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Well, my introductory Sky tv offer has lapsed so I've binned then and bought a Humax Freesat thing. I got it some time ago in preparation for this day and via the Tesco Boost scheme. However, I didn't think clearly about whether or not the Humax would have wifi built in - it doesn't!
To get full functionality, I need to plug into my router or use a wifi dongle at extra cost. Router is at the other end of the house so dongle or a pair of these Powerline adaptor things? On the face of the published speeds and the extra wifi 'hotspot' that they can create it would seem best to get the adaptors. BUT - do they work?
Any real life experience?
They work well, Very happy with mine.
Yes, powerline work fine for me. Use the Devolo ones here.
I'd not worry too much about speed if it's for viewing content over the internet, wifi or power line are both going to be much quicker than your internet connection.
I got the Humax Wifi dongle free with my Humax box when I bought it.
You can get them on Amazon for £23. Probably a cheaper option than powerline.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006GJKAEU
It works well.
Only downside seems to be that my Humax box disconnects from the wifi every time it goes to sleep and you need to go into the menu to reconnect it. Which I suspect is a royal pain in the arse if you use it on wifi a lot and it renders the Humax Remote app a bit pointless.
Yep, very good. I use the TP LINK AV500 myself, link below.
I chose these ones as these also support WIFI over the powerlines. Typically a lot of powerline adapters only support wired LAN connections but the ones below support both wired and WIFI. So for example I have my home PC connected via a LAN cable and my work laptop connects to the same adapter but via WIFI.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DHB2T44?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
Any wifi adaptor with the RaLink RT3070 chipset should work in the Humax, eg. this for £9
Excuse the hijack.
I've got a powerline network which I use for BT tv. It works great.
I have a shed at the far end of the garden with a lovely view to the sea from it. I am thinking of using it as an office. It has power from the house (same ring as the powerline). Is there something I can get to plug into the mains socket in the shed so I can get wifi there. A standard wifi extender won't work as I'm too far from my router signal.
One of these (or similar) in client mode is what I use. I found the powerline adaptors a bit flaky at times, and the throughput can be a bit poor.
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WR702N
Thanks everyone - Glad that they work well! I like the idea of having the extra wifi bit.
Supplementary question - if the Humax is next to the PS3 - can I just swap the ethernet cable between the two? I play wirelessly online on the PS3 but it seems to freeze quite often which I am putting down to the wifi.
^ Yep.
I'm using a powerline with our Humax box even though it came with a wifi dongle.... I prefer wires for some stuff.
We've got a couple of TP Links, the wired boxes are pretty flawless, the wireless booster is flaky as anything though. Could be user error, can't really tell, we seem to be following the instructions.
Supplementary question - if the Humax is next to the PS3 - can I just swap the ethernet cable between the two?
Some powerlines have two ethernet ports on them. That might be easier.
If not buy a small four port switch, plug that into the power line adapter and you can run them both without swapping cables, plus if you get a smart tv or avr you have ports to spare....
Thanks all - really useful
I have a shed at the far end of the garden with a lovely view to the sea from it. I am thinking of using it as an office. It has power from the house (same ring as the powerline). Is there something I can get to plug into the mains socket in the shed so I can get wifi there. A standard wifi extender won't work as I'm too far from my router signal.
I have that set up - TP link AV200 one end (plugged into the router) another TP LInk the other end that provides a wired connection and a wifi hotspot. Set this up with a different SSID (and WPA2 passkey if you're bothered) to aid debugging and the like, works a treat.
The AV adaptors over power work much much better for me than wireless, even in the same room with a modern router.
I'm using four Devolo Powerline adapters. Mix of versions, some with dual ethernet port (for desktop with network printer next to it), single port (PS4 and router) and single port with WiFi (office).
All working well.
EDIT:
The office unit is currently plugged into an old router next to me, so I can run some equipment over VNC
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA890EA-Universal-Entertainment-Adapter/dp/B00CZ3Z5HI ]I got one of these free when I bought a TP Link router[/url], works extremely well, bit only really useful if the room where the adaptor is placed has good-ish wifi.
We use adapters for both the tv boxes and the computer upstairs and still get >50mb speeds through them. They work really well.