Powerline advice

[DNP17]

Hello there.
My wireless router stopped working about a few weeks ago and I am currently using my other (wired only) router. This is no problem for now but very soon three (sometimes four) computers will need to be connected to the internet. I've been interested in powerline adapters for quite some time even though they're pricey (I mean they are also handy). Since the router I'm currently using only has one ethernet port, I thought buying a set of powerline adapters would be perfect to take advantage of it instead of buying a new wireless router [plus I think that a powerline connection would be faster and more stable than a wi-fi connection (wi-fi really gets on my nerves some times)]. I would love an ethernet only connection but that would mean both buying a new router and having cables all over the place (unless I have someone make me an ethernet cabling system). I also have a couple of questions: Can I use multiple adapters (how about five)? Is it very important that I plug the adapter into a standard outlet instead of an extension? I was at first interested in a set of five TP-LINK TL-PA511 500MBPS adapters but then I saw the TP-LINK TL-PA551 (if I can only plug them into a standard outlet I have to go for a pass-through model). Any other suggestions are welcome.
Thanks for the help and... sorry for the long text...

[Dooms]

My flat currently has 5x http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-P...=Powerline+500 running without issues. They were £25 for 2 when I got them but it appears they have a new 500mb cheapy with the http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-PA41...=Powerline+500

We have them running on (non surge) powerbars without issues so I didn't spend out the extra for the passthru.

[MrJim]

To answer your questions:

1) Currently the fastest powerline standard is rated at 500mb/s, but in practice you will probably get nothing approaching that speed. I have three of the slower 200mb/s adapters, and in the same room as my internet connection, I actually get about 20mb/s. In my experience powerline adapters are indeed more stable than wi-fi, but not necessarily faster - the new ac wifi standard is rated up to 1300mb/s, for example. The speed of the connection is very dependent on the cabling in your house, too; so your mileage may vary. If you live in a flat with share wiring, you may want to turn on encryption to keep your data private, but that will also slow down your data rate.

2) Yes, you should be able to use as many as 5 powerline adapters, but if all are active at the same time, the available bandwidth will be split between them.

3) Yes you can plug powerline adapters into an extension, as long as it isn't surge-protected (which stops the signal working, apparently). An extension will probably reduce the speed of your connection however, and most powerline systems say it's best not to do so. You can get 'pass-through' powerline adapters which allow the socket to be used by other appliances, but they cost a bit more.

4) From the reviews I've read, Solwise 500mb/s units do quite well, but I haven't tried them personally.

[Flash477]

Just remember that the plugs also need to be on the same circuit - plugs around the house are not always on the same circuit (i.e. upstairs and downstairs)

[Apex]

Just remember that the plugs also need to be on the same circuit - plugs around the house are not always on the same circuit (i.e. upstairs and downstairs)

Same phase, the plugs can be on different circuits due to the fact they will go through the main consumer unit, is the phase that needs to be the same {there are ways to cross connect the phases} - thing is this isn't something most homes need worry about as 99.99% of homes will be single phase and not three phase {single phase is 1 100amp circuit 3 phase is 3 100amp circuits - might be 80amp these days though}

[Enverex]

I have a pair of the Zyxel 500Mb Mini Powerline Adapters and I get a nice solid 10-11MB/s through them which is pretty much the max they can handle as they only have 100Mb ethernet ports on them (which makes sense...) which I'm quite chuffed with as the wiring in my house is notoriously rough.

[DNP17]

I've seen reviews of zyxel adapters and they seem pretty nice even though they are not the most affordable. Haven't seen any pass-through zyxel adapters though. I think I'll go for a value pass-through kit. It seems that the easiest to find in Greece are BELKIN, DEVOLO, DIGITUS, D-LINK, EDIMAX, HERCULES, LEVEL ONE, LINKSYS, RAIDSONIC, TP-LINK, TRENDNET, ZYXEL, ASUS, AVM and BEEWI. Any experiences with any of them?

[DNP17]

Big thanks for all the help, everyone! Was even more than I expected!

[DavidM]

Recently purchased the Devolo 500 AV Wireless+ Kit myself (1 x 1 port, 1 x 3 port) and very impressed with this.

[DNP17]

Can I use one duo adapter to connect both the router and one of the computers?

[DNP17]

Recently purchased the Devolo 500 AV Wireless+ Kit myself (1 x 1 port, 1 x 3 port) and very impressed with this.

Can I use one duo adapter to connect both the router and one of the computers?

[DNP17]

To answer your questions:

1) Currently the fastest powerline standard is rated at 500mb/s, but in practice you will probably get nothing approaching that speed. I have three of the slower 200mb/s adapters, and in the same room as my internet connection, I actually get about 20mb/s. In my experience powerline adapters are indeed more stable than wi-fi, but not necessarily faster - the new ac wifi standard is rated up to 1300mb/s, for example. The speed of the connection is very dependent on the cabling in your house, too; so your mileage may vary. If you live in a flat with share wiring, you may want to turn on encryption to keep your data private, but that will also slow down your data rate.

2) Yes, you should be able to use as many as 5 powerline adapters, but if all are active at the same time, the available bandwidth will be split between them.

3) Yes you can plug powerline adapters into an extension, as long as it isn't surge-protected (which stops the signal working, apparently). An extension will probably reduce the speed of your connection however, and most powerline systems say it's best not to do so. You can get 'pass-through' powerline adapters which allow the socket to be used by other appliances, but they cost a bit more.

4) From the reviews I've read, Solwise 500mb/s units do quite well, but I haven't tried them personally.

Big thanks for providing me with some helpful info! Also, thanks for the Solwise suggestion, I had never heard of that name! Thing is I live in Greece and Solwise adapters would be harder to get. I checked some Greek web stores that I trust and it seems that none of them provides Solwise products. So if I go for a Solwise kit, I'll have to get it from somewhere else (probably amazon). tp-link adapters caught my attention because they seemed mostly inexpensive compared to others but they also get good scores and come with a three year warranty. My latest discovery is the TP-LINK TL-PA4010P KIT which I can get in Greece for 55.43 euros (47,28 pounds). 166.29 euros (about 142 pounds) for three Pass-Through kits is a pretty sweet deal. Only problem is I'm having a hard time finding reviews on this specific kit . Have you had any experience with TP-LINK?

[DNP17]

My flat currently has 5x http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-PA511KIT-Gigabit-Powerline-Adapter/dp/B005FVOKM8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376922398&sr=8-2&keywords=Powerline+500[/url] running without issues. They were £25 for 2 when I got them but it appears they have a new 500mb cheapy with the http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-PA41...=Powerline+500

We have them running on (non surge) powerbars without issues so I didn't spend out the extra for the passthru.

Yeah, I've been interested in tp-link as well since they are not the most expensive out there, get good reviews and also come with a three year warranty. I also found the TP-LINK TL-PA4010P kit which seems to be a real value for money. I can get this kit in Greece for 55.43 euros (47,28 pounds) which seems to be a pretty awesome price for a pass-through kit (3 kits=166.29 euros or about 142 pounds). Only problem: I can't find any reviews of it

[Z??]

When you are talking about spending £140-£150 for powerline gear it makes Cat5e and a bit of chasing and plastering sound like a cheaper option and would provide gigabit networking... but would be more effort

I did run Cat5e throughout my last house when I rewired the place, but in my new place I am currently using 200AV powerline kit from a gigabit switch to the modem and as the BT ADSL is really slow I haven't noticed any issues with the powerline kit.

It sounds like you could use a single powerline kit going to a switch or do the 3-4 connections need to go to different rooms?

[jonathanswalton]

A quick question if I may; I looked up posts on this topic as I'm about to buy some adapters too. I've tried the TPLink 500 ones (non pass-through) and they seemed to work okay, but I didn't get chance to try out any games using them - I'd borrowed them for an evening off a friend. I could ping the bbc at 19ms which felt about right.

Anyone know whether there are any issues though for playing fps games off them?
Are all brands pretty much the same?

Oh - and *edit* - is it actually worth buying 500mbps over 200mbps adapters? Seems like this might just be a theoretical number to me...

[Dooms]

After a few months I'm not sure I like the TPLink 500 (or maybe powerline adapters in general). They don't seem to handle data transfers very well.

If I'm copying a file from my PC to the Server or even if Steam is downloading at 11-12Mb/s everything else is unusable. Websites barely load nevermind streaming a video off the network or watching youtube. The rest of the network is uneffected (mate can stream from server to his PC via powerline while I'm 'locked out') it also happens the other way round, he can't stream if hes downloading but then I'm fine.