{"id":2810,"date":"2013-04-03T02:12:50","date_gmt":"2013-04-03T01:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=2810"},"modified":"2013-04-03T02:25:49","modified_gmt":"2013-04-03T01:25:49","slug":"the-best-home-alternatives-to-wifi-wireless-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2013\/04\/the-best-home-alternatives-to-wifi-wireless-networks.html","title":{"rendered":"The Best Home Alternatives to WiFi Wireless Networks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wireless networks can be found pretty much everywhere, they\u2019re in your home, on your mobile, on laptops, in games consoles, local cafes, banks and even some airplanes now offer internet access using wifi<\/a>. But what do you do when wifi<\/a> is stretched to its limits, are there any alternatives? Quite a few as it happens.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Suffice to say that wifi<\/a> has evolved to become a familiar technology but as a result more and more of us are also becoming familiar with its many shortcomings, such as the limited reach through walls (especially those built with chicken wire) and the performance or\u00a0reliability detriment experienced when in a congested environment (i.e. lots of home wifi networks running in the same area).<\/p>\n

Naturally there are plenty ways to mitigate some of these problems, such as by using wifi extenders, switching to one of the new 802.11ac (5GHz<\/strong>) based Gigabit wifi routers (there\u2019s less congestion in the 5GHz band but that will only last so long) or holding out for the first 60GHz<\/strong> capable WiGig (802.11ad) devices that should run over shorter ranges but offer faster speeds (7Gbps).<\/p>\n

The Alternatives<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

But what if your device isn\u2019t wifi enabled or extending the signal simply doesn\u2019t deliver an effective result?\u00a0Perhaps you\u2019re simply scared of wifi \u201cradiation<\/em>\u201d rotting your brain (unlikely but quite a few people do keep tin foil hats to hand just in case)? In those situations you might want something different.<\/p>\n

Wired Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN)<\/span><\/h3>\n

The first and most obvious choice of all involves complimenting or scrapping your wifi in favour of a trusty old wired local area network<\/strong> (LAN). Most computers and network capable devices, except tablets and smartphones (though we have a solution for them too – explained later), include a standard rectangular RJ45<\/strong> Ethernet\/LAN socket on the back. Connecting your network into this is normally just a matter of plugging in the cable and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

The creation of a closed \/ wired network is not only more secure but will also deliver a network with the lowest latency and best speeds (i.e. 1000Mbps). The obvious downside to this approach is the need for cables, which can be messy and also limit your ability to surf while being mobile around the home and garden. But then almost every non-wifi solution will need cables at some point.<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n* Performance<\/em>
\n * Security<\/em>
\n * Cheap<\/em><\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n* Cables.. cables.. everything<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

WiFi to Ethernet Adapters<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes the problem isn\u2019t so much wifi itself as the lack of supporting connectivity. A large number of older and even some modern network capable devices, such as TV set-top-boxes, do not ship with wifi support built-in.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately these devices often reside in different rooms from your router, which makes running a long cable around your home somewhat tedious.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One solution to this problem is to buy a wifi to wired network adapter, which is essentially a small device that picks up your wifi signal and then converts it back into a traditional wired \/ RJ45 network cable.<\/p>\n

One example of such a device is Netgear\u2019s Universal Wifi Internet Adapter<\/strong><\/a> (WNCE2001<\/em>), which at the time or writing retails for around \u00a350.<\/p>\n

\"netgear<\/div>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n*Convenience<\/em>
\n *Fairly cheap<\/em>
\n *Low power (some like Netgear’s can be powered by a spare USB port)<\/em><\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n*Performance is limited by your wifi network.<\/em>
\n*It’s not a pure wifi alternative because you still need wifi :).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Powerline Ethernet Adapters (HomePlug)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes running a network cable around the house just isn\u2019t viable. But you can still benefit from the lower latency and often better performance of a fixed line network by using a Powerline setup. This technology cleverly harnessed your homes existing power cables and, without sacrificing their primary purpose of distributing electricity, turns them into a home network.<\/p>\n

