My experiences with users and installers for internet-connected services is that unless it's in the modem/router, immediately next to the modem/router, the wire is dead. For a small apartment dweller who's on cable, with a smart tv, that means that they _can_ wire the tv to the modem (since it's probably also their cable box), and that might be easier than dealing with wifi credentials. But pretty much all other use-cases are wifi.
My personal view is that if it doesn't move, it should have a wire (because it needs one anyway). TVs, media-players, cameras, thermostats. If it needs data, and it doesn't run on batteries, we should provide both power and data over the same cable. But then I don't _ever_ want to set another clock. Run an ntpd service within the home, and call it done.
Free.fr in Paris used ethernet over powerline with their Freeboxes, to get service from the entry-point to the TV. AT&T is doing the same with their service, as is BT. I'm using a pair of those here to get ethernet out to the office above the garage (with an AP out there). It's only about 100Mbps, but better than wifi extenders by a long shot.
Un-bloated power-line-to-AP units would be awesome. As would power-line to POE adapters for small electronics. Although you have the same difficulty with on-boarding there that you do with wifi.
-Aaron Wood