On August 31st, Law Practice Tips Blog posted “A Home Wi-Fi Alternative That Works Like Magic? “ by Jim Calloway that featured Sensei’s John Simek’s technology advice. Jim Calloway is the Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program.
Excerpt:
A tipster told me tales of a device described as almost magical for working online from home. This device allowed you to stay connected even when the home Wi-Fi was down. It allowed you to bypass the home Wi-Fi when others in the house were in peak bandwidth hogging mode. This modestly priced device could be a great improvement for many working from home whose Wi-Fi setup doesn’t work perfectly, often because of home construction issues.
This device doesn’t work for everyone, but it is a great way to avoid internet interruptions for many. I won’t be a customer because I purchased an Eero mesh Wi-Fi system a few weeks ago which made a big difference. (See my prior tip on mesh Wi-Fi systems.)
These devices are ethernet over powerline adapters.
I reached out to John Simek, Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., a managed IT service provider, digital forensics and managed cybersecurity firm located in Fairfax, VA for an explanation.
“Basically, an ethernet over powerline adapter uses the electrical wiring in your house as if it were ethernet cabling,” said Simek. “Using ethernet over powerline adapters totally bypasses the Wi-Fi network so you are not fighting for bandwidth with other Wi-Fi devices or family members. There is no guarantee that ethernet over powerline adapters will solve all your connectivity problems or be a faster connection than Wi-Fi. There are rare cases where the adapters do not connect or have significantly slower speeds, primarily because of the way the electrical power cables were installed in your residence. Even though there is no guarantee, the majority of users will see speed and stability improvements.”
“For $50, you can’t go wrong and can always return the device if there is no improvement,” Simek noted.
