Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

Powerline Wi-Fi extenders

TP-Link TL-WPA8630PKIT V2 Powerline Wi-Fi Extender – Best performing  Powerline Wi-Fi extender

This is basically the 3-gigabit port AV1300 from above, but with Wi-Fi built in too. It is reasonably priced and will likely offer better Wi-Fi performance than a cheap mesh system, just without the convenience of a single roaming Wi-Fi SSID.

TP-link TL-WPA7617 KIT – Sweet spot for performance / price

This could be the sweet spot for the Powerlink Wi-Fi extenders, offering decent performance at a low price point.

The Wi-Fi extender part lacks a plug passthrough, so you will lose a socket, which is a little annoying

I am not recommending the devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi starter Kit, because, for £20 more, you can get the twin pack mesh Wi-Fi kit.

Powerline Mesh Wi-Fi systems

TP-Link Deco P9 – Best value for money

I like the TP-Link Deco P9 a lot. It performed well, and it is extremely affordable for a 3-pack system. It is actually cheaper than the TP-Link Deco M5 dual-band mesh system. In theory, thanks to the powerline backhaul, it should offer significantly better performance.

This is only rated at HomePlug AV1000, so some of the Wi-Fi extenders may offer better performance, such as the  TL-WPA8631P, but at a much lower price (if you only need a single Wi-Fi extender). Also, if you want to physically wire a device up, such as PC or console, one of the higher-rated models would be a better solution.

Devolo Mesh Wi-Fi 2 – Best overall performance

The Devolo Mesh Wi-Fi 2 is, on paper, a superior system to the TP-Link Deco P9 thanks to its use of G.hn, however I didn’t find that much of a difference in Wi-Fi performance, yet there is a significant gap in price.

This did offer a superior range and generally better Wi-Fi speeds. It should also offer significantly better speeds for devices plugged directly into the adaptors thanks to the 2400 Mbit/s rating from the G.hn technology.

While this may not be quite as cheap as the Deco P9, it is cheaper than most tri-band mesh systems, and it is probably the best all-around powerline option on the market.

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. do powerline adapters need to be on the same electrical circuit ie controlled by the same fuse on the fusebox? I would assume they do.

    I was going to use that method to link to my garden studio but released it was on a separate circuit (actually on a separate fusebox)
    now use Google Mesh WiFi which is pretty good although I am sure there are better. i get 800mbs speeds if close enough to the wifi routers

    1. Yes, no, maybe. There doesn’t seem to be a definite answer. They can work across different circuits, but you may see a performance drop. This should also apply to different fuse boxes, it is the transformer it won’t get through.

      The only way to really know is to try it and see. If the Google WiFi already provides adequate speed to the garage, it is may not be worth the hassle.

      The Devolo Magic 2 would be your best bet, the G.hn technology seems to be able to negotiate the home wiring a little better, I got decent results in my garage with this.

      I ended up running Ethernet to my garage, pinning the cable down my wall, it is not the most elegant of solutions but it is low cost and the best performing.

  2. Hey,

    Does the powerline adapter cause any short-circuits, or is there any risk associated with it? Since I don’t have a powerline adapter yet, but this will be the first time I will be using a powerline.

    So, that’s why I’m asking, and I hope to get a positive response from you.

    1. There are no issues with short circuits the biggest issue you will have is the quality of your home wiring affecting the performance of the powerline, there is no way of knowing until you try. Similar to how mesh WiFi performance can vary a lot depending on the house.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *