Questions about internet - Powerline Adapter Kits

The ones I have, and use, specify that they need to be on the same circuit. It makes perfect sense, of course, otherwise there is no way that the signal could complete.
 
Actually, I'm not sure they need to be on the same circuit. I had a set that I ran through a circuit panel, to a sub-panel in an attached building, so the signal passed through at least 3 circuit breakers. It gave me no problem that I was ever aware of - speed did not seem to be impacted, I didn't have issues with dropping the signal, etc.

I don't know whether the signal travels on the hot line or on the neutral line. If it travels on the neutral line, then they are all connected right in the circuit breaker box. If it travels on the hot line, then there still is a connection through the circuits, otherwise the electricity could not go through.

That's my experience, at least - I'm certainly no expert!

Brian.
 
Would something like that work in a Condo/Apartment?

I've never heard anything specific about whether they work or not and how they work.
 
Every thread/post I read on the net is split on the idea; some posters say they need to be on the same branch circuit, others mention that they have no problems at all in huge house set-ups...

I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it in your particular situation...if it works, it works. If not, guess the only alternative is to run cable or go wireless.
 
God I remember trying to support these 8 years ago at 2Wire .. they stopped selling the product it is to much of a headache.

Basically it goes like this:

There isn't anyway to know for sure if it will work or not until you try it. They should work as long as all outlets are on the same panel. They don't have to be on the same breaker. Being on the same panel is still not a guarantee that they will work unfortunately. The only way to know for sure is to try it.

My suggestion would be the obvious one, use wifi instead.
 
rsarceno said:
Why not set up WIFI?
Click to expand...

The powerline adapters looked like a less expensive option at around $50 for a set. They (customer) have no router, which means the cost of a router & receiver.

But, it looks like we will be going with Wifi after all, as I would rather not deal with the hassle of these powerline things if they are as "iffy" as they seem to be.
 
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Are you in the US?

You can get an inexpensive router and a couple of adapters for around $50-60 on Newegg. I suggest you stay away from Rosewill and refurbished adapters; personally I've found the Encore ones to be the most reliable in the $10 range.
 
I've had no problem with them on different circuits within the same building. I have 3 circuits in my house that has multiple buildings on the same log..and it works no problem. "Copper beats wireless" any day of the week for me.

Manufacturers are gunshy to support all different types of wiring...having different circuits in the same building can potentially complicate things, so I support they draw the line somewhere by saying "must be on same circuit". The issue is really when you go to circuits on different "phases". This is not common.
 
It's not a problem on the different circuits as long as the voltage stays the same. Once you try to hop panels, you'll have issues. Distance is an issue as well. I have one set up at my folks' house. The first unit is in a bedroom at one end of the house; the second is behind the TV in the living room at the other end of the house. Different circuits and nearly 100' away. I've had no problems at all with this setup. You want to be sure the house wiring is properly grounded and you have adequate surge protection. You're putting your electronics at considerable risk otherwise. I'm not sure of all the technical details, but, basically, they're designed to operate on a 120 volt electrical network (US) at 60 hertz. Make sure to do some line tests at the outlets to confirm the electrical system isn't wonky, or you'll have all kinds of issues.
 
angry_geek said:
It's not a problem on the different circuits as long as the voltage stays the same. Once you try to hop panels, you'll have issues. Distance is an issue as well. I have one set up at my folks' house. The first unit is in a bedroom at one end of the house; the second is behind the TV in the living room at the other end of the house. Different circuits and nearly 100' away. I've had no problems at all with this setup. You want to be sure the house wiring is properly grounded and you have adequate surge protection. You're putting your electronics at considerable risk otherwise. I'm not sure of all the technical details, but, basically, they're designed to operate on a 120 volt electrical network (US) at 60 hertz. Make sure to do some line tests at the outlets to confirm the electrical system isn't wonky, or you'll have all kinds of issues.
Click to expand...


This is what I've found as well. I use powerline adapters myself and have set them up for a small number of clients. They've all worked very well.

The only thing I noticed was in my own home where I had the time and freedom to experiment. I seemed to get a slightly better (faster) connection between two particular outlets - but not enough to really matter.

Regarding the "why not just use wifi?" question, MY experience with powerline adapters is that they just plain work with no end user intervention, passwords to remember, reboots required, settings to change/update, etc. Once they're all setup they're an "out of sight, out of mind" solution for extending a network. Plus in many cases they result in faster connections than typical home wifi.

They're not the answer to every situation, but there's no reason to avoid them in circumstances where they are clearly a good alternative.
 
My local BB/Staples has a Netgear powerline adapter kit for around $70, but in the requirements it lists Windows XP, Vista 32-bit, Vista 64-bit compatibility only. Will I have a problem with Win 7... :confused:
 
katz said:
My local BB/Staples has a Netgear powerline adapter kit for around $70, but in the requirements it lists Windows XP, Vista 32-bit, Vista 64-bit compatibility only. Will I have a problem with Win 7... :confused:
Click to expand...

Why don't you ask the Easy Tech or Geek Squad associate? After all they are the "professionals". :D. ;)
 
katz said:
My local BB/Staples has a Netgear powerline adapter kit for around $70, but in the requirements it lists Windows XP, Vista 32-bit, Vista 64-bit compatibility only. Will I have a problem with Win 7... :confused:
Click to expand...

Shouldn't...Vista and Win7 aren't all too different network stack wise. Heck..the ones I'm using right now in my home office to unbuckle/build an Untangle firewall to deploy at a school tomorrow...I have the Untangle firewalls WAN port uplinked to my router it the basement using a pair of older Linksys 2nd generation powerline adapters...they came out when Win2K and WinXP were the norm. I've also had my Win7 64 bit rig gaming through them. Right now Untangle is running through them even though they don't say Debian compatible.

The compatibility issue comes up more regarding the software used to setup/config the units when first setup.
 
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Update - I picked up the Netgear 85Mbps Powerline Network Adapter Kit - XETB1001, comes with (2) adapters.

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-85Mbp...UTCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337253153&sr=8-1

They connected up great, no issues. However, I did some internet speed tests using them and the results were not what I had hoped for.

I typically get 12-15 Mbps on my wired connections in the house, and with these adapters I am getting 1 - 1.5 Mbps. Is this the norm with these things?

I know there may be variables, such as circuit noise, etc., but I was really expecting faster speeds than this.

The customer probably won't have an issue with them, since they are using Satellite internet which is slow as molasses anyway, but I personally wouldn't be happy with speeds like that.
 
Not the norm....my old linksys pair....I pull all 18 megs of my 18 meg U-Verse connection through them as if I were plugged right into my router. And in the house I was in prior to this one...an old old farmhouse where I spanned 3x floors with them through old mix-matched wiring...I pulled all 8 of my 8 meg cable connection.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Not the norm....my old linksys pair....I pull all 18 megs of my 18 meg U-Verse connection through them as if I were plugged right into my router. And in the house I was in prior to this one...an old old farmhouse where I spanned 3x floors with them through old mix-matched wiring...I pulled all 8 of my 8 meg cable connection.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's great. ;)

Any ideas on what to look for with the slow speeds I am getting? I picked them up at BB - I suppose I could try to exchange them for another set in case I got a bad one.
 
If they are the powerline carriers that utilize x-10 or circuit transmission technology, they would have to be on the same phase of power. You could install a phase coupler to overcome this issue however. Sounds like you might be on different phases and that is what is killing your overall speed.
 
It turned out to be a defective set; I swapped them for another set & now I am getting top speeds that are just as fast as the wired connections directly to the router. :)

Thanks to all for the replies. This will be a lot easier for the customer than messing around with router settings. :D
 
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