Five easy tips to improve working from home networks

Wi-Fi doesn't go through walls very well. Often devices are placed on the floor in a corner of the house or behind furniture, which can weaken the signal. Powerline Ethernet adapters provide an easy way to get an internet connection from one side of the house to the other, if Wi-Fi is very weak. As its name suggests, Powerline uses mains cables to transport internet data.

One adapter is plugged into a spare mains socket and a cable is run to the home broadband router; the other, connected to somewhere else on the same ring mains circuit, where internet connectivity is needed. A laptop can then be plugged into this adapter’s Ethernet port to provide a wired internet connection. As mentioned in the previous slide, some laptops lack an Ethernet port, so a USB-to-Ethernet adapter may also be needed. The main benefit of Powerline Ethernet is that it is plug and play. Each device will need its own adapter, and one adapter will need to be connected to the home broadband router. In terms of cost, this is the mid-range upgrade option.