[crazy4laptops]

I'm working on making a seamless wifi network at the campus outreach group I'm a part of. They have just remodeled the apartments that are used by interns as well as looking for wifi in the big worship hall.

The apartment and worship area are at opposite ends of the building and both are such a long distance that wifi just doesn't reach which really cramps range and quality. So to simplify things as well as to keep the wifi dynamic as things change in the building I am interested in extending the network via powerline.

I was just browsing prices on new Netgear routers and found this- http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=B004LB5AM2

The thing is that the building is 90 years old, so there is probably a weird circuit somewhere (knowing my history of bugs, i'll probably find them) How reliable is powerline? And can I just plug it in on any circuit and will it make it to the rest of the building? Or do all powerline connections have to be on the same/nearby circuits?

Projected PowerLine map of the wifi AP's-

Apartment N300 (Channel 6 N) PL
|
PL Master/library N300 (Auto channel, Ch1 preferred N) -> Office N300 (Ch. 6 N) -> Worship N300 (Channel 11 N) PL

Right now, the Master and Office are connected via Ethernet, I'm looking to use the PL like an Ethernet cable to extend the wifi network.
The channel overlap 1,6,11 is following Netgear's guide for making a seamless wifi network where the Computer/device can go from one end to the other without loosing connectivity.

This post has been edited by crazy4laptops: 11 November 2012 - 09:51 AM

[smax013]

My understanding of the PowerLine system is that if everything is off the main electrical feed to the building with no transforms (or such) between parts of the electrical system, then it should work.

[waldojim]

The problem with power line, is that the wiring is a great big antenna - not just for the signal you want, but what you don't want as well. Expect there to be a ton of interference.

[LincolnSpector]

I've never tried it in a building larger than a one-unit house. The circuitry may make it impossible.

But it may not, and if it works, it will be an extremely easy solution.

My suggestion: Try it, but buy the equipment from a store with a good return policy.

Lincoln

[compnovo]

crazy4laptops, on 11 November 2012 - 09:51 AM, said:

I'm working on making a seamless wifi network at the campus outreach group I'm a part of. They have just remodeled the apartments that are used by interns as well as looking for wifi in the big worship hall.

The apartment and worship area are at opposite ends of the building and both are such a long distance that wifi just doesn't reach which really cramps range and quality. So to simplify things as well as to keep the wifi dynamic as things change in the building I am interested in extending the network via powerline.

I was just browsing prices on new Netgear routers and found this- http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=B004LB5AM2

The thing is that the building is 90 years old, so there is probably a weird circuit somewhere (knowing my history of bugs, i'll probably find them) How reliable is powerline? And can I just plug it in on any circuit and will it make it to the rest of the building? Or do all powerline connections have to be on the same/nearby circuits?

Projected PowerLine map of the wifi AP's-

Apartment N300 (Channel 6 N) PL
|
PL Master/library N300 (Auto channel, Ch1 preferred N) -> Office N300 (Ch. 6 N) -> Worship N300 (Channel 11 N) PL

Right now, the Master and Office are connected via Ethernet, I'm looking to use the PL like an Ethernet cable to extend the wifi network.
The channel overlap 1,6,11 is following Netgear's guide for making a seamless wifi network where the Computer/device can go from one end to the other without loosing connectivity.

Hey crazy,
We've been using Netgear powerline adapters in our home for four years and the performance has been flawless, but there are some problems you might run into based on your situation. First, the adapters can be on different circuits but have to be on the same breaker panel. A common complaint is from folks who try to connect through a subpanel. You say you have to go to opposite ends of a big building: No problem if it's on the same panel. A bigger issue may be the age of the wiring, since 90-year-old wiring will be knob-and-tube, ungrounded, and I don't know if that will cause a problem.
Powerline used to be highly susceptible to interference from appliances and things but they seem to have worked out most of the bugs. The only issue we run into is the RF radiated when transferring large amounts of data --- it messes up wireless mice and keyboards.

This post has been edited by compnovo: 12 November 2012 - 09:30 AM

[mjd420nova]

Powerline links are excellent in most institutions as they have some common circuits from wing to wing and floor to floor for maintenence. i've found a few in closets and an adapter ehternet to wifi router gives coverage in dead areas but are unreliable in an industrial setting with machinery and heavy transformers, even when on different circuits. Farmers are loving it, it gives them internet in the barn and outlying buildings. Netgear is the most common but there are many more.Some users had to resort to them when interference made wifi inoperable.

This post has been edited by mjd420nova: 12 November 2012 - 07:42 PM

[crazy4laptops]

mjd420nova, on 12 November 2012 - 07:41 PM, said:

Powerline links are excellent in most institutions as they have some common circuits from wing to wing and floor to floor for maintenance. I've found a few in closets and an adapter ethernet to wifi router gives coverage in dead areas but are unreliable in an industrial setting with machinery and heavy transformers, even when on different circuits. Farmers are loving it, it gives them internet in the barn and outlying buildings. Netgear is the most common but there are many more.Some users had to resort to them when interference made wifi inoperable.

There are quite a few AC units in this building, good call there. I think the AC units would have separate feeds being on 240v, but sometimes you just never know.

Time to find the electrical engineer and trace some circuits.

Once I've got a circuit map, I'll order up a kit and see what happens!

Thanks!

[mjd420nova]

I have a power line tracer to track down which circuits are common. It can be added to the circuit anywhere and will track both neutral and hot lines. You can do the same thing with a phone pair tracker if you shut off all the power. In buildings and offices, standby emergency circuits can be ideal for tie points but some codes in some areas count it as a violation of their rules for emergency circuits. To me that's ideal as it preserves some of the infrastructure in the event of major problems.