In order to connect to the Internet and not have speed or stability problems, we can use different devices that help us improve the connection. We can use amplifiers, Wi-Fi Mesh systems or PLC devices . We are going to talk about the latter in this article. We are going to explain how they work exactly and how we could use multiple devices to be able to bring the Internet connection to more areas without problems.
How PLC Devices Work
PLC devices use the home’s electrical network to carry the Internet connection from one place to another. They are basically made up of a kit of two teams, although as we will see we can expand it and have more and be able to improve connectivity.
One of those devices connects to both the router and the power grid. The other device is connected to electricity at any other point in the house, as long as the distance is not excessive (they can reach up to 100 meters perfectly).
In this way, the Internet connection travels through the electrical network from one device to another. We can connect from other areas of the house with good speed and stability, since unlike other options such as Wi-Fi repeaters, so much power is not lost with distance.
In addition, many PLC devices allow us to connect both by cable and also through dual-band Wi-Fi. This is very useful to be able to connect other equipment that only supports network cable, such as a television or game console.
How to use multiple PLC devices
We have explained how PLC devices work. Usually when we buy it they come in a kit of two devices. One of them connects to the router and the other in the place where we want to have better Internet coverage . However, what if we want to have a connection in several rooms? Can we use multiple PLC devices in our home?
This is possible, although not always. We must take into account two possibilities that we are going to name. If any of them are fulfilled, we would not have major problems to be able to connect more than two PLC devices in our home and have a better wireless coverage and also by LAN cable.
Add a PLC of the same brand
One of those options, the one that might seem more logical, is to add a PLC of the same make and model . In this way, we guarantee full compatibility and we can put three, four or whatever devices we want in our home.
If we have bought a kit of PLC devices of a specific brand and model and we are interested in improving connectivity, we would simply have to purchase new devices of the same model and thus have full compatibility. We could easily expand the ability to connect in our home.
Use PLCs that use the Homeplug Powerline standard
But there is another alternative option that would even allow us to connect PLC devices that are not of the same make and model. This is very useful since it could happen that we have other old ones at home and we would like to take advantage of it to further expand the network area covered.
However, in this case we come across something essential: all PLC devices must be compatible with the Homeplug Powerline standard . In this way, it would not matter what brand we are using and we could take advantage of an old model that we had to connect without problems.
Keep in mind that even different brands of PLC devices use components that are practically identical. Hence, having the Homeplug Powerline standard we can use them in combination.
However, it must be borne in mind that although they are compatible and we can connect, not all devices may work the same. It will depend on the features and what they have to offer users. It could be the case that with one model we can navigate faster and with another, less.
In short, PLC devices are very useful to improve connectivity in our home. We can even combine them and have several models connected in our home as long as they are compatible with each other. The best we can do when we are interested in it is to consult the specifications of each model and thus not have problems of acquiring one that later results in it not being compatible with the ones we already have.
Tips for PLC devices to work well
We will also give some interesting tips so that the PLC devices work as well as possible and not have any type of problem. A series of recommendations that can come in handy so that the speed is adequate and not run any security risk that may affect us.
Do not use strips
One of the most important tips for PLC devices to work properly is not to connect to a power strip . Ideally, they should be connected directly to the wall. In this way they will work better and we can avoid problems that affect performance and that may prevent us from reaching an adequate Internet speed to our devices.
Control the distance with the router
PLC devices will help to cover a larger area of our home. So we can connect other equipment regardless of the distance to the access point . However, it is not something that works miracles and we must avoid connecting too far from the router. The further away we are, the more loss of performance there may be. Therefore, it is something that we must control and avoid connecting at an excessive distance.
Not having other devices around
Any other device that we have connected near the PLCs will affect the signal . Especially it can affect those that also use the same band of the Wi-Fi to which they emit signal. This means that we must take into account the importance of isolating them as much as possible. We must avoid putting other equipment nearby that can use the network and affect our PLC devices.
In short, these are some points that we must take into account to make the PLC devices work as well as possible. In this way we will avoid problems and always achieve the maximum Internet speed, good stability and coverage to be able to connect from other computers without problems.
