Powerline networking

[torrow]

Powerline networking. Does it work in Thailand and where can I buy? Thanks

[muratremix]

Invadeit.co.th

However, they perform poorly with Thai standard cheap electric cables within the walls. So, don't expect miracles.

[KittenKong]

I use them in my condo as my phone line is on one side of the room and my main router and other equipment are on the other side.

I use these http://www.zyxel.com/uk/en/products_services/pla4201_v2.shtml?t=p with no trouble at all.

I paid just under 1500B for a pair at JIB in Pattaya.

[barryw52]

They work best if your on the same power circuit i.e. both power points are on the same circuit breaker (ideally the same cable run) also the slower one 100Mbs will work over much longer distance than the faster one i.e. 500 Mbps.

[Pib]

Here's a couple years old review with speed benchmarks on some powerline networking devices. Gives some benchmarks of same room, next room, and farthest room.

I'm sure (hope) they have improved since I tried some around 10 years ago in the U.S....10 years ago the cheap set of powerline adapters I tried were really, really slow...but technology has surely made them a lot better & faster by now.

[torrow]

Thanks for all your replies

[muratremix]

They work best if your on the same power circuit i.e. both power points are on the same circuit breaker (ideally the same cable run) also the slower one 100Mbs will work over much longer distance than the faster one i.e. 500 Mbps.

They seperate rooms in Circuit breaker so unless you are in same room, no way it will pass from same circuit breaker.

Besides, cables is low quality in here. They tend to choose cheapest cable when they make electric cable deployment.

[KittenKong]

They seperate rooms in Circuit breaker so unless you are in same room, no way it will pass from same circuit breaker.

They do work across two circuits if you have regular breakers; mine are and they work. Just as long as both circuits are linked to the same main supply in the same consumer unit it should not be a problem.

[Digitalbanana]

They seperate rooms in Circuit breaker so unless you are in same room, no way it will pass from same circuit breaker.

They do work across two circuits if you have regular breakers; mine are and they work. Just as long as both circuits are linked to the same main supply in the same consumer unit it should not be a problem.

Good to know, I bought the same units as you from Invade but couldn't get them to work, maybe I'll get them out the box again and give it another go. The units seemed to run quite warm which was a worry.

[RichCor]

They seperate rooms in Circuit breaker so unless you are in same room, no way it will pass from same circuit breaker.

They do work across two circuits if you have regular breakers; mine are and they work. Just as long as both circuits are linked to the same main supply in the same consumer unit it should not be a problem.

Good to know, I bought the same units as you from Invade but couldn't get them to work, maybe I'll get them out the box again and give it another go. The units seemed to run quite warm which was a worry.

Set them up on the same outlet first for testing. Then try moving them to different plugs.

Usually what keeps these things from working are

Competing line noise generated by anything using the same community transformer

Surge suppression devices, preventing the signals used from going across the wire

Trying to use in a building where 3-Phase electrical is deployed (using three different electrical mains, one power meter) as the devices will only work if all are on the same common electrical mains wire (same Phase)

[Pib]

When doing some googling on whether circuit breakers, power strips, surge protectors, UPS or even extension cords can affect powerline networking devices, yes, all these electrical devices can have an impact. Below are a couple cut and pastes from manufacturers who sell powerline networking devices.

Can be a little bit of a crap-shoot as to how well the devices work in your residence based on the electrical wiring of you residence. Seems they work fine for some folks; not so fine for other folks.

Why shouldn’t I use a power strip, surge protector, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) or extension cord with the PL200?

​The Powerline signal operates from 2MHz to 30MHz. Power strips, surge protectors, UPS and extension cords filter out some or the entire high frequency signal used in Powerline communications. Connecting a PL200 to one of these devices can greatly reduce the data rate of transfers or even block communications entirely.

*** Powerline communication works only single area electric circuit. (Usually controlled by a single power breaker.)**** Power strip, GFCI outlets and AFCI circuit breakers will degrade Powerline network signals.

[manarak]

I tried to use 500mbps powerline in good conditions on a good electric circuit, but I recently replaced them with the latest draft-n 900 mbps wireless USB adapters and performance is so much better.

[muratremix]

They seperate rooms in Circuit breaker so unless you are in same room, no way it will pass from same circuit breaker.

