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Powerline Networking won't allow simultaneous wired and wireless connections
So I've got one Powerline adapter connected to my modem (room 1) and the second powerline adapter connected to my router (room 2). Wi-Fi works great. Here's the issue: I'd like to be able to plug my ...
Hi mccauliflower,
Is your modem a modem/router or just a plain modem? If it is just a plain modem, then your setup will not work. The problem with that kind of setup is that the modem will only recognize one connection at a time. If the router gets the connection first via the 2nd powerline then the laptop wired to the 1st powerline with the modem will not be able to get a connection. This is a modem limitation. If you happen to have a modem/router type of modem, then it should work as it caters 2 or more connection at the same time.
mccauliflower wrote:Shouldn't I be able to plug into the Ethernet port in room 1 without canceling out the Wi-Fi in room 2?
Yes. I do it all the time.
mccauliflower wrote:So I've got one Powerline adapter connected to my modem (room 1) and the second powerline adapter connected to my router (room 2).
Seems to be a strange arrangement. I have my powerline all feeding off a single source. The modem/router.
Which is providing the network in your arrangement? The modem or the router?
A more normal arrangement would be to connect the router to the modem and then to have a powerline adapter connected to the router. The second powerline adapter then gets its network access over the mains circuit.
Maybe I have misinterpreted your layout, but it seems wonky to me.
Michaelkenward:
Thanks very much for your response. I think you're interpreting my layout correctly, and yes, it may indeed be "wonky." I suppose your question ("which is providing the network, the modem or the router?") gets at the crux of my problem: namely, that I'd like to be able to utilize both. Perhaps it's simply not possible.
I've seen examples of the layout you describe -- where the modem connects to the router, and the router to the powerline. The reason I have the modem connected to powerline1 (in room 1) and the router connected to powerline2 (in room 2) is that room 2 is full of Wi-Fi enabled devices that do NOT have Ethernet ports (e.g. Roku streaming player, tablets, etc.), and keeping the router in there ensures a strong Wi-Fi signal. Meanwhile, room 1 is where my cable line is, so that's where my modem needs to go. I think it's probably a common dilemma: somebody put the cable line in the least useful room in the house, but I'd rather not run a 50-foot Ethernet cable all the way across the house to my router.
Perhaps the "wonkiness" of my arrangement (which, I should repeat, works great for Wi-Fi in room 2) is keeping me from enjoying a wired connection in room 1. Would you agree? Or do you think there might still be a way to plug into the powerline in room 1?
Thanks again!
mccauliflower wrote:Perhaps the "wonkiness" of my arrangement (which, I should repeat, works great for Wi-Fi in room 2) is keeping me from enjoying a wired connection in room 1. Would you agree? Or do you think there might still be a way to plug into the powerline in room 1?
That seems likely to me. But I am no real expert.
I do, though, have a similar dilemma. My modem/router is well away from many of the wifi clients. My solution is to have a powerline arrangement that has two powerline plugs (well, several actually) but one of them is also a wifi extender. an XWNB5201. This provides the wifi access to those "remote" devices.
As it is, I can't see any reason why you need the powerline plugs, unless this is providing you with the link between the modem and the router.
If this is the case then I would worry about which box is handing out the IP addresses for local devices, wifi and wired. In other words, which is the DHCP server? They can't both be doing it. At least, they shouldn't. If they are this might explain what you see.
If you put the modem and router together, this would deliver wifi in room 1. Then an extender would feed off the mains LAN and provide wifi in room 2.
I suspect that you will find that this is a more normal configuration.
Hi mccauliflower,
Is your modem a modem/router or just a plain modem? If it is just a plain modem, then your setup will not work. The problem with that kind of setup is that the modem will only recognize one connection at a time. If the router gets the connection first via the 2nd powerline then the laptop wired to the 1st powerline with the modem will not be able to get a connection. This is a modem limitation. If you happen to have a modem/router type of modem, then it should work as it caters 2 or more connection at the same time.
Or do what everyone else does. (See above.)
Put the router next to the modem.
Plug the Powerline into the router.
Put the other Powerline in the other room and use that to feed a wifi extender/repeater.
Or, probably the cheapest, get a powerline plug that also acts as a wifi extender.