ethernet alternatives?

[Master MonGecko]

i want to connect my computer to my router with an ethernet cable, but my router is two rooms away from my computer. is there any alternative to boost my internet speed?

[𝕊𝕃𝕊𝔸𝕄𝔾♔]

Publicado originalmente por Overseer:

Do you actually plan to play games online with the connection or will it only be used for internet surfing? Because if you plan to play on it i will strongly advice against Powerline.
And concerning cables: there are multiple ways to install them without ever having to drill holes. There are cord covers to walk over. Flat cables to lay them unter carpet. And even door frames can be overcome.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with powerline if your wiring is up to par.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por Washell:

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

drop patch connection from point to point in the house and making sure the ethernet cable is nowhere near within 6 inches of the electric lines while snake feeding it through the wall.

You don't need that, you don't necessarily need to go through the walls. I just drilled two holes in the floor, ran the wire through the crawlspace, stuck on some RJ45 plugs, and plugged one end in the router and the other in a switch.

Furthermore, a €45 set of powerline adapters is only 100Mbit on the UTP ports, and not likely to allow something to plug in over the top so you lose a socket in each room. A gigabit set with socket will run you €80 to a €100

Really? Because I have a gigabit set that's actually $45 USD....Made by TPlink. All the OP needs is a router, two 1.5 meter Cat6au RJ45 Ethernet Cables (reduces signal interference and grounds the circuit for protection against surges) and a single adapter set. It's easy to set up, no drilling or power tools required.

Publicado originalmente por █▀█ █▄█ █ █:

Publicado originalmente por Overseer:

Do you actually plan to play games online with the connection or will it only be used for internet surfing? Because if you plan to play on it i will strongly advice against Powerline.
And concerning cables: there are multiple ways to install them without ever having to drill holes. There are cord covers to walk over. Flat cables to lay them unter carpet. And even door frames can be overcome.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with powerline if your wiring is up to par.

As long as the wiring is up to code from the 1930's it's no trouble at all.

[Talby]

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

Publicado originalmente por █▀█ █▄█ █ █:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with powerline if your wiring is up to par.

As long as the wiring is up to code from the 1930's it's no trouble at all.

If you cross breakers in the panel powerline performance degrades quickly - at least for me, in my case using the Netgear 1G kit I was barely getting 150M~200M with bad stuttering, and my house is only 20yo :(

Wifi was also pretty bad until I got a single UniFi AP-AC-LR access point, nearly as good as wired performance for just over $100 (good read over at ars about unifi here[arstechnica.com]).

wifi

Pinging www.google.com with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=56

wired

Pinging www.google.com with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56

Publicado originalmente por Master Mongoco:

...any alternative to boost my internet speed?

So I am getting about 500MB/s from my Wifi AP, which is ok (1/2 of gig speed) however the reliability and latency are very rock-solid and gaming on it is no problem at all. Getting gig speeds is worthless if you get packet loss and stuttering as I was on PL.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por Talby:

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

As long as the wiring is up to code from the 1930's it's no trouble at all.

If you cross breakers in the panel powerline performance degrades quickly - at least for me, in my case using the Netgear 1G kit I was barely getting 150M~200M with bad stuttering, and my house is only 20yo :(

Wifi was also pretty bad until I got a single UniFi AP-AC-LR access point, nearly as good as wired performance for just over $100 (good read over at ars about unifi here[arstechnica.com]).

wifi

Pinging www.google.com with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=56

wired

Pinging www.google.com with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56
Reply from 172.217.6.228: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=56

The only issue you'll have is if it's a fuse box rather than a switch breaker. It's illegal to use fuse boxes anyway in some places...Also, the reason your results are a 12 ms latency i'd because you tested close to the wireless router. Try using Ookla's Speed Test in stead if you want accurate results in a real world situation. This is coming from experience from growing up in a house that was built in 1892.

[Talby]

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...The only issue you'll have is if it's a fuse box rather than a switch breaker.

In my case, using the same breaker circuit was pretty solid - got good connectivity and bandwidth, unfortunately where I needed both endpoints were on separate breakers (basement and 2nd floor), I ended up returning it.

[Overseer]

Publicado originalmente por █▀█ █▄█ █ █:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with powerline if your wiring is up to par.

You do realize that you cannot hold such a bold claim; Do you?

As for actual facts i remember multiple test where the Powerline underperformed, even behind wireless. This is why i specifically mentioned gaming. It sure is fine for internet use.

https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-how-playing-on-wi-fi-hurts-your-game/
and even a user https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/445640-the-powerline-is-low-latency-myth/

Have i ever found anything that would suggest to use Powerline for gaming? No.
But i would like to see it happen as that techology has advanced over the years.

There will always be issues with an unshielded Powerline simply because the wires are dedicated to something else and only shared with it. All while a shielded twisted pair Category 6 cable, designed and built for data transfer, serves only 1 specific purpose. But maybe you can proof that your power cables are protected against magnetic fields and specifically certified for data transfer with zero interference.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por Talby:

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...The only issue you'll have is if it's a fuse box rather than a switch breaker.

