Do powerline wifi adaptors actually work?

Tokmon

ballyblack said:

yes they do work.


Plug extenders do not work properly in my experience as they only retransmit about 50% of the signal

So your saying only 50% of the data gets retransmitted?

I can't imagine that to be true because none of the devices connected to it would work properly with that much data loss.

Fellwalker

We happily used Devolo 500 powerline adapters for about 7 years without trouble, then we began getting intermittent problems which lost the Internet link for perhaps 5 minutes max while they sorted themselves out. One wifi unit failed to update and became useless. They were basically old tech by then and had been on 24/7/365 so I wasn't upset with them. 
Last May I replaced them with Devolo 550 powerline adapters. No troubles since. They are still being updated.
We don't need faster because we only use them for the TV streaming which is the opposite corner of the house to the router. 

For WiFi I think mesh is a better solution because you don't have to keep swapping between different connections - the system does it for you. When we had a WiFi extender we'd find our phones and tablets were holding on to a 1 bar signal even when they were virtually next to the extender. 

Doshwaster

My experience is that they do work but don't give anywhere near the bandwidth they claim. I would use them in cases where you really need a wired connection but otherwise a good Mesh wireless setup would probably be better unless you want to go to the expense of installing proper CAT cabling.

Mickey666

Tokmon said:

ballyblack said:

yes they do work.


Plug extenders do not work properly in my experience as they only retransmit about 50% of the signal

So your saying only 50% of the data gets retransmitted?

I can't imagine that to be true because none of the devices connected to it would work properly with that much data loss.

I don't know what ballyblack means by "they only retransmit about 50% of the signal" but you don't need to worry about data loss.  The network control protocols will ensure data is not lost because if it is lost/corrupted during transmission is will be detected and will be retransmitted until it received correctly.

This error detection and retransmission will SLOW DOWN the overall speed of transmission, but not the integrity.  This is why the 'link speed' of a connection (ie how many bits per second it can send) can be very different to the 'effective speed' of the connection.  If something has to be sent, say, three times before getting through then it will obviously be slower than if it worked at the first attempt.

For many applications, this reduction in speed because of a weak signal causing low-level data errors is not a problem.  You won't notice if it takes 1/10th second to send an email or if it takes 1 second.  Or even 10 seconds in practice, because it's not a 'time critical' application.  I won't matter if this post takes 10 seconds to appear on the forum after I click on 'Post Comment'.

However, if I was listening to streamed music and the data could not be sent fast enough because of data errors, then I would notice because the music would 'stutter' and I'd hear the effect.  Similarly, if I was trying to use a 'Zoom' connection and a poor signal was causing slow data throughput then the screen would start to 'freeze' until the data stream could 'catch up' or it would simply 'jump forward' and miss a whole chunk of video.

This is why threads like this one asks a simple question but receives a range of answers.

Some people will say "Yes, powerline adapters work perfectly" while others will say 'No, they are useless".  Both answers could be correct but without knowing the precise circumstances they are also not very helpful.

Someone only using non-time-critical things like web browsing, email, facebook, forums etc will not be demanding much from their powerline link so of course they are likely to say it works fine . . . because for them it does.  Whereas someone trying to conduct zoom meetings or play online high resolution action games will be requireing a very fast link and are more likely to say that powerline adapters don't work . . . because for them, they don't.

So really, the answer to the thread question is "Yes, but . . . ".  Yes, of course they work in the purely fundtional sense, BUT there will likely be a performance issue that may or may not be a problem depending on how exactly you are using them.

There's usually only one way to find out and that's to test them in your specific cirsumstances.

Tokmon

Mickey666 said:

Tokmon said:

ballyblack said:

yes they do work.


Plug extenders do not work properly in my experience as they only retransmit about 50% of the signal

So your saying only 50% of the data gets retransmitted?

I can't imagine that to be true because none of the devices connected to it would work properly with that much data loss.

I don't know what ballyblack means by "they only retransmit about 50% of the signal" but you don't need to worry about data loss.  The network control protocols will ensure data is not lost because if it is lost/corrupted during transmission is will be detected and will be retransmitted until it received correctly.