\"netgear<\/div>\n

The system is usually very easy to configure. In most cases you simply plug one adapter into a power socket in one room, plug the second adapter in another power socket somewhere else in the house, press a button to sync them up and then plug in your network cable like normal. Easy. Modern Powerline kit promises speeds of up to 500Mbps<\/strong>, though in reality 40-100Mbps is perhaps a more realistic expectation (speeds are usually faster and more stable than N spec wifi).<\/p>\n

Note that you must plug these directly into the wall socket (not an extension) for the best speeds. Similarly some adapters include a pass-through<\/strong>, which lets you use the socket like a normal plug at the same time, though smaller adapters remove this to save space and reduce the cost. A few of the more expensive options also include wifi and extra Ethernet ports to improve your network options.<\/p>\n

\"homeplug<\/div>\n

On the one hand we think these are an excellent solution, with big brands like NetGear, D-Link, Belkin, TP-Link and ZyXEL all producing related kit, but it does have a few potential drawbacks. Firstly a lot of buildings have more than one power circuit<\/strong>, which can be separate and mean that your adapters might only work in certain parts of your home. Distance can also affect performance (the further away your adapters, the slower their speed).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Interference is another bugbear for the industry. Most Powerline adapters\u00a0operate in the short wave (2MHz to 86MHz<\/em>) radio spectrum bands, which can interfere with some DAB radios, broadcast radio systems (hams) and might potentially even cause problems for certain ADSL<\/a>\/ADSL2+ broadband connections (i.e. usually only if your phone line runs alongside the mains wiring – cross interference).<\/p>\n

Some people have also raised concerns about security (e.g. flats and home tenants sharing power circuits) but in practice the 128bit AES encryption<\/strong> used with modern kit should be fine, for now.<\/p>\n

One final point is that if you do pick a Powerline adapter then make sure they all support the same modern standard, ideally HomePlug AV<\/strong> (AV500), HomePlug AV2<\/strong> or newer. Many of these are built to a higher standard than the older kit and benefit from being more mature and better shielded technologies, though interference remains a concern.<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n*Performance<\/em>
\n *Mostly inexpensive<\/em>
\n *Discreet network<\/em>
\n *Possibly more secure than wifi<\/em><\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n*Interference could be an issue under some circumstances (especially avoid cheap imports and the old 85Mbps adapters)<\/em>
\n *Claims of 500Mbps+ are hugely unrealistic (just like wifi)<\/em>
\n *Might not work in all your rooms<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ethernet over Coax (EoC or MoCa)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Quite a few homes have pre-installed coaxial cable (e.g. 50-75 ohm coax cable), which is more traditionally used by cable (CATV) and satellite<\/a> TV operators. But did you know that this can also be converted to function like a traditional home network? Well it can.<\/p>\n

Generally Ethernet over Coax<\/strong> comes in two flavours, the more standards complaint EoC variety of kit or the Multimedia over Coax Alliance<\/strong> (MoCA) alternative. Neither choice is particularly cheap and EoC hardware tends to be aimed more at network admins than the domestic environment. Elsewhere MoCA is technically a better solution for home users, even though it\u2019s not an official standard and lacks support.<\/p>\n

\"actiontec<\/div>\n

Actiontec sells MoCA Network Adapter\u2019s (ECB2500C02<\/strong>) for about \u00a3100 a pop and EchoBox also does some similar kit, although performance tends to be in the 30-100Mbps region (if you\u2019re lucky). This solution can be a bit expensive and in some cases it won\u2019t work with your existing TV setup. MoCA in particular doesn\u2019t like you using the same coax if it\u2019s already connected to a satellite<\/a> TV service.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In our opinion these solutions are better left alone as none of them seem to have been particularly well developed for the domestic market. If you do get one then in theory they should just plug in and work, although those with MoCA kit may need special software for handling complicated home networks that have been setup with non-default settings (e.g. manually assigned IP addresses).<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n*Possibly more secure than wifi<\/em>
\n *Easy setup<\/em><\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n*Expensive<\/em>
\n *Not a lot of options (niche solution)<\/em>
\n *Uncertain Performance (often worse than the latest Powerline kit)<\/em>
\n *Poorly supported<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

