Can I use PowerLine Adaptors, with this configuration, in place of long Ethernet Cables?

Thanks for the info Bob. I think I'll go for it, knowing I can always go back to the current Wifi system I have. Would you agree?

I live in row house, in Center City Philly. So, even though my house is 3 floors, the electrical system is about 10 years old. Before I purchased it, my house was gutted and renovated for resale. Suffice to say, each floor isn't too far from each other. And my son's PS4 speed nearly quadrupled when using PowerLines vs the original Wifi signal.

I will. Thanks Bob.

Success! So far, so good, in my set-up.

In review, my Comcast issued Xfinity X1 Modem lives on my third floor (in my office) – at the back of my rowhouse home in Philadelphia. The modem connects to my Apple Time Capsule, which serves as the main router. The "main" PowerLine Outlet Adapter (Netgear 1200) connects to the Time Capsule via Ethernet, plugged into a wall electrical outlet next to it.

On the second floor, at the front of the house, I have the other Outlet PowerLine Adapter connected to my son's PS4. In the same room, a (non outlet Netgear 1200) PowerLine Adapter is connected to an Apple Express via Ethernet. On the first floor, at the back of the house in the kitchen, another (non outlet) PowerLine Adapter is connected to a second Apple Express via Ethernet.

I set the Time Capsule and two Express units to Bridge Mode and to create their own wireless network. The caveat, each units' network name is the same, with the same password and security settings.

With this set up, the Time Capsule covers virtually the entire third floor, as well as the back of the house on the second floor (a small bedroom). The second floor Express covers the entire front of the house (another bedroom), including the third floor (master bedroom) and first floor (living room). The first floor Express covers the leftovers at the back of the house (the kitchen). I've instructed my family to toggle their iPads' wifi connection on and off when going from one place to another, if necessary. For example, if they go from their bedrooms to the kitchen, it's worth it to toggle their iPads' wifi for a stronger connection.

With respect to speed, multiple tests have shown considerable improvement over the previous network setup. In all zones of the house I've achieved a range of 120-240Mbps download speeds. Likewise, on the second floor PS4, it reports the same. I am not an expert on tests or network activity, but I've seen overall slightly slower speeds on weekends versus weekdays (I work from home). Perhaps this attributes to Comcast's overall traffic versus my personal set up. Also, I have seen some degradation from the third floor Time Capsule to the first floor Express on weekends. For example, the Time Capsule zone achieves 150Mbps, the second floor Express gets 95Mbps and the kitchen Express gets 85Mbps. But at this point on a Monday afternoon, I've found 240Mbps speeds throughout the house.

In the end, I report that the set up with the PowerLine Adapters has been vastly superior in speed and consistency with respect to my previous classic Wifi extended network. The most apt indicator, I've had no Dad, the Wifi is broken! comments from my kids. I believe that the PowerLine Adapter network is better than a classic extended network if you live in a relatively new home with a modern electrical network. Also, it's as close as one can get to a fully Ethernet wired network – and saves costs on the purchase of long wires as well as the time/fees necessary to build/route/hide wires from running through your home.

You are correct Bob. I thought I properly toggled my wifi on and off in the kitchen (which is the furthest unit from the modem and router). I tried again down there and secured 95Mbps. I was not aware that the Express units cap at 100Mbps. But I am glad to know that fact, so this will make me not worry I'm not achieving the same results of the Time Capsule. But it also brings clarity to the fact that I am likely maxing out each Apple device throughout the house – which is a better result.

On the first test, I was in the back of the house on the second floor, directly above the kitchen's Express. And I probably still had the Time Capsule connection. On the old network, I was never able to get a true connection from the Time Capsule (before the Express' were part of the network) in various parts of the house, I suspect, due to the stone and brick in the way.

I have no current need for AirPlay in my house.

I will experiment with it. And I understand your point. I would likely go solo with the Time Capsule if Comcast had installed the modem in the middle of my home. But it's in the corner on the third floor. It's a house of a lot of brick and stone, and the signal from the third floor has trouble reaching further parts of the house away from the Time Capsule.

In my test, I turned off the second floor Express network. My iPhone 6s held the connection from the Time Capsule down there, and only achieved 9Mbps in a speed test. In turning the Express network back on, I got 95Mbps.

The interference and suppression of the original Time Capsule signal in my house is significant as it tries to pass through walls and floor/ceilings. It's not an option to rely on the Time Capsule signal, and I only have older Express units to fortify the rest of my house. 85-95 is of course better than nothing.