They do work across two circuits if you have regular breakers; mine are and they work. Just as long as both circuits are linked to the same main supply in the same consumer unit it should not be a problem.

They work yes, but performing poorly.

Watching 15-20Gb 1080p MKV files was pain in the @$$ (with 500mbit powerline adapter)

[KittenKong]

Good to know, I bought the same units as you from Invade but couldn't get them to work, maybe I'll get them out the box again and give it another go. The units seemed to run quite warm which was a worry.

I found that it was best to do the initial pairing with the two units plugged into adjacent sockets. Then move them to their final position.

Mine are barely warm to the touch so I don't know what is wrong with yours.

[KittenKong]

They work yes, but performing poorly.

Watching 15-20Gb 1080p MKV files was pain in the @$$ (with 500mbit powerline adapter)

The file size isn't relevant but the bitrate is. I'm surprised that you have this problem as my two units handle my 17mbs ADSL connection without any trouble, and 17mbs should be much more than the bitrate of your video files.

If you install the manufacturer's monitor utility (not needed for normal use) you can see the actual connection speed of the two units. You may find that you have a noisy fridge motor or something like that which is upsetting them.

[AyG]

I bought a kit to provide access to my True Internet connection. Could not get it to work. Something to do with the True-provided router which is locked down, so I couldn't inspect the settings. Also, since the external connection is by co-ax, not 'phone line couldn't switch out the router.

Works absolutely fine with my TOT Internet connection.

[thedemon]

I bought a kit to provide access to my True Internet connection. Could not get it to work. Something to do with the True-provided router which is locked down, so I couldn't inspect the settings. Also, since the external connection is by co-ax, not 'phone line couldn't switch out the router.

Works absolutely fine with my TOT Internet connection.

Perhaps an IP address conflict where the DOCSIS router and one of the powerline adapters are both using e.g. 192.168.1.1

Powerline communication utililizes OSI layer 2 so as long as the LAN port on the router is functioning normally there isn't any router setting that could prevent a powerline connection.

Since the powerline devices only require an IP address for configuration (and maybe encryption exchange?) you can set them to a different subnet than your LAN to avoid this issue.

[thedemon]

When doing some googling on whether circuit breakers, power strips, surge protectors, UPS or even extension cords can affect powerline networking devices, yes, all these electrical devices can have an impact. Below are a couple cut and pastes from manufacturers who sell powerline networking devices.

Can be a little bit of a crap-shoot as to how well the devices work in your residence based on the electrical wiring of you residence. Seems they work fine for some folks; not so fine for other folks.

Why shouldn’t I use a power strip, surge protector, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) or extension cord with the PL200?

​The Powerline signal operates from 2MHz to 30MHz. Power strips, surge protectors, UPS and extension cords filter out some or the entire high frequency signal used in Powerline communications. Connecting a PL200 to one of these devices can greatly reduce the data rate of transfers or even block communications entirely.

*** Powerline communication works only single area electric circuit. (Usually controlled by a single power breaker.)**** Power strip, GFCI outlets and AFCI circuit breakers will degrade Powerline network signals.

A crap-shoot would describe my experiences with them too. Sometimes they work very well, sometimes erratically and sometimes not at all. I even had a pair that worked perfectly for a year then started playing up even though there was nothing wrong with the devices themselves and they hadn't been moved. Possibly electrical noise from something but I never could get it working properly again at that place.

[muratremix]

They work yes, but performing poorly.

Watching 15-20Gb 1080p MKV files was pain in the @$$ (with 500mbit powerline adapter)

The file size isn't relevant but the bitrate is. I'm surprised that you have this problem as my two units handle my 17mbs ADSL connection without any trouble, and 17mbs should be much more than the bitrate of your video files.

If you install the manufacturer's monitor utility (not needed for normal use) you can see the actual connection speed of the two units. You may find that you have a noisy fridge motor or something like that which is upsetting them.

A typical hollywood movie is about 90 - 120 minutes so it should give estimated bitrate (which is high, around 15-20mbit min.)

Monitor utility shows around 40mbit connection but hey this is two way, so actual speed is half (20mbit) but still causes problems because it is not a 40mbit stable connection.

I have used AV200 and AV500, no improvement. I'll give a try to new mimo capable AV600 or higher models soon.