Powerline or range extender? Help needed!

Lsnook on 28/02/2016 - 23:38

I've looked for info and can't find anything or am too stupid to work it out.

My house has brick internal walls. The router is in the back of the house and I have a TV in the front of the house that I want to Chromecast to but the signal is too weak to even connect (via my phone). I can see the Chromecast but it won't connect.

I have this:
D link PowerLine AV 500
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/d-link-powe…

It came with the fetch box and isn't needed, as the main TV (that is using the Fetch box) is right next to the router so it's just plugged straight in.

So I connect the first D Link to the router and plug it in. What do I do with second D Link? I guess the ethernet has to go to something that gives off a signal for the phone to pick up but what? Or is this just to plug straight into the TV?

Or should I instead be looking at a range extender like Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender - WN3000RP

Truly I am stumped. Any help will be great! Thanks in advance!

Computing

Comments

  • MITM on 28/02/2016 - 23:55
    +3

    You've got the extender without WiFi. Chromecast needs wifi.
    You've basically extended the ethernet cable.
    You could do this with it:

    computer - - - - router - - - - powerline —> wall socket ||- walled electrical wires -|| wall socket <— powerline ——— Smart TV

    But you probably need this:
    http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/d-link-av50…

    to do this:
    computer - - - - wifi router - - - - powerline — wall socket ||- walled electrical wires -|| wall socket — powerline (<><><><wifi signal><><><>) chromecast / TV

    Don't forget to pair them together with the little button (ones the master and ones the slave), in the same room so they see each other. Then move them to the appropriate rooms.

  • derweep on 29/02/2016 - 00:03
    +1

    I have an old 300mbps POE, I have one for the computer and one into the media player in the theatre room, you will need to have an Ethernet cable to plug into the powerline adapter for both the computer and which ever one the other will go into. There's a software that comes with the powerline adapter and that should communicate between the two devices. You will have to set it up I think in Windows Networking but it's fairly straight forward, just set up your ip address through LAN, not through wireless and you're good to go. I see that they up to 2 gigabit now, which is amazing, when they came out it's 300mbps max but it never reaches that high, so the tech has come a long way. I could watch some 1080p movies easily via the powerline adapter but some movies with high bit rate would need 500mbps or more. Hope that helps.

    • pjetson on 29/02/2016 - 09:30

      an old 300mbps POE

      I think you mean EOP :-)

      • derweep on 29/02/2016 - 09:57

        Yeah thats what i mean, got all muddled up.

  • ellave on 29/02/2016 - 16:45

    What router do you have, you may be able to get a decent signal with a new router. I live in a brick house & have my router (Netgear r7000)in the pantry which is located in the Kitchen (duh) at the back of the house. I can still get a decent connection through out the whole house & even while in my Car out front.

    • snook on 29/02/2016 - 23:01

      Just the Optus one that came with the cable install last April. Not the big one.

      I can also get good signal in the car and the yard - through one wall. The front room is directly behind 3 double brick walls.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2016 - 20:43

    Put the second adapter in the front room. Buy a cheap router (I picked up a $25 tp link from msy for this purpose a few years ago). Plug adapter into router. Make a new Wi-Fi network. Then you use this network in your front room. That's what I do, and works well for me.

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