NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.

Forum Discussion

4754simon's avatar
4754simon
Aspirant
Apr 28, 2018

Cant get connection to internet - no Pick A Plug light

Purchased the Powerline wifi 1000 today. (PL1000v2 ad plw1000v2)

i've spent the last few hours trying to get this damn thing to work.

 

1. I have plugged in the main adapter (PL1000v2), and connected to the router.

2. I have turned on the second adapter (PLW1000v2) - in another room

 

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the 'PICK A PLUG' to turn on on either adapter. The LED light would simply not turn on!!! I could connect my laptop and phone to the 'NETGEAR##_EXT' without issue, however without the PICK A PLUG light on, i have not internet.

 

After NUMEROUS attempts from different rooms, i simply could not get thelight to turn on.... until i found another forum topic which said "set it up in the SAME ROOM... it will remember the settings when you move to another room"

 

As soon as i plugged the second adapter into the same room.... ALL LIGHTS turned on and everything worked perfectly. Problem solved??? ... NO!!!

 

As soon as i unplug the second adapter and move it back into the other room.... i am back to where i started. The bloody "PICK A PLUG LED" light will not turn on either adapter.

 

Someone kill me.

Can anyone shed some light on what i'm doing wrong. Am i supposed to 'save the settings before i unplug"?

If the wifi extender only works when it is 1.5m away from the base... then i might as well take it back to the store.

 

 

3 Replies

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru - Experienced User

    4754simon wrote:

    After NUMEROUS attempts from different rooms, i simply could not get thelight to turn on.... until i found another forum topic which said "set it up in the SAME ROOM... it will remember the settings when you move to another room"

     


     

    That's how I advise setting up powerline. Get the plugs working side by side and then move the "remote" plug to your intended location. The plugs will remember the connection and should work without any further tweaking.

     


    4754simon wrote:
     

    As soon as i unplug the second adapter and move it back into the other room.... i am back to where i started. The bloody "PICK A PLUG LED" light will not turn on either adapter.

     


    I fear that this points to a problem on your mains circuit. Without consulting an electrician there probably isn't much that you can do.

     

    Remember, do not use any fancy "power blocks" on the circuit, certainly nothing that promises to protect you from power surges. They can also get in the way of the signals between the plugs. I use simple extension blocks, but nothing clever.

     

     

     

     

    • 4754simon's avatar
      4754simon
      Aspirant

      Thanks michaelkenward but that makes no sense to me. Fortunately for me, i don't live in a third world country. The power supply is very solid. And most of the points in question were recently updated in a renovation. So problems with the mains circuit can be eliminated.

       

      Based on my limited understanding of this product, i think the issue is directly related to the 'proximity' of the second adapter from the base adapter??

      When it is 1metre away, all lights come on within seconds. (however this is no use, as i might as well continue to use my telstra router)

      When i move the second adapter to the next room (approx 6m away), the lights come on but they fluctuate between green and amber. Wifi connection in the far rooms works, but it is pretty flakey and very slow.

      When i move the second adapter to the room to the centre of the house (approx 12m away from base), the PICK A PLUG LED light might come on for a short time, and then drop off. The inconsistency of the connection is so weak, it doesn't hold the wifi connection long enough to be of any use.

       

      That being the case, i think it has nothing to do with power supply... rather it has to do with the netgear's limited wifi range. 

      If my assumptions are correct.... I have just spent $180 to extend my wifi coverage from half the house .... to maybe 3/4 of the house. Money well spent!!!!

      I guess, leaving the far room, and sitting on the floor in a hallway could be considered a solution!!!!

       

       

       

      • michaelkenward's avatar
        michaelkenward
        Guru - Experienced User

        4754simon wrote:

        Fortunately for me, i don't live in a third world country. The power supply is very solid. And most of the points in question were recently updated in a renovation. So problems with the mains circuit can be eliminated.

         


        By all means ignore the main circuit, but it is silly to dismiss things without investigation. The fact that there was a recent renovation is less then reassuring. Done badly, that sort of thing can mess up the integrity of a mains circuit. I was talking to our electrician this week and he has some wonderous horror stories of having to fix that sort of problem.

         


        4754simon wrote:
        ....i think the issue is directly related to the 'proximity' of the second adapter from the base adapter??


         

        I think we can safely eliminate that theory. There are limits to the distances – another question today asked about spanning hundreds of metres – many people have successfully installed Powerline networks in large premises. That is the whole point of Powerline.

         

        In my case Powerline covers the whole house. I have even managed to break the rules and get a Powerline network to "jump" a two fuse boxes and connect two separate buildings. (Netgear says this won't work.) The networks is not as fast as it might be, but the pick-a-plug lights behave as expected.

         

        Then again, I have used a professional electricians to work on my mains circuit and they have conducted various tests and have ensured that, for example, our earth circuit is as required. Get that wrong and anything can happen.

         


        4754simon wrote:

        That being the case, i think it has nothing to do with power supply... rather it has to do with the netgear's limited wifi range.

         


        Powerline plugs will never be as good as wifi access points as more powerful hardware that is designed to fill a large space – those things with an array of fancy antennae – but they can deliver a perfectly acceptable local wifi signal irrespective of their distance from the router.

         

        In my case I use Powerline to eliminate the need for wifi to connect a smart BluRay player and Internet radio.

         

        I have tried many different layouts and have successfully created a strong wifi signal from a Powerline access point that is well away from the router.

         

        The Powerline access point will not, of course, provide adequate wifi if it cannot establish a good link over the mains LAN. That seems to be your problem.

         

        There appears to be something wonky in your local circumstances that gets in the way of creating a decent LAN link over the mains. If that can't happen, then the wifi from the access point will suffer.

         

        You may have to look for alternative solutions.