-quality HD video. Some problems encountered were extreme heat in the powerline adapter causing connection issues and freezing. The speeds were not consistent, and powerline Wi-Fi extender seemed not to work longer distances.
3. TP-LINK TL-PA8030
4. BT Mini WI-Fi 600 Home Hotspot
5. TP-Link TL-PA4010KIT
The TP Link TL-PA4010KIT Nano kit is a budget AV600 powerline adapter for every day use. It provides high-speed data transfer and great to use for gaming, NAS hookup, and computers. Easy to setup plug and play setup for your devices.
