Home Networking: The Missing Manual

Chapter 4. Setting Up a Powerline Network

Ethernet and WiFi tend to hog all the networking glory, but there's a third way of linking your computers, and it's gaining some attention in the home-networking industry. Powerline networks use the electrical wiring already in your home to link your computers together.

In this chapter, you'll learn about Powerline's nuts and bolts and how to install a Powerline network in your home. If you've already done some networking but were stymied on how to extend your network into some hard-to-reach spot—the basement or an attic office, for example—you'll learn how to add Powerline onto your existing Ethernet or WiFi network.

Note

You might sometimes see Powerline referred to as HomePlug—that's the name of the official networking standard all Powerline devices use. To make matters worse, some hardware makers pile on even more monikers by slapping their own names, such as HomeLink or PlugLink, on their Powerline products.

Deciding If Powerline Is Right for You

Powerline is an impressive and easy-to-use network technology, but it's a little different from Ethernet and WiFi, the current networking champs. While Powerline devices can theoretically work all by themselves, most companies have focused their energy on developing products that work with your existing network's Ethernet or wireless router. In practice, most people use Powerline as a supplement to the main network, sort of like adding a room over the garage to get more living space in your house. ...