Looking for a smart wall outlet... maybe?

7 years ago

I saw a relative connect a very long cable from one room (where the PC resides) to another room (where a TV resides). The long cable may make someone fall. Reason for the cable? Apparently he is having problems wirelessly connecting the Panasonic smart TV to get some services like youtube.com directly to the PC or wifi router..

Thinking of Xmas and presents now... someone mentioned recently that the long cable connection set up can also be done using the house's electrical outlets.... in the room with the PC, there would be a cable connection to a wall outlet... in the room with the TV, there would be a cable from the outlet to the TV. Both outlets would be fancy outlets.

Not sure what to ask if I go into a store or what to search for if I search online? Or what brands are good. Help? TIA, Luis

PS - Note that I am not looking to tweak the wi-fi set up that he says does not work for him; instead, I only want to use these outlets to get rid of the cable from one room into another room.

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acraftylady

7 years ago

Post back how it works. Mary

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Comments (11)

acraftylady
7 years ago
I am no expert but I stayed at my cousins house this summer and they had something like this. I know nothing about it, seemed to work ok with my devices. I have no clue why they needed this. I would first see what's wrong with the wireless before spending money on these gadgets. Some one here will know better. Mary

https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/powerline/PLW1000.aspx
luis_pr
Original Author
7 years ago
Yes, that is what I was looking for. Thx. But no, I too am not going to debug the problem as I was instructed to just get him one of these guys by Santa. Hee hee hee.
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Elmer J Fudd
7 years ago
Is the problem the wifi signal reception or the wifi circuitry of the TV? I'd try moving the router first to see if you can get a better signal to the TV. Check the signal using a smartphone placed where the TV is. If the signal is strong but the TV isn't happy with it, what you may need is an external Wifi antenna that you can connect to the TV with an ethernet cable.

The linked to product isn't necessarily what's needed. A standard powerline system has two identical wall warts - one gets plugged in near the router and is connected to it with an ethernet cable. The second wall wart is plugged in near the device needing a network signal - an ethernet cable is then run from it to the device, like the TV.

What was linked was a bit of a hybrid - it's two dissimilar items. One is a regular powerline device to take the signal from the router and put it into the electrical wiring. The second device takes the signal from the wiring and then broadcasts a wifi signal in another part of the house. It's like a wired range extender using a powerline system.

Powerline nics don't work in all homes, especially if the home has two (or more) phase electrical power and the two sockets aren't on the same phase. Also, you can't plug them into patch cords/surge suppressors. Try it and see, but in case, buy it from a retailer that allows returns without a restocking fee.
luis_pr
Original Author
7 years ago
I do not have the details. I am aware from comments that the router was powered off and moved to no help. No one here has a smartphone to use but I already bought one of the powerlines from Netgear. Thanks anyways.
mike_kaiser_gw
7 years ago
I tried Powerline and it didn't work for me but it does best in newer home with modern, basic wiring. Another option is what's called a network extender but they have limitations too. The easiest/best solution is what's called "mesh" networking but such systems are still kind of expensive. If your friend is able to physically run an Ethernet cable from his existing router to another location, there's a way to extend the network relatively inexpensively.
acraftylady
7 years ago
I know when my router is giving out the Wi-Fi doesn't work well and it's time for a new one. Have you tried that ? Please post back how it works. Mary
Elmer J Fudd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
luis, you can't fix something if you don't know what the problem is.

As I suggested, you need to first see if it's a signal issue at the TV location and the easiest way to do that is with a smartphone. If you don't have one, you must know someone who does, who can come over and, using a Wifi signal testing app (they're free), check out signal strength throughout the home. Short of doing that, you're only guessing what the problem is and the approach you take may or not work.
acraftylady
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Also if no smart phone any one with a tablet or laptop. If the router is provided by who ever they hve their internet through I would hae them come and check. You can't just take someone's word it doesnt work without knowing why. Mary
Elmer J Fudd
7 years ago
Right, sorry I forgot. A tablet would work but maybe not a laptop (which could be too large to maneuver around).
acraftylady
7 years ago
Yes it would be big but as long as it's wireless better than nothing if that's all they would have access too. Mary

Looking for a smart wall outlet... maybe?

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