This error detection and retransmission will SLOW DOWN the overall speed of transmission, but not the integrity.  This is why the 'link speed' of a connection (ie how many bits per second it can send) can be very different to the 'effective speed' of the connection.  If something has to be sent, say, three times before getting through then it will obviously be slower than if it worked at the first attempt.

For many applications, this reduction in speed because of a weak signal causing low-level data errors is not a problem.  You won't notice if it takes 1/10th second to send an email or if it takes 1 second.  Or even 10 seconds in practice, because it's not a 'time critical' application.  I won't matter if this post takes 10 seconds to appear on the forum after I click on 'Post Comment'.

However, if I was listening to streamed music and the data could not be sent fast enough because of data errors, then I would notice because the music would 'stutter' and I'd hear the effect.  Similarly, if I was trying to use a 'Zoom' connection and a poor signal was causing slow data throughput then the screen would start to 'freeze' until the data stream could 'catch up' or it would simply 'jump forward' and miss a whole chunk of video.

This is why threads like this one asks a simple question but receives a range of answers.

Some people will say "Yes, powerline adapters work perfectly" while others will say 'No, they are useless".  Both answers could be correct but without knowing the precise circumstances they are also not very helpful.

Someone only using non-time-critical things like web browsing, email, facebook, forums etc will not be demanding much from their powerline link so of course they are likely to say it works fine . . . because for them it does.  Whereas someone trying to conduct zoom meetings or play online high resolution action games will be requireing a very fast link and are more likely to say that powerline adapters don't work . . . because for them, they don't.

So really, the answer to the thread question is "Yes, but . . . ".  Yes, of course they work in the purely fundtional sense, BUT there will likely be a performance issue that may or may not be a problem depending on how exactly you are using them.

There's usually only one way to find out and that's to test them in your specific cirsumstances.

Yea that's the problem with most people who recommend these types of things don't actually know how to test to see how well they are working. Always best to look at proper reviews online where people test the speed and latency and then you have a quantifiable comparison. 

GeordieGeorge

I’ve used them in a previous house but in my current one they do seem to struggle. I’ve no idea why, but they keep losing connection. It’s not an older house, and it’s well wired.

They are definitely worth a try, but start off with a single pair to make sure that they’ll work well for you. It’s easy to add more in later when needed.

Jumblebumble

ferry said:

We have an issue with poor wifi but have been recommended TP Link Powerline AV600 may help us out as a cheap fix.
Can we get some feeback from anyone who uses these 
Thank you

My experience is that Powerline  will last about 12 months and then pack up
We have not had an issue with TP-Link ones
BT router Walwarts can cause serious interference
Best bet is to try and buy from someone who will refund if they don't work

Nebulous2

I started a previous thread about this, and ended up using the AV600s you referred to. 

Powerline with WiFi — MoneySavingExpert Forum

It was originally a holiday house and I needed it for my turbo trainer. It worked well - used for a few days and switched off, when we were there for a weekend. We had anticipated placing it in the garage, but found that it worked well in the room above, providing coverage for that whole end of the house. 

Since then we have moved in permanently, and the random disconnects referred to earlier have started. Every 4-5 days the wifi will drop out and the plug will need to be switched off and on again. I use my phone far too much in my bed and it is a pain when it goes down, as I would need to go downstairs and reset it. In practice I use 4g. 

So yes they work - provide coverage for surfing and reading newsgroup, but are prone to losing signal every few days. 

[Deleted User]

Mickey666 said:

Tokmon said:

ballyblack said:

yes they do work.


Plug extenders do not work properly in my experience as they only retransmit about 50% of the signal

So your saying only 50% of the data gets retransmitted?

I can't imagine that to be true because none of the devices connected to it would work properly with that much data loss.

The network control protocols will ensure data is not lost because if it is lost/corrupted during transmission is will be detected and will be retransmitted until it received correctly.

If it is a UDP packet that is lost / corrupted it will never be re-transmitted and will be lost forever.

UDP is often used for real time communications such as voice / video (eg Zoom) applications as well as video streaming and gaming - all things where dropped packets reduce the quality for the end user. Will result in things like stuttering / dropped audio or intermittently frozen / distorted video.