Using AC wiring for data networking is called powerline networking, and you can choose from several different flavors of the technology. Most of them are based on standards put forth by the HomePLug Powerline Alliance, an industry certification group.
Joseph Moran
The original 14 Mbps HomePlug 1.0 standard, a follow-on specification dubbed “HomePlug with Turbo” that bumps throughput to 85 Mbps, and HomePlug AV, which promises enough performance (200 Mbps) to stream high-definition video. There's also a competing 200 Mbps powerline specification from a group called the Universal Powerline Association (UPA) that's popular outside North America, though Netgear sells a product based upon it here in the U.S.
Regardless of the specification used, Powerline networking products are easy to install and all work the same way. You'll need a minimum of two powerline adapters (which cost between $50-$100 depending on vendor and technology employed) — one for the device you want to network and another for your router. After you plug a powerline adapter into a wall outlet, you connect it to the Ethernet port of your router, computer, printer and so on.
Today's more advanced wireless networking protocols and antenna technologies make networking less of a problem than it once was, but wireless reception problems are still common enough that powerline is a useful complement to a WLAN. You don't necessarily need a palatial home to have wireless signal problems — a fully mirrored wall could wreak havoc with wireless signals.
Advertisement
