For the last two days, the entire house loses Wi‑Fi whenever I unplug my PC's Powerline setup. We use a FRITZ!Box as the router, and my computer normally connects through a FRITZ! Powerline 1210 near the router and a FRITZ! Powerline AX 1240 in my room. The connection is: router → LAN cable → Powerline 1210 → household electrical wiring → Powerline AX 1240 → LAN cable → PC. The problem only occurs when I unplug either Powerline unit. If the PC is disconnected but both Powerline adapters remain powered, everything continues working. Why would unplugging the adapter near my PC affect Wi‑Fi for the entire house?
2 Answers
The AX 1240 appears to be providing the house’s Wi‑Fi, while the Powerline 1210 carries the network connection from the router through the electrical wiring. If either adapter is unplugged, that link is broken. Since the AX 1240 is likely the only active Wi‑Fi access point, the whole house loses wireless service even though the router itself is still powered. These adapters are normally meant to stay plugged in continuously.
Check which wireless networks are visible on your phone or computer. If you only see the network coming from the AX 1240, the FRITZ!Box’s own Wi‑Fi may be disabled or unused. In that case, unplugging the AX 1240 removes the only Wi‑Fi access point. You could enable and use the FRITZ!Box’s Wi‑Fi directly, although its coverage may be weaker, or leave both Powerline units connected. The PC can also use Wi‑Fi from the AX 1240 when its Ethernet cable is unplugged, as long as both adapters remain powered.
That makes sense. I’ll check whether the FRITZ!Box is broadcasting its own wireless network and compare the networks shown on my phone.