NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Powerline 1000+wifi
I currently have the netgear powerline 1000 +wifi. Would it be possible to add wifi range extenders to his setup? Or do I have to get more powerline adapters?
Hi
For some reason I find all this unnecesarily confusing. I have jsut bought the powerline wifi 1000 set of 2 devices (one with antennas, the other without) and connected them seemingly successfulyl so I can now enjoy faster wifi in my office int he far back of my house.
I have also bought a AC1200 wifi range extender (model EX6130) thinking that this is simply another 'plug' as you call it to the powerline line-up. So now I am discovering that, - No, this is not the case and the two work differently: one (the PL 100) by using the power line cabling in the soue, the other (EX6130) by receiving and re-radiating the wifi signal.
So far so clear.
What I still am not clear about is that I now seem to be dealing with at least 4 different wifi networks in my house (and I have not even installed the EX6130 yet): the 2 frequencies of my original hub (Virgin media hub 3) and the 2 that PL1000 radiate.
Can I not combine the these four so that I at least only have 2 networks (for the two frequencies ) in the whole hosue?
Thank you!
Nik
nik-cr wrote:
I have also bought a AC1200 wifi range extender (model EX6130) thinking that this is simply another 'plug' as you call it to the powerline line-up.
I bet you are not the first person, and won't be the last, to get confused by the similar "form factor" of those devices. It does not help that Netgear does not sell individual powerline devices, so people might be tempted to buy these.
nik-cr wrote:
one (the PL 100) by using the power line cabling in the soue, the other (EX6130) by receiving and re-radiating the wifi signal.So far so clear.
Clear up to a point. There is another scenario. You have described using the EX6130 as a wifi repeater. You can also use it as in access point mode, plugging an internet source into the EX6130 and passing that on as wifi. (This is on page 13 of the Quick Start guide and page 15 of the full manual for your device.)
>> Click here >> EX6130 | Product | Support | NETGEAR << Click here <<
I don't want to confuse you even more, but you could even use the LAN output from your "remote" powerline plug, or another powerline plug, to feed the EX6130.
nik-cr wrote:Can I not combine the these four so that I at least only have 2 networks (for the two frequencies ) in the whole hosue?
You have to be careful how you do this. You will have a raft of different wifi sources in your property. (Is your mansion so big that you really need them all?) If they are all on the same frequency then you run the risk of confusing your wifi devices and having interfering wifi signals.
Wifi clients will see each device by looking for its SSID. (Each SSID has its own associated password.) You could give every source the same SSID but then there is a risk that you will confuse wifi devices as they move around the place. How do they know which one to latch on to?
Then there is the complication of having sources for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, as you point out. Some modems and routers give these the same SSID and leave it to the wifi clients to latch on to the right band. Others have modems and routers that have a separate SSIDs. Netgear likes to append a _5G to the end of SSIDs during setup.
I find that it works to have separate SSIDs but I give all of these the same password. Then as I move things around the place, the wifi clients automatically connect to the source that is delivering the best signal. Of course, this depends on the capability of your wifi clients. And to begin with you may have to introduce them to each wifi source.
In the end it comes down to local circumstances, your preferences and how if your hardware plays ball.