Best Powerline Adapters for Gaming

While your Internet speed can play a role somewhat in your gaming experience, it is more going to depend on the reliability of your connection. Because of this, in an ideal situation, you would hard wire your gaming machine directly to your router. However, this is not always possible in someone’s gaming setup. If it is not entirely possible to hardware your gaming system directly to your router, the next best solution is using a powerline Ethernet adapter instead of using WiFi. Below, we will be going over how they work and some of the benefits they offer.  

How Do Powerline Adapters Work?

Powerline adapters work in your home by creating a home network between your devices and your router. They utilise the existing wiring of your home’s electrical network to create the connection rather than connecting through Ethernet cords. This alone can keep you from having to use Ethernet cords throughout your home to create a reliable connection. Because these adapters come with (2) unique plugs, you will be able to plug one into the router and then another one directly near the device you want to hardwire which in this case would be your gaming console or PC. Then, the devices seamlessly pair to one another to create their own home network.    

Benefits of Powerline Adapters Over WiFi

1. Lower Latency

The primary benefit that you end up getting when you utilise this approach rather than using WiFi is the ability to directly and significantly lower the latency that you experience. Latency is the biggest issue that can disrupt your gaming performance because it can create ‘lag’ in your game. Lag is usually caused by not having a reliable connection which is typically disrupted by wireless interference. By establishing a much more direct connection through the powerline adapter solution, you will be able to minimise the chances for network disruption because you won’t have all of the wireless connected devices throughout your home and even in your neighbourhood fighting with your connection. The truth is, when gaming, your wireless connection speed is irrelevant. After all, gaming doesn’t require too much speed at all. Any latency that you have is going to be a direct result of not having a reliable connection which is why you always want to prioritise using hardwired connections over WiFi.  

2. Cheaper

Another significant benefit that you are going to be able to get from using a powerline solution is the ability to minimise the costs associated with getting a hardwired solution. Short of using a long Ethernet cord to connect your gaming device directly, a powerline adapter is the next best solution. Luckily, a powerline adapter is very affordable in comparison with hard wiring your entire home. While you could always consider investing in entire home re-wiring, it is not only going to be extremely costly, but it will not necessarily improve your performance too much over a powerline adapter solution. Therefore, the diminishing returns might make it inconsequential compared to the price that you will have to pay to make the upgrade.  

3. Portable

One of the major benefits that you are going to be able to get with a Powerline solution is the ability to have a solution that you can take with you whenever you do decide to move. Whether you are doing so temporarily or you are moving permanently, you are going to be able to take your powerline adapter along with you wherever you go. Unless you have extremely old wiring in your home, a Powerline Ethernet plug can be moved seamlessly from one home to another and continue to work flawlessly. The solution is portable which gives you the freedom of using it much like a WiFi router but the latency advantages of having it hardwired. Therefore, it is going to be the ideal solution for people that move regularly. Overall, the advantages of having a Powerline Adapter solution over WiFi are tremendous. Even with the latest WiFi technology, you will not be able to achieve the reliable connection that you could with a powerline connection. It is also significantly cheaper than rewiring your home to have Ethernet cords going directly from your router/modem to your gaming setup for those that don’t have them directly next to one another. Therefore, it is a great investment for any gamer that finds themselves in a situation where they would typically have to rely on WiFi to play online.