[Bob in St. Louis]

Thanks Mr. Archer.
But wi-fi is the reason that Logitech devices in my house have been relegated to the closet. 
If I knew Powerline Adapters would work, they might just get a new lease on life.

Bob 

[srb]

It's true that many bandwith tests of Powerline Adapters fell way short of the 300mbps or 500mbps advertised speed.  Even in the same room they often fell short, and as distance increased it got worse.
 
HD 1080p video can be problematic, but for standard 2 channel audio, they should still probably work fine for most users.  16/44.1 has a bit rate of ~ 1.4mbps, 24/96 = ~ 4.6mbps and 24/192 = ~ 9.2mbps.
 
I don't personally have any dropouts with the Airport Express, but there are so many WiFi variables including the router, its location, the construction of walls, floors and ceilings, distance and other RF interference.
 
The WiFi Bridge or Extender might be a viable option for wireless reception problems, but one adavantage of the Powerline Adapter is that you have a separate network path that doesn't affect the WiFi network's bandwith available for the rest of the family and their devices ..... or vice-versa.
 
Steve

[Bob in St. Louis]

Very good info Steve, thank you.
Although my wireless distance was less than 15' line of sight, which is why I'd like to try the Powerline.
I can get a Cat wire to the wall plate easily, but to the PC is more of a challenge than I'd like to tackle (cause I"m lazy).

Bob

[Syrah]

Before getting Powerlines, make sure that the outlets to connect are on the same fuse.  Mine effectively only work in the same room, but I suspect it all depends on how your house is wired.

[AlexG]

The WiFi Bridge or Extender might be a viable option for wireless reception problems, but one advantage of the Powerline Adapter is that you have a separate network path that doesn't affect the WiFi network's bandwith available for the rest of the family and their devices ..... or vice-versa.

Before getting Powerlines, make sure that the outlets to connect are on the same fuse.  Mine effectively only work in the same room, but I suspect it all depends on how your house is wired.

Two very important points above.

I went through this four years ago...I have a Slingbox (video streaming) in the master bedroom linked to a HD Directv box. The output is via ethernet (from the Slingbox) to a Powerline connected in the same room (first generation Linksys). A second Powerline is connected in my office room 20' away, where I have my main computer server and router (again - older Linksys "N"). This Powerline has an ethernet cable connected straight to one of the router inputs (switch). I am able to watch video on my second monitor by my server with no problems or drops. The key issue here - as I have problems initially with the Powerline, is to make certain you are on the same circuit breaker and/or if a different circuit, it must be on the same side on the main AC Panel in your house. The shorter the link - the better. Too long and no success in my experience.

Now, it gets better...via the same WiFi router with a help of a Bridge-Expander (latest Netgear) that is connected in the middle of the house, I can watch video (original Slingbox Stream-Powerline) on my laptop in my Lab that is at least 80' or more from the router!

Regarding music stream...I have a SB Touch in my dedicated music room that is next door (adjacent) from my office connected to a Cisco Bridge. Music (office PC server source) is streamed via the same router to the Cisco Bridge, and the connection to the SB Touch is "Hybrid" using a short 3' ethernet cable. Meaning - the SB Touch is picking the audio input signal via ethernet and not WiFi. If you go this route that by the way I am very happy with and prefer over WiFi (no distortion or drops), you must disable the WiFi section of the SB Touch via its "Advance Settings" (selecting ethernet input) in the actual unit or via "Rooting", using a Putty Terminal/WinScp from your server if you are using third party processing like Touch Toolbox, etc.

Alex

[JEaton]

Man, I must have lucked out and installed the world's greatest wireless network. But it's really no different than any other I've used. I have a seven year old consumer D-Link 802.11b/g wireless access point, and there are about 10 or so competing wireless networks in the neighborhood.

My main SB server is down while I upgrade its motherboard, so as a temporary backup server I enlisted one of my desktop machines that sits in an upstairs bedroom with a wifi connection. I'm able to simultaneously stream FLAC to three wireless Squeezeboxes (a Transporter, a Touch and a Radio) with the backup server itself also connected wirelessly, with zero dropouts.

[srb]

I think that WiFi and Powerline Adapters both have their inherent limitations and either may not work well (or at all) in particular installation scenarios.
 
For the Powerline Adapters, it's absolutely correct that the shorter the wiring path the better they work.  They do work better on the same circuit, but as AlexG points out, will work as long as they are on the same leg or side of the breaker panel, which is why they use encryption to prevent access by neighbors who are on the same leg of the distribution transformer.
 
The Powerline Adapter often doesn't work as well if it has to go through multiple circuit breakers and may not work at all when plugged into a UPS, isolation transformer or other power conditioners.
 
Steve
 
 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Good info, thank you guys very much. 

Extra thanks to Steve. I was wondering about the UPS/conditioner issue as well.

Bob

[Julf]

If people start claiming "audiophile" network cables improve sound, I'm going to shoot myself.

Just have to resurrect an old thread. Please hide away your guns before reading further.

Somebody sent me this as a April Fools joke - and then I realized it wasn't a joke.

Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cable.   Only €4594 / £3875 / $5886 for a 8 m cable.

"The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable. Arrows are clearly marked on the connectors to ensure superior sound quality. For best results have the arrow pointing in the direction of the flow of music. For example, NAS to Router, Router to Network Player."

[jarcher]

This tops even the $775 Audioquest HDMI cable I saw for sale for "only" $100 at Music Direct........

I swear, AQ and other's really need to restrain their greed a bit as this really just fuels serious doubt about investing in supposed high quality cables all together.  I.e. it really compromises credibility for all their products - and that of their competitors as well. 

I for one was in the cable doubter camp until I met a dealer who not only did demo's at his store but also let me loan out cables so I could listen & compare for myself.  But I had to first overcome bias due to marketing strategies such as this one.