Ethernet Adapters?

If you decide to go the Powerline adapter route I suggest you first agree with the retailer on a refund if it doesn't work (or work adequately).

So much depends on how your home is wired. Can be brilliant -- but.

There are also known issues -- in the experiment I tried within one room -- I was picking up interference on my PC speakers and speed was abysmal.

You have to buy powerline adapters in PAIRS! One adapter is useless. You plug one into an outlet near your router and run an Ethernet cable between them, then plug the other one into an outlet near your PC and run an Ethernet cable between them as well.

[wireless router]<--wire-->[powerline adapter #1](ac)<--power lines-->(ac)[powerline adapter #2]<--wire-->[pc]

IOW, instead of Ethernet wiring or wireless, your home wiring becomes the bridging medium between devices (in this case, the router and the PC).

As fihart suggests, powerline sometimes works extremely well, sometimes just ok, sometimes only marginally, and sometimes not at all (e.g., if the ac outlets are on different circuits). And yes, line noise can degrade performance (although you might be able move around or remove your electronics to improve the situation). In short, it’s a bit of a hit or miss proposition. But sometimes it’s your only viable option.

There are various TYPES of powerline adapters. For example, ZyXEL offers a basic powerline adapter (PLA-401), another that includes a 4-port switch (PLA-470), another that’s a powerline wireless AP (PLA-450), and another that’s a powerline wireless G router (NBG-318S). So depending on what you’re trying to achieve, you might choose to mix different types. For example, you might use a basic powerline adapter near the router but use a powerline wireless AP at the other end near your PC (assuming it’s wireless).

Another issue w/ powerline is the expense. Although I have seen a lot of really good deals for ZyXEL lately. One of the best was about 10 days ago, the ZyXEL NBG318SKIT-400-SP, a “kit” which includes a basic powerline adapter + powerline wireless G router. It’s currently $100 shipped, but Newegg has had it on sale twice recently, once for $48 shipped, and more recently $40! That’s an incredible deal when you consider it’s HomePlug AV 200mbps and one of the adapters is a full-blown wireless G router. I’m personally expecting to see this deal return in the coming weeks (they sell out every time).