New Home Network Setup - Powerline?

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JoeFig44

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Oct 23, 2012
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I'm moving into a large house and not sure how to setup my new home network.

I'll be using an Apple Extreme Base Station as my router. This will likely be located in the office at the front of the house. Then I need to enable the fastest wireless possible for my various roaming ipad and iPhone devices. This has to be across two levels (it's a bungalow) of about 3000sq.ft each.

My biggest challenge as well is at two areas where my TVs are located I need sufficient bandwidth to support smooth 1080p high bit rate file playback (video streaming). At still a third point (potentially near my router, but maybe not) I will have a NAS.

Should I use dlink power line adapters that broadcast wireless at the two TV points and then some other dlink wireless repeater product at whatever other areas I have dead zones?

Or is there some other solution or manufacturer I should be using?
 
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USAFRet


Actual WiFi performance won't really be known until you get everything in place. Every house is different, especially depending on size...
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Which way you go depends a LOT on:
Time, money, effort you want to put into it
Construction and size of the house
What other coverage you need (outside?)

I'm in the planning stage of rebuilding a house, and will be hardwiring drops in every room. At least two per.
I'd put Powerline ethernet as the absolute last option.
 
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JoeFig44

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Hmmm. Ok then, what should be my first solution?

i really don't want to get into fishing yards of wire through my dry walled home if I can get sufficient bandwidth via wireless or powerline solutions.
Just looking for a bit more here as far as specific suggestions?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Actual WiFi performance won't really be known until you get everything in place. Every house is different, especially depending on size and construction.
Since you're going mostly WiFi, you do have a few options.

1. Avoid putting the main router in the basement. Yes, it is wife-friendly (out of sight). But the basement is the absolute worst place for propagation of WiFi signals.

2. Repeaters/bridges. Again, depending on signal strength and distance, there are a few devices that can help. A repeater picks up the WiFi signal from the main router, and rebroadcasts it for extended range. A bridge picks up the WiFi signal, and sends it out via Cat5 to hardwired devices.
Some devices can do either. http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WA901ND-Wireless-300Mbps-Repeater/dp/B003CFAU0A

I'm hardwiring every room because:
1. I have to completely redo the crap coax job that exists now. Running more wires (Cat5e) along with that is very little extra work.
2. I prefer ethernet over WiFi unless absolutely necessary.
3. There are already multiple holes that need patching. A couple more will not hurt.

Again...I would resort to powerline adapters only as a last resort
 
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JoeFig44

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Yes, I wuld prefer hardwired as well, but frankly I just can't run that many wires neatly across this new house whch is expansive.

For wireless, given I'll be keeping my Extreme base station router, could you recommend brand names/model numbers of repeaters/bridges that would be best to try first?

The router will not be in the basement, but in the office, but taht is not centrally loated in the house, as it's more right at the front of the house so will ndefinitely need to keep a strong signal going towards the back and in the basement.
Then for the two point where my TVs are, I'd like a devce that maybe is strong wireless but then provides multiple ethenet ports so I can connect several netwok items to the wireless bridge there behindthe TVs.

 
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