LAN over mains - any views on this?

[BCNZ]

I was at my local PC supply shop the other day and noticed they are selling a device that allows you to have a network via the mains wiring in your house/business etc.
It comes with two units - one plugs in to the power next to your modem for example, the other plugs in somewhere else in the house where you have your computer. Both devices have LAN ports and allow you to 'link' your system together.

I'm just wondering if anyone's actually tried these, do they work and what's the performance like?

[gavpk]

I havnt used this before, but this link should give you some info

[RHCP]

They are excellent. Absolutely excellent! The only downside is the cost.

It's called EOP Ethernet-Over-Power (not POE Power-Over-Ethernet).


I have four Netcomm 85 Mbs running for over two years now with hardly an issue. So long as all the power points are on the same phase, you shouldn't have a problem - doesn't matter if they are on different breakers. I tested most of the power points at home and pretty much all of them could see each other, expect when a device was in room C eg device in room A and device in room C could not see each other, but could see everything else (netroute around this).


At home i was getting 68-78 Megabits/s across 2 and 48Mb/s across another one, where im living now im only getting 50Mb/s.

They say not to use them in power boards, splitters and extension cables, but for the most part im yet to see these make a big difference.

Where i'm staying atm i have just noticed that a cheap PSU for a usb hdd (which i just bought) when plugged next to the EOP causes it to drop almost all packets - if i plug in into another extension cord and powerboard/spliter (which goes to the same board as the EOP), it causes it to drop every third packet - yet to test it in the hdd psu in another socket in the house though....**this is the first thing that i have found to ever effect the reliability of these units***

Get them, you wont regret it.....

Cheers, RHCP.

[jamesv]

Have a look over here Studio1



Not used them myself but have been considering....

[LeroyPatrol]

We had a trial of Broadband over power lines in town here and it was a big flop! But I have heard that other towns have it running sucessfully so I don't know what happened here.

Leroy (yeh I know it's not what you're asking)

[fromaron]

No problems here with TP-Link units here. I am also getting ~80Mb/s between two most remote rooms on a graund floor and around 50Mb/s to the most remote room upstairs (via circuit breaker)

[BCNZ]

Thank you everyone who has commented so far. I am about to try to solve a problem for a client and I don't want to go and buy the gear only to have it not meet the standard I need.

[delboy89]

Hi,

I have been using this product for 2 years.
My first concerns were :

1> Will the age of the house / quality of wiring affect the connection.(i have a 1935 house)

2>Heat from the plugs.

I must say these have been the best product for easy of use, convenience etc.
My set up i have 4 plugs and not once encountered any problems.
Network speeds are great even in my old house :P.
Heat from the plugs is very min to non.

Overall i would highly recommend for home use and small business...

[porkop]

they cause havock to other spectrum users, should be banned like VX nerve gas is!!!

[Pugs]

if it is for a client just get them cabled ... they would rather a very solid 100% wired connection then a possible flakey solution that is EoP

hell i prefer wireless over EoP

[RHCP]

they cause havock to other spectrum users, should be banned like VX nerve gas is!!!

I assume your referring to BPL (broadband over power lines)....

[porkop]

any system that transmits rf over an un shielded medium will cause interference to external users.

After all, isnt this how an antenna works??

And yes BPL was my main thinking.

[cd_toaster]

i was considering ethernet over power but was told computers can only connect if they are on the same powercircuit in the house. i wanted to get LAN/internet in the sleepout

[RHCP]

i was considering ethernet over power but was told computers can only connect if they are on the same powercircuit in the house.

Just need to be on the same phase.

Cheers.