Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
If the thought of physically running ethernet cables in and around your house fills you with anxiety, you aren't alone.
For the longest time severely deficient wireless internet was the single option available for providing a connection to a remote computer. The room in which the computer was located is, for all intents and purposes, a faraday cage. No matter the numerous convoluted wireless routers, wireless network repeaters, or antenna configurations attempted, the end results were invariably tepid.
Not being one to have an incredible appetence for the fickle nature of wireless networking, particularly in areas with a crowded wireless band or in buildings comprising of materials detrimental to wireless signal propagation, only one option existed--save for running a cable.
Powerline Ethernet adapters are nothing new, but as of late they've made great strides in the kind of speeds that can be attained by way of your existing power lines. As of the recording and upload of this video (and to the best of my current knowledge), this Netgear PLP1200 Powerline adapter is the fastest on the market with a claimed 1200Mbps of theoretical speed.
Of course, due largely in part to the deficiencies inherent with using power lines for data transmission, the realistic speeds are much less than the claimed 1200Mbps. Still, anything was better than the highly capricious nature of wireless network signals in this particular area.
Basing upon the several real-world speed tests I conducted with these Powerline adapters in various locations throughout the house, I can say that under most scenarios, achieving network speeds exceeding 60Mbps isn't at all a remote reality. Network speeds of 1200Mbps, on the other hand, seems doubtful.
Despite the prodigious improvement in reliability and speed over WiFi, it's a pity that these Powerline adapters introduced noise and interference to the FM broadcast band in the way of a clicking/ticking noise. Said noise was audible throughout the house, as the power lines were acting as one large antenna, in all likelihood. Disconnecting both adapters solved the plight of interference.
*At 26:00 I meant to say "hot and neutral," not "positive and neutral" when referring to the electrical connections necessary for the powerline adapter to function.
If the thought of physically running ethernet cables in and around your house fills you with anxiety, you aren't alone.
For the longest time severely deficient wireless internet was the single option available for providing a connection to a remote computer. The room in which the computer was located is, for all intents and purposes, a faraday cage. No matter the numerous convoluted wireless routers, wireless network repeaters, or antenna configurations attempted, the end results were invariably tepid.
Not being one to have an incredible appetence for the fickle nature of wireless networking, particularly in areas with a crowded wireless band or in buildings comprising of materials detrimental to wireless signal propagation, only one option existed--save for running a cable.
Powerline Ethernet adapters are nothing new, but as of late they've made great strides in the kind of speeds that can be attained by way of your existing power lines. As of the recording and upload of this video (and to the best of my current knowledge), this Netgear PLP1200 Powerline adapter is the fastest on the market with a claimed 1200Mbps of theoretical speed.
Of course, due largely in part to the deficiencies inherent with using power lines for data transmission, the realistic speeds are much less than the claimed 1200Mbps. Still, anything was better than the highly capricious nature of wireless network signals in this particular area.
Basing upon the several real-world speed tests I conducted with these Powerline adapters in various locations throughout the house, I can say that under most scenarios, achieving network speeds exceeding 60Mbps isn't at all a remote reality. Network speeds of 1200Mbps, on the other hand, seems doubtful.
Despite the prodigious improvement in reliability and speed over WiFi, it's a pity that these Powerline adapters introduced noise and interference to the FM broadcast band in the way of a clicking/ticking noise. Said noise was audible throughout the house, as the power lines were acting as one large antenna, in all likelihood. Disconnecting both adapters solved the plight of interference.
*At 26:00 I meant to say "hot and neutral," not "positive and neutral" when referring to the electrical connections necessary for the powerline adapter to function.
