For the moment, I’m stuck on dialup, and I don’t have the jack to swing on a wireless access point and two cards, so that’s out.
Anyway, we’ve got one phone jack smack dab in the middle of living room of our apartment. It’s great for the phone, but we have to run a 20’ cord to my girlfriend’s PC. I then rout my notebook through the “phone” out jack on her modem.
Anyway, the local mom n’ pop hardware store has something like these thingies on sale for $19.99. They supposedly work like Powerline networking setups, but for phones.
My question: will these things work with with dialup modems? I’m not looking to network or ICS or anything, just to use them as extension jacks for the computers so I can get rid of the corduct that’s sitting on the living room floor.
Those are voice quality devices, not data quality. In other words, they will add noise and distortion to a conversation which you’ll be mildly unhappy with. As for data, so much will be added that you will be very unhappy. “Money down the drain” unhappy.
If they don’t say “compatible with xKbps modems” you can’t use them with modems.
But you phone line is voice quality too and it works. Get it at a place where you can return it.
Direct TV uses a wireless phone line to hook their box to your tv line if there is no jack nearby so it can be done - just direct tv might do find at 9.6kb/s
Your phone line is better than voice quality. And you will get quite noticable degradation of just voice. Data over power lines has been long sought after by many companies, the stuff out there that is certified for data over power lines is considered “not ready for prime time”. Uncertified stuff is far, far worse.
Look at the linked ad. Notice how using it for modems is quite conspicuously absent. (Fax is similar tech but it is expected to be boringly slow.)
On RCA’s website, it says:
<<<< Note: The maximum baud rate for the Wireless Phone Jack is 14,400. Best results, however, will be experienced at 9,600. >>>>
That would work fine for faxing but I don’t think you want to use it for internet.