John C. Dvorak: So, one of our producers sent something in. She was moaning about wanting to get rid of the house full of Wi-Fi. She’s looking into HomePlug, which is the old term for the powerline network adapter. I wouldn’t recommend these things, but let me explain a bit.
Adam Curry: Tell everyone what it is, because she didn’t quite understand how it works.
John C. Dvorak: Powerline network adapters use the power lines within your home to overlay a networking signal—an Ethernet signal. For example, if I plug in the source in my office, I can pick it up by plugging another adapter somewhere else in the house, like the kitchen or living room. The signal is sent across easily, and setup is simple. You press a “Find Me” button on both adapters, and they link up. You can even have multiple networks in the same house from different sources.
Now, what you want to look for is a V1000 or V2000 model, which are gigabit connections. They won’t deliver true gigabit speeds, but they won’t degrade like Wi-Fi does. AV1000 is one gigabit, AV2000 is two gigabits, and they are all backward compatible with older models like AV200, AV500, and AV1000. Two brands I recommend are Tenda and TP-Link, which are very popular and dirt cheap—like $30-40. You plug an Ethernet cable into the bottom of the adapter and then into whatever you’re hooking up. They work great for smart TVs when you want a strong connection without using Wi-Fi.
If you want to reduce Wi-Fi in your home, avoid versions with Wi-Fi extension. But if you do want Wi-Fi, there are versions that come with a Wi-Fi extender. Some even have a switch to turn the Wi-Fi off, which is great. For example, I’ll plug one into the dining room, and if people want Wi-Fi for their phones or laptops, they get an excellent connection. It’s twice to four times faster than Wi-Fi.
Adam Curry: Can I add a tip to your tip?
John C. Dvorak: Sure.
Adam Curry: Don’t use an extension cord with the powerline adapter. It doesn’t work well, if at all.
John C. Dvorak: You need to plug it directly into the wall.
Adam Curry: I’m just letting people know—no extension cords!
John C. Dvorak: I recommend these adapters because they’re faster, and they work fine. Adam’s a ham radio operator, and early versions of these adapters interfered with ham transmissions—they were scandalous. Some earlier models would even lose the signal if you turned on a blender. But most of these issues have been resolved. This is a terrific, understated technology. Up to two gigabits is amazing. You only need 25 megabits per second to stream 4K TV, so these are a great solution.
Adam Curry: Good tip!