Powerline Adapter Vs WiFi Card – Which One Is A Better Choice?

Internet speeds are quickly becoming more and more serious for the users of the internet as the demand for Internet use is on the steady rise and the internet traffic is largely congested, acquiring devices that can improve your internet reliability while also establishing a safe and secure connection is paramount. 

When it comes to IT tech stuff it is usually a battle of speed, processing powers, software compatibilities, and in this case range.

When IT things are paired up against each other it is usually a battle of who can do the most work, in how much time, at what rate, and how far its reach is. In this article, we have paired up two similar yet contrasting elements in IT; The Powerline Adapter and The WiFi Cards or Extenders.

You must have come to the T-junction of perplexity and confusion when you’ve figured that when you try to run an Ethernet cable from your router to the computer system proves ineffectual. Then again, you are overjoyed immediately when you find out there’s a fix to this but the only thing now in the way is your indecisiveness and you need to make a well-informed decision that will suit your needs. Here you are standing on the fence lines and you don’t know if what you need is a Powerline Adapter or a WiFi Card or Extender.

Well, here you are, and we have carefully listed out in detail the most important info you need to make the right decision for you and your needs. 

Stick around!

We have pulled up the upsides and downsides of both of these IT techs and as you go through them, keep in mind what exactly your needs are so you can get the perfect one of either. 

Also read: Best Powerline Adapters for Gaming

WiFi Cards Extenders vs the Powerline Adapters – What Are Their Contrasting Features?

These two IT techs are complete of two different types but are similar in the sense that they are tailor-made and are modeled to arrive at the achievement of the one and the same goal, which is: Provide its user with a strong and stable connection on the internet over wide ranges and long distances. 

The WiFi Card or Extenders are more or less like a computing hub that provides ports for the connection of Ethernet cables mediating your router to your computer. They receive signals directly from your preferred router and are capable of transmitting them to greater distances and wider radiuses. 

The Powerline Adapter on the other hand is a device that is operated on the usage of two outlets. The first one is plugged directly into the major electric supply of your house. These adapters have the ability to establish wireless connections and can also be connected with wires as well. They receive the data signals from the router and can transmit them through your house’s electrical wiring harness, eliminating wall restrictions that can dampen or reduce the network data strength.

Now for the question you’ve been mulling over for days on end:

The Adapter vs a WiFi Card or Extender – Which Is Better?

By now you must have gotten at least some basic knowledge on what these technologies are and what their aim is. Now let’s dive into their strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance. 

When the WiFi signal of your router is out of connecting distance on intermittent occurrences it can be very annoying. Playing a game and suddenly getting disconnected, using an online software and suddenly “unfortunately your connection is lost” and this is mostly from the reason that the WiFi signal coming from the router is out of range and now you need to get a stronger, more reliable connection so your network data flows smoothly without hiccups.  

Here are some comparison and contrasting dichotomies:

A WiFi card can send out the WiFi signal and it is discovered that losses tend to arise as input signal waves are a bit far off from the lesser output signals. We see a significant reduction in the signal strength and this is largely due to the signal being sent to a particular location, ricocheting to another location from there too. This causes latency and there’s an obvious decrease in the signal speed. 

The Adapters, on one level, do a direct conversion of your data from the router and transmit the signals straight through to your computer via your home’s electrical wiring harness. In this case, the Power Adapter takes the upper hand over the WiFi Cards as it overcomes latency with a much more improved speed in comparison to its “counter competitor”. However, it is important to note that the speed of the network data is a function of how reliable your house’s electrical wiring is. This shows that while the Powerline Adapter is excellent for large ranges they are not perfect for every user.

If you live in a house that has very reliable wiring you can get optimum performance with regards to network data speeds. It is advisable to get an Adapter when you notice that your internet speed is slow and if it continues you can get a return and try getting a WiFi card instead. 

Also read: Best Mobile Hotspot for Gaming

Installing An Adapter

Powerline adapters only function via the electrical wiring harness in your house and people tend to stay away from complex electrically operated tech because of the claim that it is very convoluted and very difficult to assemble. It is much easier to install a Powerline Adapter as opposed to contrary beliefs.

All that is needed for the installation of the Powerline Adapter is that you would need to plug them into two electrical wall socket outlets and simply plug them in into your network, all the while triggering the pairing buttons. The newer adapters usually have auto-detect features that make the installation process much easier. 

To establish a much more safe and better powerline network:

• Connect the two adapters directing into the electrical wall sockets outlets
• Trigger the pairing buttons on the first adapter and,
• Hold down the pairing buttons on the second adapter. That’s all there is to it. 

One excellent feature about the Adapters is that you have the freedom to add as many of them to a single network. This provides you the opportunity to establish a very good, secure, and safe internet connection in all the rooms of your house without the cumbersome cord extensions of the Ethernet cables. 

What Are The Advantages Of The Powerline Adapter Ethernet Cable?

In truth, an Adapter isn’t as strong as the much more dependable Ethernet cable. The Adapter works on the operation of transmission of the network data through electrical wiring harnesses and poses a direct connection of your router to your computer. 

Although a WiFi card connection is not completely 100% efficient as signal interference usually occurs. Physically erected structures like walls also bridge a gap in the signal and cause a significant reduction in signal strength. 

Powerline Adapters tend to overheat and that can cause a reduction in their performance while an Ethernet connection would not have these kinds of problems. 

In a lot of cases, the Adapter can get to great speeds as high as the Ethernet cable connections under very suitable conditions although there’s the possibility that you might still observe intermittent drops in connection. 

In summary, of the two network data techs, the Powerline Adapter seems to be the obvious perfect pick but that is only if the electrical mains and wiring in the users’ house are reliable enough and in the case of a less reliable wiring harness the WiFi Cards are a better option. 

Using the Ethernet connection for our internet data connection produces optimum results but in cases where this is not an option, weigh your needs against a couple of parameters like your budget, your electrical wiring. Still, there are Ethernet cables around that go as far as a hundred feet long that will suit your internet needs way better. 

Looking to improve your WiFi? Check out this article on the top WiFi extenders.