Powerline adaptors

[chrisbainbridge]

Same as Ian, running nonstop for 7 years supplying old sky box. Almost forgot I had them.

[Feanor]

I'm the person who flooded the house with cat6 when we had building works going on.
It terminates in a cabinet with Dell PowerConnect PoE Gigabit switches.
There are private, public and management VLANS.

And yet, when we had a temporary rental property in Edinburgh for a year, I used modern simple powerline kit, with a simple flat network architecture.
This was to get Internet to the Living Room, from the hallway where the ADSL router was, beside the only phone point.
In the living room, a small cheap 8-port gigabit switch fed the TV and streaming boxes from the powerline feed.
I was very happy with it.  It did indeed Just Work.

I've come to the conclusion that for most domestic-use scenarios, I think it's a good way to extend the LAN beyond WiFi range without running cat 5/6.

[Kim]

I've come to the conclusion that for most domestic-use scenarios, I think it's a good way to extend the LAN beyond WiFi range without running cat 5/6.

While I'm strongly of the just-run-a-cable disposition, I've seen it work well enough times that it certainly counts as Worth A Try if running proper cable is going to be a pain.  Especially if you're not fussed about a bit of packet loss.  It's just that sometimes it doesn't want to play, and it seems to double as a good way to detect faulty power supplies (mind you, so does ADSL).

[ian]

Powerline adaptors are a lot cheaper than having a place wired. We got quoted for adding meowy cable when we had The Asbestos Palace rewired and I forget how much, but it was significant (and we were at the stage of refurbishment were every day felt like we got up, filled a wheelbarrow with cash and then went to tip it into a hole while laughing manically before setting it on fire).

[Wombat]

Well, it works. 

Successfully set up connected to the network switch in the living room, after the initial pairing done in the office, 'cos I can connect it to a bit of Cat 6 easily there, and there's loads of sockets, the cloning of the router connection guff, and now it just seems to work, with the phone and scabby tablet thinking its connected to the router itself.  This works not only in the workshop, but also in the whole of the corrugated iron barn outside.  i haven't yet checked if it still works outside the barn, i.e. through the corrugated iron sheet walls.  If so, lets hope our supposedly wifi allergic neighbours haven't got a detector in their home, as it might make it to their back yard.  Said neighbours have recently been connected to the BT fibre network (like wot we are) and think they are using no wifi cos its turned off on the router, but you can't turn BT wifi off!  It turns off wifi for the user, but still broadcasts its bloody BT wifi fon bollocks, which I gather is supposed to be collectively forming a net for passing pedestrians with phones. Er, we live in the middle of nowhere, we do not get passing pedestrians, unless you count the occasional escaped sheep.  If anyone knows a dodge for turning the wifi fon bollocks off, please let me know, as I resent providing a pointless service for the robbers at BT.

All that, just to get some radio in the workshop.  The scabby tablet isn't ideal, but it'll do for now, using some radio app on it.  its a Samsung thing, about 8 years old, running Android 4.something.

Thanks for guidance, all.

[ian]

You can turn all the BT wifis off via your account (of course, if you don't contribute you lose access in return).

Allergic to wifi. Ha. I'm allergic to Jazz FM.

[NeilP]

This is spooky, haven't been on here for a long time and came back specifically to ask a powerline adapter question and here's a thread about them. I've been using TPLink AV2000s now for 3 years faultlessly but a recent change of laptop seems to have instigated some troubles.

Through a lot a trial and error, resetting of the ethernet adaptor etc etc etc I've narrowed down my woes to the insertion of the battery charger lead into the laptop as the cause of the loss of network. As soon as I pull the plug out the system is all good again.

Does anyone have an idea as to why this is happening?

[pcolbeck]

This is spooky, haven't been on here for a long time and came back specifically to ask a powerline adapter question and here's a thread about them. I've been using TPLink AV2000s now for 3 years faultlessly but a recent change of laptop seems to have instigated some troubles.

Through a lot a trial and error, resetting of the ethernet adaptor etc etc etc I've narrowed down my woes to the insertion of the battery charger lead into the laptop as the cause of the loss of network. As soon as I pull the plug out the system is all good again.

Does anyone have an idea as to why this is happening?

Crap charger putting noise on the mains. I have the same with a cheap spare charger I bought on Amazon. Try using an extension lead or plug in socket that's designed to protect computer equipment with the charger. That fixed it for me.

[Kim]

My guess would be dodgy (or poorly designed) power supply putting noise onto the mains wiring and obliterating the other noise signal.  (It may not be symptomatic unless under load, hence it happening when you plug the laptop in.)  This is a classic way for them to fail, usually due to the main reservoir capacitor drying out.  The laptop itself is likely to be much more tolerant of poorly-regulated power than the powerline adaptors (or indeed, nearby DSL modems) are likely to be tolerant of interference, hence it appears to still work.

If you place a de-tuned AM radio nearby and find it makes squealing noises when you plug the power supply in, that would be indicative.  (As would more specific diagnostics involving things like oscilloscopes, dremels and ESR meters.)

[NeilP]

Ah I see, both of these replies make sense, the laptop is an old one which my workplace let me buy cheaply and has been refurbished. The charging adapter is probably very old.

Thank you.

[pcolbeck]

Try putting something like this between the laptop PSU and the mains. As I said you can get a 4 way block version as well. Do not plug the Powerline Adaptor into the same 4 way block if you get one of those. Basically you want to protect your mains from the electrical noise from the PSU. Its sort of using these surge protectors backwards to their intended use which is to provide a non noisy mains supply to whats plugged into them.

Belkin Surge Protector

[NeilP]

Try putting something like this between the laptop PSU and the mains. As I said you can get a 4 way block version as well. Do not plug the Powerline Adaptor into the same 4 way block if you get one of those. Basically you want to protect your mains from the electrical noise from the PSU. Its sort of using these surge protectors backwards to their intended use which is to provide a non noisy mains supply to whats plugged into them.

Belkin Surge Protector

Thank you. This may prove tricky as the route to the end plug is as follows spur out from kitchen underground into the garage, spur off from where the socket used to be and down to where I relocated it at the end of the garage and then into a 'powerbank' thing which has about 7 or 8 sockets on it. The laptop and powerline adapter are both plugged into that.

Thanks for the assistance. TBH, all I have to do is ensure the laptop is charged for when I'm using it and just stick to battery power.

[pcolbeck]

Thank you. This may prove tricky as the route to the end plug is as follows spur out from kitchen underground into the garage, spur off from where the socket used to be and down to where I relocated it at the end of the garage and then into a 'powerbank' thing which has about 7 or 8 sockets on it. The laptop and powerline adapter are both plugged into that.

Just put the smoother on your power supply mains lead wherever its plugged in. That should do it.

What I meant wsa you shouldnt go

Laptop PSU -> Extension multi-socket block
Powerline -> same multi-socket block
Same ulti-scocket block -> smoother -> mains

It should be

Laptop PSU -> smoother -> same multi-socket block -> mains (or wall socket if its plugged straight into the wall).