Using Adapters to Replace Ethernet
All pods can benefit from having an Ethernet connection to the gateway. When a Wi-Fi signal is unable to reach areas, adding additional Ethernet-connected pods in these areas adds coverage.
There are alternative methods that do not rely on an Ethernet cable to create these connections. Existing wiring within your business can be used to run connections in parallel to existing services, such as electrical power. This will require additional equipment, however, the cost of these adapters is much lower than installing an Ethernet cable.
The two most common types of adapters are power line adapters and MoCA adapters. A description of what is required to use each type of adapter, the benefits, and drawbacks of each can be found below.
Power Line Adapters
Also called Ethernet over Power (EoP) adapters or power line communication (PLC), power line adapters pass communications over the electrical connections in the building. With this type of connection, data is passed between two adapters plugged into the same electrical circuit. The diagram below shows how this works:
Benefits of Power Line Adapters
- Electrical power runs throughout the business, which can make it easy to find locations where power line adapters can be used. It is likely that each location where an Ethernet connection needs to be made also has power.
- Testing the power line to see if it has a connection is as easy as turning on the power. Because it doesn’t require any special equipment, testing a line for both integrity and connectivity is easier than other types of connections.
- If more than two adapters are used on the same power line they will act as a switch, eliminating the need for additional network hardware.
Drawbacks of Power Line Adapters
- Care must be taken when choosing Power Line Adapters for commercial installations. Specific adapters will be required to 3 phase wiring, which will be much more expensive.
- For a connection to be made both adapters must be on the same power line. If there has been separation put in place between the power lines in different parts of your business, power line adapters may not be able to communicate between them.
- Because power line adapters rely on the electricity running through the business to carry the signal, they are affected by the consistency of the power and quality of the wiring provided.
- Most appliances do not require consistent power to function properly, however, electronics and digital communication do require consistent power. Power interruptions and brownouts affect the consistency of power line adapter performance.
- While rated for high bandwidth, the performance of power line adapters often suffers due to the power lines they are passing signal over. Older wiring, distance, and signal noise introduced by industrial equipment will result in the bandwidth being reduced.
- Surge protectors, UPS systems, and other devices for filtering power affect the ability to use power line adapters. These devices are designed to remove unwanted signals that can affect electronic devices and can remove the signals introduced by the adapters as a result.
- If more than two adapters are used on the same power line they will act as a switch. If care is not taken while planning the network, this can result in unsupported network setups being created.
MoCA Adapters
MoCA (Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance) adapters use the preexisting coaxial cables used to distribute television signals to create connections. This type of wiring is more common than Ethernet cable in the home, but less common in a business setting. To create these connections a MoCA adapter is added to either end of the coaxial cable. Ethernet can then be connected to each adapter to complete the connection between devices. In many cases, the adapters will also have a second coaxial connection that will allow devices to continue using the connection. The diagram below shows how this works:
Benefits of MoCA Adapters
- Coaxial cables typically run to areas where Wi-Fi will be used the most. Adding another wired pod in these locations will improve Wi-Fi bandwidth in areas where it is most beneficial.
- If the coaxial cable is being dedicated for use MoCA and not being used for television signals, higher bandwidth may be achieved.
- Standards for MoCA devices have been improved, resulting in an improvement in bandwidth. As a result, the maximum bandwidth with MoCA adapters has kept pace with Ethernet standards. If using different adapters, be sure to check for backward compatibility of the different standards available.
Drawbacks MoCA Adapters
- Because coaxial cable is not typically run to every room, the available connections may not meet the need for adding a wired pod in a particular location. This is particularly true for most businesses.
- Besides the MoCA standard used for the adapters, there are other factors that can affect the bandwidth these adapters can provide. Older, less efficient cabling that may be found will decrease available bandwidth. Longer coaxial cable lengths between adapters also decrease bandwidth.
Devices with integrated MoCA capabilities
Some ISPs provide residential Gateways (modem-router combinations) that have MoCA capabilities built-in. These are usually in the form of a coaxial connection on the Gateway that eliminates the need for a separate adapter at that end of the cable. These are usually paired with other devices, such as MoCA capable Set-Top Boxes (STBs), to allow streaming of higher bandwidth content. MoCA standards allow for any adapter to also connect to this connection, regardless of the manufacturer. This means you could wire a pod by just adding an adapter to an existing setup.