[Tech] PowerLine, is it any good?

Solemn

Solemn

New Member
So, I am moving house soon and want to rearange how i network things.

Currently I have my HTPC/PS3 and Xbox pluged into my main router via ethernet and in the fourth ethernet i have a cable running upstairs to a switch/hub then i have that branched off to different rooms in the house and either have it connected to an aiddional hub or directly to a device.


I'm moving into a new home, and want to find out if i will still be able to stream video easily like i do now, if i were to have the initial setup in my lounge with consoles and HTPC connected directly to my router and then plug a Powerline IN into one of the spare wall sockets and then an out into each room and hook those up to switches if more than one port is needed?

bad idea? good idea?

im trying to get away from having to lead an enthernet upstairs but dont want to have to use wireless as its always been rather rubbish when streaming.

Thanks =)
 
Traxata

Traxata

Junior Administrator
By Powerline, you mean the Ethernet over internal wiring?

They're essentially a 'cheap fix' for homes where you can't do things like drill holes, to send a cable through a wall or some plastic trunking around the walls etc.

I don't know how well they do/don't work, but if you stream HD video, you may find it stutters like if you tried over wifi.

Essentially Ethernet is the better medium for the job, which is why we have it :p

Were you running 10/100/1000 MBIT Ethernet? as that would answer some other questions
 
Wol

Wol

In Cryo Sleep
What sort of setup do you have w.r.t. power in the house currently? Are all the places you want ethernet on the same ring main?

I'm not quite sure how well those systems appreciate jumping across different ring mains / e.g. through the distribution board. Might end up a bit flaky. Worth a try though. You can always buy two of the things, see how well they go, and get more if necessary.
 
Solemn

Solemn

New Member
TBH I know nothing of the eletricals of the house, but its a fairly new home so i would like the think the electrics would be of decent quality. was hoping someone could recomend a good brand to try, if its rubbish, i might just send it back.
 
Haven

Haven

Administrator
Staff member
I've been using Ethernet over Power for a good few years now. In brief:

The Good:
* High throughput 80mbit/sec on 110mbit rated device on a relatively clean power source i.e. no hoovers running in the background.

The Bad
* 500kbit/sec throughput when crossing between ring mains (highly possible in an upstairs/downstairs setup if both are seperate ring mains). YMMV on all these figures :)

Time to go check the trip board and see whether all the ring mains are on one trip or on seperate ones.

As for brand, I use solwise but its a discontinued model now.

Regards

Haven
 
luc

luc

Junior Administrator
I use 200Mbps powerline, and for most things it's nothing detrimental. Certainly not going to get Gigabit over it, but I've been using them for about 1.5 years and not had any trouble.

As per haven's observation I had a similar results when using 85Mbps (for a year before switching over) but I've not had the drop in speed with the 200Mbps.
 
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