Difference between wi-fi extender and powerline homeplug

[jeffrey1999]

I would like to boost my internet strength as my xbox one only gets about 1-2 bars. Would buying a extender or a powerline homeplug be better and what is the difference betwwen them?

 

[boosted1g]

Powerline would be much better IF your home wiring supports it. Older homes with older wiring as well as homes out in rural houses with all 3 phases wired to it do not work very well.

Powerline adapter simply sends Ethernet data over your powerline, so it is just an Ethernet/lan cable that ties into your home electrical wiring to get from one room to the other.

A range extender receives the wifi signal from your router, and attempts to rebroadcast it out again.
Here are the reasons why range extenders/repeaters are not that good:
1) Split bandwidth. since the range extender only has 1 radio it has to first send/receive data to the router, and then send/receive data to your device. This creates an additional amount of delay/latency and splits your speed in half
2) Low powered radios. The radios in these off-the-shelf repeaters are generally no more powerfull then what is already in the device that cant get a strong signal.
3) Wifi delay. Any wireless signal is going to have a longer delay then a wired signal does (physics), for streaming Netflix this is no big deal, but for online gameplay this can be the difference between you getting the shot off first or your opponent.

 

[anti-duck]

A powerline basically carries the signal through the wiring in your house and there may not be any loss depending on the quality of your wiring. An extender basically acts as a portable hotspot within a certain distance of your router. My experience with both is rubbish to be honest, but if you don't have an extension socket available, then either would probably be better than what you have now.

 

[boosted1g]

Just to add:

The first generation of powerline adapters did not perform that well but over the years they have worked a great amount of the bugs out of it.
I use one for a security camera off my back shed and get around 70mbps connection to a spot where I would get 20-30 mbps wifi. I got the TP-LINK AV500 model and it has been rock solid reliable.

Now as stated before, experiences will vary because they don't like older home wiring, they don't like 3 phase circuits, or circuits with a lot of electrical motors and/or florescent fixtures.
Also, they need to be plugged directly into the wall outlet. A surge protector or UPS will filter out most of the data and make it very very slow if not useless, even a outlet splitter (like the kind you plug in to turn 1 outlet into 3 or 4 of 6) has been known to cause issues.

 

[jeffrey1999]

I wanted to plug my xbox with Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi but I can't get a wire from my router to my room as there is quite a big distance. Can a powerline homeplug or extender be used to plug a Ethernet cable from xbox to the plug or extender?

 

[boosted1g]

I wanted to plug my xbox with Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi but I can't get a wire from my router to my room as there is quite a big distance. Can a powerline homeplug or extender be used to plug a Ethernet cable from xbox to the plug or extender?

powerline homeplug will work great for your needs assuming there is nothing causing interference on your powerlines (as stated both ends of the kit will need to be plugged directly into outlet).

If you have to use the extender, don't plug it in right by the xbox as it will get the same lowsey signal as your xbox has.
You should do it at around 3/4 the distance between the wifi router and the xbox, this way the repeater can at least pickup on a 4-5 bar signal to rebroadcast.