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Forum Discussion
Setup Netgear PLW1010 WITHOUT WPS Button
My router does NOT have a WPS button and I bought two PLW1010 kits. Right now my WIF search shows two different WIFI systems and my WIFI calling drops when I go to the other room.
I plugged th...
I dont know the terminology...
The box has tow units in it.
There is a unit that plugs into the wall and it has a CAT 5 plug but no WIFI transmitter...I call this the BASE unit because it is the unit that gets the internet signal from the router.
Then there is another unit in the box that has two WIFI antenna but no CAT5 plug and I call this the EXTENDER unit because it is the thing that you plug into a wall socket at the far end of the building and that will extend your wireless signal.
So if you buy the "package" to extend WIFI and it has one BASE and one EXTENDER but you need more EXTENDERS why does Netgear only sell the package (like I bought) and then also sell individual WIFI EXTENDERS instead of making us buy complete packages so now I need three WIFI EXTENDERS so I buy three packages and then I waste the money and natural resources because I throw out the two unneeded BASE units?
Gear1011 wrote:
Then there is another unit in the box that has two WIFI antenna but no CAT5 plug ...
Look at it more closely. The access point (wifi) plug with the antenna clearly has a LAN port on the side. (Pages 4 and 7 in the manual.) You could use that plug as the one that talks to the router and then use the other one at the remote end and plug a LAN cable into that.
You can use either of these two plugs as the one that talks to the router, what you call the BASE unit. So, there is no such thing as a base unit, designed simply to connect to the router. It is just that you have bought a particular bundle.
Many people buy Powerline bundles that do not have a wifi access point. They come with two identical plugs.
Some people don't buy Powerline plugs with an access point built in. They buy a separate wifi extender and connect that to the LAN on the remote plug.
If you want to have three wifi access points feeding off one router the answer is simple. Buy two bundles. Then take the "spare" fourth plug, the one with no access point built in, and plug a wifi extender into its LAN port.
People also get annoyed that they cannot buy ordinary (non-wifi) plugs as singletons. Fortunately, some makers of Powerline devices realise this ands sell plugs in packs of three.
>If you want to have three wifi access points feeding off one router the answer is simple. Buy two bundles. Then take the "spare" fourth plug, the one with no access point built in, and plug a wifi extender into its LAN port.
That is kinda the point...the "WIFI ACCESS POINT" (the box with the antenna) is a very elegant solution to a common problem of extending WIFI.
I have a DSL modem and WIFI router in one plastic case and it has a black box power cord that plugs into the wall making heat and using electricity. If my house was small that would be the singular solution however my house is large...and...it also has an outbuilding garden shed/workshop.
So I thought "great"...buy one BASE unit (plug looking thing without a WIFI antenna) and connect that to my existing router then use the house copper wires as the wired connection to the far end of the house and then plug in a "WIFI ACCESS POINT" (plug looking with the antenna) to extend the WIFI to that part of the house, use a second one to place in the master beedroom, and then a third out n the shop.
So I need one BASE unit and three WIFI ACCESS POINTS and then I do not need to buy extra WIFI routers (in addition to the Powerline) and then I would have more black boxes with cables plugged into the walls.
But instead Netgear only sells these things in bundles so I am stuck having to buy THREE bundles or two bundles PLUS the WIFI router and have cables and wasted electricity.
Thanks for the help...and...for letting me vent!!!
Gear1011 wrote:
But instead Netgear only sells these things in bundles so I am stuck having to buy THREE bundles or two bundles PLUS the WIFI router and have cables and wasted electricity.
I have explained how to go about this without buying all those plugs.
More to the point, I would be worried about having so many access points. There are more elegant, and probably cheaper ways of doing this.
A decent wifi repeater will provide better coverage than the tiddly little antennae that come with Powerline Access Points.
If you cannot cover your house with a couple of decent wifi sources then you either live in a mansion of have a steel reinforced building.
If you look at the product pages for wifi range extenders you will see that it lets you filter by the size of your premises:
WiFi Range Extenders: Boost Your WiFi Range | NETGEAR
Some even have the same shape and size as Powerline devices.
And that does not take in Orbi devices. But if you are hooked on Powerline that will restrict your choices. I would not go Powerline unless I also wanted the LAN function. But in that case I would not go for wifi plugs.