Wireless n vs Powerline

[Brats]

We recently had an extension built, part of which houses the new 'family room' with all the games consoles. Problem is, it seems to be a bit of a wireless dead spot. It can be okay, but frequently it will lose connection or everything will become very stuttery. People have even noticed that their mobiles don't get a reception in that room.

I currently have a wireless n modem, a Netgear WNR2000 which was supplied free by Virgin Media. It's fine for most of the house, even the garden, but struggles with this one room. Reading about this router on the net, it appears to have quite a poor range compared to others.

So options: I can either upgrade the router to a better router like the Billion 7800 which gets rave reviews and seems like a well made piece of kit, or a wireless n router with dual band 5Ghz like the Netgear WNDR3800, although some reports I've read say that the 5Ghz has a shorter range (but gets less interference and less devices use this band).

Or....I can go for a Powerline solution. The router is in the study upstairs and the consoles are downstairs on a separate ring. I've read conflicting reports about Powerline working through a fuse box, but it's a fairly new fusebox so it should be okay (I think). I'd probably go for a 200Mbps Powerline as the new Gbps Powerline sets seem a bit flaky from what I've read.

Any thoughts? Better router or Powerline?

[Brats]

Sorry, I've posted this in the wrong forum. Blame a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc I've been guzzling.

[speedlolita]

Well, in theory, the powerline uses the electrical cables as a sort of extension to another powerline majiger. Therefore, I'd assume that it'd be better for transfer rates (probably full?) and if so less latency.

[charlesr]

Is the router on the same ring as that room? Needs to be for the "over power line" stuff to work.

If you are only going to need 2 units it's probably a good idea. I can't find any specs that say how much power these things consume though. Might be worth checking since you have to leave them on 24/7. It's probably not much and just by not showering for one day in the year you could save the planet/running costs....

[J0e Musashi]

I've been using a Netgear powerline setup since January and I'm highly pleased with it. It turned out to be extra handy as I could use adhocParty.
Wired is always better than wireless, even if it's psuedo wired no?

[ChrisF]

I use 200mbs power line adapters (devolo ones) to stream my media. Couldn't be more pleased with them.

I have a dual band wireless router with adjustable power settings on the antennas, but i still have reception issues due to the thickness of the walls.

Powerline all the way.

[Brats]

Thanks guys. I bought a D-Link 200 Mbps power line kit. Gonna set it up today and see how it goes .

[k0pp0]

So how is it then?

[Brats]

Seems good so far. The two plugs in the powerline system are on separate rings and one of them is going through a 4 way extension cable (which apparently can degrade the signal) but so far seems to work fine with no drop outs.

I need to test it more. I haven't played much online, but music streaming from my PC to my XBox seems fine, unlike with wireless which would often drop out.

[ChrisF]

Yeah, using extension cables isn't ideal. You may be able to get some software from the manufacturers that will show you the speed you're getting. Mine showed noticeable improvement when I took them off the extension cable - although its a right pain if you're short on sockets.

Glad its all working for you though. Its such an underrated technology.