HomePlug + WiFi AP help

[Chris Knapp]

Sorry in advance if this was covered somewhere else, but my searching found either nothing or confusing info.

I'm trying to assist a friend with Wireless problems in their house. House is about 2600 sf and is plaster & lathe (with the chickenwire screening inside in some places.) They have a 60/4 cable modem connected to a SonicWALL TZ100 (used for work VPN access.) WiFi was through a single Linksys AP but could barely make it out of the office the AP was in. Then we tried an OpenMesh setup with 3 APs spread throughout the house. This worked for a while, but the speed is now considered too slow due to their new streaming & gaming habits. The OpenMesh speeds drop by half each hop. Everything they use is wireless. They don't have any wired devices and they don't want any.

I'm looking to replace their setup. The SonicWALL has to stay. Their electrical has supposedly been updated in the last decade. I was thinking of going with Homeplug. I know I can add individual APs to the homeplugs, but are there homeplugs with built-in WiFi? I've looked at some of the FAQs from Netgear & TP-Link, but it seems you need an existing AP or Router with WiFi and these simply copy the SSID & WPA settings. If the answer is no, I'll just re-use the OpenMesh APs in wired mode, though I don't care for their web-based management and 2 SSID limitation. I'd prefer a single, small device that won't look like a pile of electronics hanging off their wall outlets in each room.

Thanks in advance.

 

[thiggins]

Pickin's are slim right now for homeplug-connected wall-plug access points. The only options are N300 class that come in kits like this one
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...nge-extender-av500-powerline-edition-reviewed

NETGEAR makes a similar one.
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/powerline/XWNB5201.aspx

You can get dual-band wall-plugged AC extenders, but not with powerline built in.

APs don't need a wireless router, but extenders do.