In my case, using the same breaker circuit was pretty solid - got good connectivity and bandwidth, unfortunately where I needed both endpoints were on separate breakers (basement and 2nd floor), I ended up returning it.

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/network-wifi/what-is-powerline-3491484/

My elecrcal setup also has two boxes. If there are issues with the powerline ethernet, it was either a defective unit, or your box is not up to code. In both cases where I grew up and where I live now the electrical boxes dated back to 2009 and 2016 respectively. The system works best as a repeter line....which is what the OP might need.

Publicado originalmente por Overseer:

Publicado originalmente por █▀█ █▄█ █ █:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with powerline if your wiring is up to par.

You do realize that you cannot hold such a bold claim; Do you?

As for actual facts i remember multiple test where the Powerline underperformed, even behind wireless. This is why i specifically mentioned gaming. It sure is fine for internet use.

https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-how-playing-on-wi-fi-hurts-your-game/
and even a user https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/445640-the-powerline-is-low-latency-myth/

Have i ever found anything that would suggest to use Powerline for gaming? No.
But i would like to see it happen as that techology has advanced over the years.

There will always be issues with an unshielded Powerline simply because the wires are dedicated to something else and only shared with it. All while a shielded twisted pair Category 6 cable, designed and built for data transfer, serves only 1 specific purpose. But maybe you can proof that your power cables are protected against magnetic fields and specifically certified for data transfer with zero interference.

Excpet that there really is nothing worng with it for gaming. Powerline has way less poin to point latency to the server than WiFi, and carries more bandwidth.

Ping latency through WiFi using my phone for WiFi averages about 48ms because it has to send a signal to and from a pair of trancivers and recievers before being places onto a NIC circuit. Wired connetcitons always have lower latency results. It takes less time to repeat a signla than it does to send, recieve, then send again through two differnt means of networking.

However, if I use my laptop with a powerline option ont he opposite side of the house where my router and modem are, I can average about 12ms Ping laterncy to the server.
Use this for testing.


http://www.speedtest.net/

[Overseer]

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

Excpet that there really is nothing worng with it for gaming. Powerline has way less poin to point latency to the server than WiFi, and carries more bandwidth.

And you get the estimations from where exactly? Under which conditions?

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

Ping latency through WiFi using my phone for WiFi averages about 48ms because it has to send a signal to and from a pair of trancivers and recievers before being places onto a NIC circuit. Wired connetcitons always have lower latency results. It takes less time to repeat a signla than it does to send, recieve, then send again through two differnt means of networking.

However, if I use my laptop with a powerline option ont he opposite side of the house where my router and modem are, I can average about 12ms Ping laterncy to the server.
Use this for testing.

How i understand this is that in your scenario Wi-Fi (2.4 or 5 GHz?) is underperforming because it is not optimized for your location, thus the Powerline is the option of less resistance. That is a reasonable decision but does not directly compare the performance of both. And even with that in mind, the typical issues coming with Powerline are not mitigated.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por Overseer:

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

Excpet that there really is nothing worng with it for gaming. Powerline has way less poin to point latency to the server than WiFi, and carries more bandwidth.

And you get the estimations from where exactly? Under which conditions?

Here:
http://www.speedtest.net/

Test conditions are a wireless N 750 router with a 2.4GHz signal because 5.0GHz is a smaller range. Said router has gigabit ethernet ports on it.

Modem is a Netgear CMD-31T Cable Modem and has DOCSIS 3.0...

ISP speed is 100 Megabits downstream, 12 megabits upstream.

Powerline set I have is not wifi capable...TPLink TL-PA7010 kit.

The Wirelss conneciton is set to 130 megabits and obviously encrypted. (encryption and decryption can cause latency...and it is a standard default stting for SOHO LAN's)

The cables used ar CAT6au RJ45 ehternet cables because they are the only ones that have grounded electrical power (I am not a dummy)

[John Doe]

Who is going to need a 100m cable when the router is "2 rooms away" ? I mean, you need to have a mansion of an incredible size in order to need a 100m cable to make up for the distance between 3 rooms.

As long as the rooms are on the same floor, the OP might be able to get away with even a 25m ethernet cable... so I'll go with suggesting just routing ethernet cables.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por John Doe:

Who is going to need a 100m cable when the router is "2 rooms away" ? I mean, you need to have a mansion of an incredible size in order to need a 100m cable to make up for the distance between 3 rooms.

As long as the rooms are on the same floor, the OP might be able to get away with even a 25m ethernet cable... so I'll go with suggesting just routing ethernet cables.

Big question is which is easier for the OP...Routing cables is an annoying task. Powerline Ethernet saves them the trouble of needing a 25 meter cable.

[Overseer]

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

Test conditions are a wireless N 750 router with a 2.4GHz signal because 5.0GHz is a smaller range. Said router has gigabit ethernet ports on it.

Modem is a Netgear CMD-31T Cable Modem and has DOCSIS 3.0...

ISP speed is 100 Megabits downstream, 12 megabits upstream.

Powerline set I have is not wifi capable...TPLink TL-PA7010 kit.