USB to Ethernet (RJ45) Adapter<\/span><\/h3>\n

Anybody who owns a modern Tablet computer will be only too aware of one rather distinct problem with using a wired network solution, the lack of a traditional RJ45 Ethernet port. In fact most of these devices only offer a USB port, though what many people don\u2019t realise is that this can often be solved with a simple adapter.<\/p>\n

For example, Plugable Technologies<\/strong> produces USB 2.0\/3.0 to 10\/100\/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Wired Network Adapters that also work with some Android tablets. In fact there are quite a large number of these adapters about and most of them are both cheap (\u00a315-\u00a325) and work automatically once plugged in.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The problem, especially with Android based tablets, is that many of these adapters will not function unless the tablet manufacturers have included Ethernet capability into their version of the operating software.<\/p>\n

Samsung, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Sony tablets often have this issue and surprisingly the same can also be said for Windows 8 RT devices. In some cases this can be solved by hunting down a special driver or custom firmware but it\u2019s very hit and miss.<\/p>\n

\"usb<\/div>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n*Cheap<\/em>
\n *Fast (make sure the adapter supports 1000 Gigabit Ethernet)<\/em><\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n*Poor compatibility<\/em>
\n *Cables.. not ideal for portable devices<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Clearly consumers have plenty of options to choose from and, interference concerns aside, our personal favourite is the HomePlug<\/strong> adapter; especially those with the dual-use of also being able to extend your wifi network. Do pay attention to size though and consider your needs carefully as some adapters, especially those that include a pass-through socket for other plugs, can be quite big. Likewise make sure to test and see if the adapter causes problems for your broadband or DAB radio and if it does then take it back.<\/p>\n

At an extreme you could also fit some of your own Ethernet sockets around the home, just like they do in office blocks, although this does tend to require some basic DIY skills and access to the wall space between floors. It might be tricky but can still be worthwhile doing, especially if you don\u2019t like the idea of leaving a secondary adapter plugged in.<\/p>\n

In the future there could be even more options available and a number of teams are already developing technologies that can, for example, distribute a home network by using ordinary household LED lighting<\/strong> (here<\/a>). But commercially viable products for such applications are still a few years away.<\/p>\n

As a final tip we\u2019d also recommend that you pay close attention to the quality of your Ethernet cable. Most networking kit comes with bog standard Category 5 cable (cat5<\/strong>), which is fine for the older 10BASE-T (10Mbps) and 100BASE-TX (100Mbps) standards but can run into problems with Gigabit (1000Mbps+) capable technologies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s generally better to use the more modern cat5e<\/strong> cable for anything offering speeds of\u00a0above 100Mbps and cat6<\/strong> or cat6a<\/strong> is good if you want to stay future proofed for 1000Mbps (1000BASE-T) or faster technologies. Many consumers are not aware of this and may thus be missing out on some performance. Similarly it\u2019s a good idea to buy a router that supports Gigabit Ethernet\u00a0as this will be better able to cope with future demands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wireless networks can be found pretty much everywhere, they\u2019re in your home, on your mobile, on laptops, in games consoles, local cafes, banks and even some airplanes now offer internet access using wifi. But what do you do when wifi is stretched to its limits, are there any alternatives? Quite a few as it happens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[476],"class_list":["post-2810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial_article","tag-wifi"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nThe Best Home Alternatives to WiFi Wireless Networks - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wireless networks can be found pretty much everywhere, they\u2019re in your home, on your mobile, on laptops, in games consoles, local cafes, banks and even\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2013\/04\/the-best-home-alternatives-to-wifi-wireless-networks.html\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2013\/04\/the-best-home-alternatives-to-wifi-wireless-networks.html\/2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Home Alternatives to WiFi Wireless Networks - 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