Mesh Wi-Fi vs Powerline w/Wi-Fi

[BO Terry]

I've seen posts on this topic but they are a few years old or not comparing powerline vs mesh. I have a business client who just moved into a newish home. *Correction 2700 sf/2 stories, on a slab with all the HVAC etc in the attic. They are renting so running wires is not an option.

They currently have a wi-fi router from AT&T fiber (can't remember the speed it maybe 1GB) with a few year old NetGear Nighthawk AC1900 connected to it. They still have some dead zones and also experience periodic slowdowns (probably peak use times but they can't isolate it for me).

They have multiple smart tv's, 2 adults & 2 teens living there and I'm sure they are all on different devices on occasion. The son is an avid gamer and his machine only has RJ45. He really wants to stay with a wired connection vs adding Wi-Fi.

I thought about using a powerline adapter with Wi-Fi and ethernet (I've used TP-Link in the past with good success) but wondered about other options.

**Edit/update: I am interested in testing the waters with Unifi/Ubiquity products at some point but don’t think for this one. I want something that is easy to setup, reliable and has good speeds.

As of now, I'm looking at the eero 3 pack (regular, not pro) or the Google Nest. I’ve read that the Google had the ability to check some settings when offsite but don’t know how reliable (or secure) that is. I’ve read that the eero can be used standalone or multiples and all pods can function as main or satellite. This seems enticing for home installs as I could have several on hand, install what is needed be able to use the other units for other installs. With the advertised 500 Mbps WiFi and 1gb Ethernet speeds, that should manage anything they would need. They may both do all of these but I haven’t confirmed that. Not sure about traffic management of either during heavy use times. Also, not sure how either manages keeping the units firmware updated without intervention.

 

[timeshifter]

eero Pro

 

[carmen617]

Mesh for sure. I live in a largish home with plenty of dead spots, and used various powerline solutions for years. You notice I say various - that's because, in order to work, you have to connect powerline adapters directly to wall outlets, where they are continually bombarded by whatever power surges your particular environment is creating. In my case, I live in a wooded suburb of Boston, and have multiple power outages, most only lasting a few minutes, every year. My powerline adapters never lasted more than a year or two, so I found myself replacing them again and again.

Two years back I finally sprung for a 3 piece eero system - I haven't looked back. It works fine, gives me plenty of bandwidth, comes with great support, and, so far, is reliable as hell. I have also installed mesh systems for clients, Eero, Google, and Orbi, and have never had a single complaint from any of those.

 

[BO Terry]

Mesh for sure. I live in a largish home with plenty of dead spots, and used various powerline solutions for years. You notice I say various - that's because, in order to work, you have to connect powerline adapters directly to wall outlets, where they are continually bombarded by whatever power surges your particular environment is creating. In my case, I live in a wooded suburb of Boston, and have multiple power outages, most only lasting a few minutes, every year. My powerline adapters never lasted more than a year or two, so I found myself replacing them again and again.

Two years back I finally sprung for a 3 piece eero system - I haven't looked back. It works fine, gives me plenty of bandwidth, comes with great support, and, so far, is reliable as hell. I have also installed mesh systems for clients, Eero, Google, and Orbi, and have never had a single complaint from any of those.

I’ve heard of eero but never used any of their equipment. I’ve heard good things about Google and Orbi too. They are solid on their Ethernet connections as well (for the gamer)?

 

[Markverhyden]

I'm in a 3 story townhome, my IT room is on the ground floor and I can get 5 bars, around 30/10 mb, on the third floor with a UniFi AC Pro and my MBP with only has a N wifi adapter. Second floor my iMac, with an AC wifi adapter, gets like 150 down. But those UniFi's really need to be connected to a controller to manage and update.

I did buy the Ubiquiti Amplifi system to test when it first came out. Stupid easy to setup using a smart device. But it's also stupid simple. You're very limited in what you can achieve. But that's probably fine for a consumer. Base and two remotes around $300.

 

[BO Terry]

I am interested in testing the waters with Unifi/Ubiquity products at some point but don’t think for this one. I want something that is easy to setup, reliable and has good speeds.

As of now, I'm looking at the eero 3 pack (regular, not pro) or the Google Nest. I’ve read that the Google had the ability to check some settings when offsite but don’t know how reliable (or secure) that is. I’ve read that the eero can be used standalone or multiples and all pods can function as main or satellite. This seems enticing for home installs as I could have several on hand, install what is needed be able to use the other units for other installs. With the advertised 500 Mbps WiFi and 1gb Ethernet speeds, that should manage anything they would need. They may both do all of these but I haven’t confirmed that. Not sure about traffic management of either during heavy use times. Also, not sure how either manages keeping the units firmware updated without intervention.

 

[Haole Boy]

My personal experience with powerline adapters was horrible. While trying to troubleshoot why the powerline adapters were so slow, I ended up plugging both adapters into a "tee", ended up with a 50% drop in throughput. Ended up paying $2500 for an electrician to string new RG-6 coax and ethernet cable throughout the house. If you want to read the whole episode you can go here

As the saying goes, YMMV

Harry Z

 

[alexsmith2709]

Instead of starting a new thread i thought i'd post here as its the most up to date thread on this topic.
I have used powerline adapters for a few years and not had that much experience of Ubiquiti products.
Have powerline adapters got better in recent years? What brands are recommended to use/stay away from now?
Do any Ubiquiti products have ethernet ports on to extend (albeit over the WiFi network)?
What do people recommend for gaming, that doesnt involved running cables through the walls (i know this is the best solution most of the time)?