The Wirelss conneciton is set to 130 megabits and obviously encrypted. (encryption and decryption can cause latency...and it is a standard default stting for SOHO LAN's)

The cables used ar CAT6au RJ45 ehternet cables because they are the only ones that have grounded electrical power (I am not a dummy)

Have you checked your latency and bufferbloat/jitter under different situations in your local network? (A well placed 5 GHz Repeater/Access Point connected to the router via an ethernet cable could do wonders.)
For example i have a CAT6 ethernet cable connecting my PC to the router. When i run a test here
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest
i get a decent A Grade for Bufferbloat (Ping 23-32, A+ Quality). Since my ISP is not deploying any specific fast routing.
However since we are talking about local network, and to factor out external causes, i also watch my connection from PC to router.
When i ping the router 100 times the results show nothing less than an average of 0 ms:

• Packets: Sent = 100, Received = 100, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
  Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
  Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms

Now when i do the same during a full speed download/upload/ping test i get the exact same result:

• Packets: Sent = 100, Received = 100, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
  Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
  Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms

This is what i would consider a "best case scenario". And that alone is a strong indicator that my local network can handle the internet traffic, no matter what happens outside, and why i recommend actual network cables.
This does not mean that the other connections should not be used. It is just more about for what they are supposed to be used. And with gaming, any type of higher ping or delay like bufferbloat might not only ruin your experience but also the experience of others.

[Talby]

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...If there are issues with the powerline ethernet, it was either a defective unit, or your box is not up to code.

From my experience, PL is about 50% hit or miss. I really would have liked it to work, alas not for me. My mains are good, never any problems with power and if I put my scope on it always clean. The cross-breaker problem with PL is pretty well known. My panel is a typical 220v dual-bus, the majority the basement and part of the 1st floor breakers are on one bus and the other half and 2nd floor breakers are on the other.

I thought I could get it to work better by getting it on the same bus at least, but even breakers on the same bus suffer problems and only the same breaker allowed it to work without problems, so it's useless in my situation.

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...Ping latency through WiFi using my phone for WiFi averages about 48ms because it has to send a signal to and from a pair of trancivers and recievers before being places onto a NIC circuit. Wired connetcitons always have lower latency results. It takes less time to repeat a signla than it does to send, recieve, then send again through two differnt means of networking.

However, if I use my laptop with a powerline option ont he opposite side of the house where my router and modem are, I can average about 12ms Ping laterncy to the server.
Use this for testing.

My greatest surprise was the low latency from the UniFi AP, was completely unexpected. I barely see a 1ms latency penalty. Game on!

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

Publicado originalmente por Talby:

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...If there are issues with the powerline ethernet, it was either a defective unit, or your box is not up to code.

From my experience, PL is about 50% hit or miss. I really would have liked it to work, alas not for me. My mains are good, never any problems with power and if I put my scope on it always clean. The cross-breaker problem with PL is pretty well known. My panel is a typical 220v dual-bus, the majority the basement and part of the 1st floor breakers are on one bus and the other half and 2nd floor breakers are on the other.

I thought I could get it to work better by getting it on the same bus at least, but even breakers on the same bus suffer problems and only the same breaker allowed it to work without problems, so it's useless in my situation.

Publicado originalmente por The Spoopy Kitteh:

...Ping latency through WiFi using my phone for WiFi averages about 48ms because it has to send a signal to and from a pair of trancivers and recievers before being places onto a NIC circuit. Wired connetcitons always have lower latency results. It takes less time to repeat a signla than it does to send, recieve, then send again through two differnt means of networking.

However, if I use my laptop with a powerline option ont he opposite side of the house where my router and modem are, I can average about 12ms Ping laterncy to the server.
Use this for testing.

My greatest surprise was the low latency from the UniFi AP, was completely unexpected. I barely see a 1ms latency penalty. Game on!

Ah..well tomato tomato ;-) The house I am in now uses two electric boxes. One for the garage, one for the house. I am alomost at my frined limit but I would be grateful if you accpeted a firend request.

[Jamebonds1]

Publicado originalmente por Wolfey:

Publicado originalmente por █▀█ █▄█ █ █:

Powerline is only as good as your wiring. If your electrical is shoddy then wifi ac is your only solid option.

WiFi AC has it's own problems. Ignoring the obvious security concerns, it's very dependant on good hardware. With a strong Router and a quality Receiver you'll get impressive speeds with near-total stability, but you'll need to invest in both parts. Were it not part of my motherboard, my uplink would cost almost $150. And the Router was $300-ish.

Publicado originalmente por Wolfey:

Publicado originalmente por weltmeister:

powerline is good. wi-fi is still the best bangs, because newest.
hopefully don't destroy your dreams: it is not the rabbit easters...again.

:-D

Just because something is newer, doesn't mean it's better. New means unproven, new technologies often have serious problems that take years to solve and WiFi is a great example. It still has serious security and safety problems, and it's still slower than Ethernet in most cases.

There's a reason why old, proven technology stays around.

I'm afraid it is not true. I have AC and does not have issue. Again, regarding to security, not true. It has better wifi security than before. That is reason we don't use WEP any more, it is WPA. So you have to keep update at all time.