Reddit mentions of Netgear 200Mb Single Port Mini Powerline Bundle

Are these not common internationally?

I happened to get a pair for free as I was testing them for BT. Think it might be this version actually, though mine being a preview looks different. I get slightly better performance using it instead of the WiFi, though I'd blame the Chromecast for that; I can easily get ~50Mbps in the same room on my phone.

homeplug is what i use - it just plugs into a power socket and it provides a wired connection to plug into. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HomePlug I've used various ones for about 7 years now, they Just Work. There's no setup, you just plug them in use them.

typically its about £20-40 per 2 plugs, plus ethernet cables. You can get ones which also provide wifi, but i havent tried those.

here's an amazon link to an example product.

oh, one caveat though - homeplug relies on the house's electric circuits to be on the same circuit - if you are in a big student house, there's a chance there might be seperate circuits per floor, in which case it wouldnt work for you. But given you can get some for £15 - i'd try it anyway.

The ones linked above are ridiculously expensive.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007JD6LBS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use these and they work just fine.

An alternative to the switch would be something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-200Mbps-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B007JD6LBS/ref=tag_stp_s2_edpp_url

I bought a pair of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007JD6LBS

You should get some powerline adapters. I'm sure they used to be much more expensive but it seems that now you can get some for around £15 like these (UK) or these (US)

If you choose to get a wifi extender instead then find the room on your floor that has the best signal and plug it in there, or try the room directly below you.

There is the issue then. When I played on Wireless a few weeks ago, it was honestly the worst thing ever. Even at 60 ping it felt off and laggy. Completely unplayable for me. Then I got these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-200Mbps-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B007JD6LBS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top and it's been more or less perfect connection since!