I am in the UK so products i can get over here would be great!

 

[Diggs]

What do people recommend for gaming, that doesnt involved running cables through the walls

Gaming is more about latency than bandwidth. Any repeater type install would best be avoided. That said, I've gamed on repeaters and powerline with good results. Latency was more about the server back then than my network.

 

[gpg]

MoCA 2.5 if there is coax cable in the room. If using the MoCA adapter and cable TV at the same time on the same coax cable be sure to get the correct filter. Most likely want to look for splitters and other filters on the coax system to make sure the line is as clean.

I use them and find it much more practical than power line adapters.

See...

gpg

 

[alexsmith2709]

Gaming is more about latency than bandwidth. Any repeater type install would best be avoided. That said, I've gamed on repeaters and powerline with good results. Latency was more about the server back then than my network.

I thought as much. I see some devices saying low latency as a feature, i wondered if anyone had any experience about how low this is and is it close to ethernet?

The MoCA seems like a nice idea and good alternative to powerline, but cable in every room isnt common over here.

 

[Mick]

FWIW - I've had not-that-great experiences with Devolo stuff, but pleasantly surprised by the various bits and bobs Netgear supply. Trouble is, they bring out new lines and ranges so often, it's hard to keep track!

 

[NJW]

Have powerline adapters got better in recent years? What brands are recommended to use/stay away from now?

Yes, performance has improved – depending on when you last tried Powerline. Modern Powerline will, for example, cross phases in a 3-phase installation and isn't so fussy about the quality of circuit breakers, compared with, say, 7-8 years ago. (But quality of connection will always be better in ideal conditions, of course.)

Personally, I stick with TP-Link, although I know others on here don't have a high opinion of them. They're cheap enough to try for not much. If you use the TP-Link config. utility, there are options to specify 'Gaming' (or 'VoIP', or ...), but I don't know how useful or effective those options are.

 

[alexsmith2709]

Yes, performance has improved – depending on when you last tried Powerline. Modern Powerline will, for example, cross phases in a 3-phase installation and isn't so fussy about the quality of circuit breakers, compared with, say, 7-8 years ago. (But quality of connection will always be better in ideal conditions, of course.)

Personally, I stick with TP-Link, although I know others on here don't have a high opinion of them. They're cheap enough to try for not much. If you use the TP-Link config. utility, there are options to specify 'Gaming' (or 'VoIP', or ...), but I don't know how useful or effective those options are.

Thanks. I last tried them about 4-5 years ago i think, back then i dont think there was any config utility to specify such options so thats useful to know

 

[glennd]

Yes, performance has improved – depending on when you last tried Powerline. Modern Powerline will, for example, cross phases in a 3-phase installation and isn't so fussy about the quality of circuit breakers, compared with, say, 7-8 years ago. (But quality of connection will always be better in ideal conditions, of course.)

Personally, I stick with TP-Link, although I know others on here don't have a high opinion of them. They're cheap enough to try for not much. If you use the TP-Link config. utility, there are options to specify 'Gaming' (or 'VoIP', or ...), but I don't know how useful or effective those options are.

I'd be interested to know how they compare against something like the D-Link equivalents.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I've had good success with powerline, even used it myself for a few years in a big old farmhouse we rented when I was transitioning towns.

Especially for gaming. You said there is an avid gamer there. For some games, good wireless may be "OK"...but for some other games that really push the rates....nope...no good. Wired > wireless for gaming.

 

[NJW]

I'd be interested to know how they compare against something like the D-Link equivalents.

There's only one way to find out ...

I'll hold up my hand and admit that the consistently low prices for TP-Link gear in general have kept me there. I have found the Powerline stuff to be entirely satisfactory and the two or three failures out of a few hundred have almost certainly been down to physical interference with the device (holiday cottage guests, all occasions – nothing provable).

I started out using Netgear Powerline (10 years ago), which consistently failed after about 2½ years in service, even in my own home setting. That tainted the brand somewhat for me. Just last week, I replaced a Netgear that a client had installed himself – about 2½ years ago. Perhaps it's a design feature.

I've also used some Devolo parts (~2 years ago), where the client has already bought before involving me. Worked well, but I didn't see anything to justify the price premium.

... back then i dont think there was any config utility to specify such options so thats useful to know

There has always been a rudimentary utility, available in the TP-Link Support download area, but it is more comprehensive now. There's the possibility to configure Guest Wi-Fi (isolation from the private LAN possible), schedule Wi-Fi hours, schedule LED hours and sync. config. across multiple Wi-Fi adapters from a single point. Must be by Ethernet connection to one of the Wi-Fi adapters, Windows & Mac versions. You can play in the emulator here.

There's also an app (Android & iOS), of which I have no experience.