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

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...

Doesn’t Roon insist on a wired connection between the box that it is running on and the endpoint? But you can use wifi to control Roon. I think.

I used to use TP link  extenders, but it all was a bit flakey. Some drops. And they used to die at regular intervals.

 

I am having success with Devolo Magic 2 wireline devices. Seems stable. Roon is happy. Sounds better to me than running the Roon NUC straight into my DAC.

 

 

 

 

+1 mesh.   A high performance wifi 6 system on 2.4/5G band will work as good as wired if setup properly.   Chose 2.4 if in a low density area like a house or 5 in a higher density area.  
Ethernet over power lines is fine too but has more ways to fail than wifi mesh imo.   It will not affect  your power used for hifi gear.  It’s modulated between 1.5 and 80  mhz.   None of that will ever go through any power supply.   A power supply is an extreme low pass filter :-).  Hifi or not.  
 

I've been using the top of the line TP -Link powerline adapter for a few years now , it's noise free and flat out stable and reliable, it also sounds fantastic.

I did not choose the wifi route.  Currently using a CAT 6 from the router to the streamer.  Can I bypass the router and install a coax to ethernet switch?  What are some things to look for or some good brands?