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To extend Ethernet to remote location, are Powerline extenders or Mesh systems better?

I am trying to get Ethernet into a listening room that is not prewired, and it is not practical to run the hard cable through the old house into that room. I am planning to use a new music streamer that requires Ethernet connection (no wifi).

For hifi purposes, for passing the music signal, not just for computer equipment, are ethernet over powerline units better, or are wifi mesh router systems (which bring an ethernet port into a room using wireless transfer between the mesh devices) better?

For Ethernet over powerlines, I am worried about contaminating the power lines feeding the stereo preamplifier/amplifier, I don’t know if hifi power conditioners will filter out that super high frequency noise well enough.

For wifi mesh, it seems that the wireless handling of the music signal to feed the remote Ethernet port might somehow degrade the sound and introduce other problems that a connected wireline would avoid.

I am not a person that understands these technologies deeply, so I would value perspectives from others here who are users and who may be technically more qualified to understand this stuff.

troidelover1499

Showing 2 responses by musicfan2349

musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
203 posts
 

@ericsch Hi, sorry for the delayed response. We were off visiting her family for the holiday.

Yes, I use a Conrad Johnson Premier 6 pre-preamplifier. If you Google for it the pdf is available on their website. It's quite sensitive to RF and when I switched it on, it would send a fairly horrible noise downstream! Remember the coded transmissions Jeff Goldblum discovered in "Independence Day"? :) I tried moving the node as far as I could within the cabinet but it didn't matter. Still noisy. So I installed the node in a book case that doubles as LP storage that is about 15' away and ran a good quality Cat8 cable from it to the Node2i.

The base/Main node is upstairs next to the cable modem so the mesh network is providing excellent throughput all the way downstairs to the node in the living room. And as the remote node is hardwired to the Node2i, I get excellent performance.

A happy side benefit is that my Green Mountain Grill smoker with wifi now gets better signal outside too. LOL

 

Feel free to message me directly if you have any questions.

 

Happy listening!

musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
203 posts
 

Too bad you committed to an extender... A mesh network is much better for many reasons, not the least of which is throughput: An extender will typically HALF your throughput b/c you're going from one "network" to another. With mesh it's all one network. I got a mesh node and put it in my stereo cabinet in the living room. (The main node is upstairs.) The problem was it generated so much RFI my MC pre-preamp was unusable for LP listening!

 

So I compromised. I put the mesh node across the room and ran some Cat8 from it to my Node2i. Sounds great! And as could turn off the LEDs on the node, it's practically hidden in the bookcase even though it's in the open. The added benefit is better wifi coverage downstairs for the telly and anything else.

 

Happy listening...

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