By Ki Grinsing

D-Link DHP-W306AV is a high speed Powerline wireless range extender to build your home wireless network using power outlet – eliminating the backbone cable.

Overview

When you build a wireless network within a multi-floor building, covering the whole building from end to end with strong wireless signal might be difficult knowing that multiple walls can become the obstacles that contribute to the significant signal attenuator. Installing a wireless router or the wireless access point in the first floor (where the Internet connection starts) cannot effectively cover the farthest corner of the second floor. Many people add a wireless repeater or wireless extender for larger wireless coverage, but this frequently not much help.

D-link DHP-W306AV

The other option to cover the whole building for better wireless signal strength is by implementing the powerline wireless – a powerline wireless range extender by utilizing the existing power outlets as the seamless cable. Install a powerline AV adapter to connect to your wireless router in the first floor and connect other powerline AV adapter in the second floor where you need to place a wireless access point to cover the second floor. But with D-Link DHP-W306AV, you don’t need separate powerline adapter and wireless AP because the DHP-W306AV includes the wireless technology incorporated into the powerline adapter.

What this Product Does

D-Link DHP-W306AV Powerline wireless is a high speed powerline AV adapter with the wireless 802.11n technology incorporated into the adapter. It is similar as installing a wireless access point by running a network cable from the router to the AP device.

Up to 200Mbps

This powerline wireless is powered by the smart antenna technology to deliver the high speeds of up to 200Mbps via a powerline network to allow you share the internet connection, stream HD video, share the network storage or printer, and play smooth online gaming from anywhere within the house.

Compared with standard range extender

How do you compare the wireless range extender device (such as D-Link DAP-1360) with this DHP-W306AV Powerline wireless? With wireless range extender device, you have to place the device where its wireless range is within the wireless range coverage of your existing wireless router / AP (overlapping range). But with powerline wireless device, you can place it outside of the existing wireless range coverage – at the farthest corner of the building where you require wireless access. This is because the powerline adapter uses the existing power outlets as the virtual connections to the router. Therefore, you need another powerline adapter – the first adapter that connects to the network to allow other power outlets available for powerline adapters installed.

Networking diagram

The following figure is a networking diagram that uses powerline wireless (DHP-W306AV). In the first floor, you connect the ADSL modem router to the phone line for DSL broadband connection and install one powerline adapter to let the outlets power available for other powerline adapter including the ones in the second floor. You install a powerline wireless DHP-W306AV in the second floor to provide wireless access to the second floor such as wireless Ethernet converter (such as Buffalo with 4-port Ethernet), Laptop with Wi-Fi, and iPad.

But remember, the power outlets and electrical wiring must be in the same circuit breaker system, unless you need to install two powerline AV adapters and a jumper to connect the two circuit breaker systems combined into a single circuit network. Certain electrical conditions in your home, such as wiring conditions and configuration may affect the performance of this powerline wireless device.

Netgear WN3000RP Universal Wifi Range Extender

Similar products can be obtained from the Netgear WN3000RP. However, this is not a powerline with a range extender, designed just like D-link above with the wall-plug models.

Main features:

• Extend the wireless network of your wireless router or gateway and connect universally
• Easy setup with wall plug design and CD-less installation
• It can work as the wireless bridge
• Support wireless security WEP/WPA/WPA2

I have discussed the way D-Link DHP-W300AV works in the above sections; it works like normally Powerline adapter works but with the addition of wireless access point built into the device to provide wifi hotspot. On the other hand, the Netgear WN3000Rp is like other traditional wireless range extender except that it is designed with wall plug eliminating the clutter of the wires. But it still requires signal reception from the wifi signal it is going to extend. And it is not a Powerline adapter built into the device like DHP-W300AV.