Posted 4 hours ago

Sky Hub 4.2 - Powerline Adapter vs Mesh system?

Hi All,

So I'm waiting for my router from Sky which is supposedly capable of 900mbps.

For 2 of my rooms, I do not have an Ethernet port unfortunately so is it better to purchase a Powerline Adapter such as this: amazon.co.uk/TL-…E0O or set up a Mesh system upstairs?

Could you possibly point me in the right direction which would be compatible with my router please?

TIA!
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  1. KodaBear's avatar
    If you're hoping to see anywhere close to gigabit speeds, you're not likely to get anywhere close with powerline.

    The latest WiFi technology will have a better chance of getting closer to full speed as long as your devices have WiFi cards that also support these standards, AND You are close to the access points.

    You can get yourself a good mesh system which will make this a possibility, but you'll likely still drop your top speeds at least a little, AND with mesh systems there's a possibility of introducing extra latency in your connection too.

    Considering Sky like to try and force customers to use the Sky router rather than the user's own router of much better quality, it's worth noting that Sky do have their own WiFi boosters too for those who need it, and that would also let you achieve the same kind of result as you would get with your own mesh system. So if you are actually going to use their router then you can consider this as another option too.
  2. SB91's avatar
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    Thanks so much for your reply - Silly question for me then, can I not just buy Mesh nodes which will essentially connect to my Sky Router? Aren't Wifi Extenders completely different tech to a Mesh system?
    EndlessWaves's avatar
    Nope, Mesh is just an extra feature meaning the extenders can dynamically route traffic between themselves. They're still fundamentally wi-fi connected access points.

    It has been a catchy marketing term so you'll likely find all high end units (which you'll need for gigabit wi-fi) are called mesh nodes rather than range extenders these days.
  3. abigsmurf's avatar
    Powerline adapters should be last resorts, especially between floors (which may be on different rings) and in houses with old noisy wiring.

    You may not need either, just positioning the router can have a massive effect, see if you can get an unobstructed line of sight from the router to the decises (wifi goes through floors with little issue but brick work blocks a huge amount of signal).

    Forcing or splitting the network to 2.4ghz also has a big effect as it's far better than 5ghz are getting through walls. You sacrifice a bit of speed for improved signal strength.
  4. freakstyler's avatar
    If you go down the Powerline route you'll need gigabit powerline adapters to take full advantage of anything over 100Mbps internet, the set you've linked to is only AV600, you'll need AV1000.

    If you want rock solid/reliable internet I would always recommend trying to run Ethernet cable either internally or externally - most local Aerial/CCTV installers will run cable externally and fit sockets for not a lot of money. Powerline adapters are a mixed bag, as are Powerline adapters. I had a pretty good experience with Tenda PH3 and PH6 Powerline adapters, the former costing only £12 for a pair on Amazon when I bought them. Before I wired my house with Ethernet I used them as backhaul for a BT Whole Home mesh kit and two PH3 adapters provided an internet link between the front of the house to the back as well as carrying 8 CCTV video streams to my NVR. If you're looking to link say two bedrooms upstairs, likely on the same ring main and your wiring is relatively decent I would try powerline adapters before going down a mesh route as they're cheaper and you can always return them if bought from Amazon.
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