PowerLine technology is a great solution for extending the range of your home network. It’s easy to set up, secure and boldly goes where your wireless won’t. Here’s the 101:
What Is PowerLine Technology, Anyway?
There are two ways most people connect devices to their home network. They either plug them directly into their router with Ethernet cables or use a Wi-Fi connection. PowerLine technology is an alternative to these two options and connects devices to your network using the existing electrical wiring that’s already in your walls.
Why would I want to connect with PowerLine?
PowerLine is a perfect solution when the device you want to connect to your network is outside of the range of your wireless router. If you have a large multi-story home, for instance, your wireless router may have trouble reaching to every room. Rather than stringing Ethernet cables all over your house or going through the hassle of hiding them behind your walls, PowerLine lets you use the electrical wiring that’s already there to extend the range of your network.
So, how exactly does it work?
Let’s say your router is in the basement and you want to connect a Smart TV in your upstairs bedroom to your network. You simply connect one of the PowerLine adapters to your router and plug it into the wall in the basement and you connect the other PowerLine adapter to the TV and plug it into the wall in your bedroom. Now you have a reliable wired connection all the way from your basement to your bedroom without the dreaded blue cord taking over your home.
How secure is a PowerLine network?
It really depends on the brand of device you are using. Different manufacturers will have different security measures. For instance the D-Link PowerLine devices offer Simple Push Button Security. All you have to do to secure your data is push the button on the base adapter to set up a private encryption key and then push it on both adapters to sync them up with each other.
This blog post was written by Fiona Hutcheson
About Fiona Hutcheson
Fiona is a Consumer Marketing Manager at D-Link and contributes to the Newegg Blog.
