Experience with powerline adapters

[denco1]

Hi,

I would like to ask you, if any of you have any experience with these powerline adapters (internet over power cables, for example https://www.tp-link.com/en/home-networking/powerline/tl-pa4010p-kit/)? And if so, how is it? Is it reliable? Can you recommend any?

 

Thank you.

[Windows7ge]

Powerline as a technology overall isn't very good compared to a genuine network cable. They depend greatly on your home wiring and never perform that well. We see posts here on a fairly consistent basis about people complaining that they're getting all sorts of errors, disconnects, and time outs while using them.

 

Do they work? Yes but it's kind of a gamble solution. If they work, great, if they don't, send them back.

[Bombastinator]

14 minutes ago, denco1 said:

Hi,

I would like to ask you, if any of you have any experience with these powerline adapters (internet over power cables, for example https://www.tp-link.com/en/home-networking/powerline/tl-pa4010p-kit/)? And if so, how is it? Is it reliable? Can you recommend any?

 

Thank you.

I’ve got some long long ago experience that may or may not be useful.

powerline ethernet is by definition 10base2.  There’s no way around it.  There are only two wires.    It’s reliable IF you don’t attempt to mix brands AND the connections made by the electrician who did the wiring are good, but it isn’t fast.  Like potentially slower than WiFi.  I would only consider powerline ethernet if a WiFi connection was undoable.  It’s better than nothing.

[bigo93]

OMG Stay away from TP LINK!

I bought a couple and they have been a nightmare!
See here https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/94602?page=1

TP did replace them a couple times, but the problem was never fixed, 
They eventually offered to upgrade me to the AV2000 versions, but those only has 2 ports, not 3 like the ones I bought.
They eventually agreed to give me 3 units so the I still had 6 ports at the end of the day.

These newer ones have been more stable, but I still get disconnections now and again which require unplugging resetting the devices several times before they all reconnect properly

[Bombastinator]

2 minutes ago, bigo93 said:

OMG Stay away from TP LINK!

I bought a couple and they have been a nightmare!
See here https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/94602?page=1

TP did replace them a couple times, but the problem was never fixed, 
They eventually offered to upgrade me to the AV2000 versions, but those only has 2 ports, not 3 like the ones I bought.
They eventually agreed to give me 3 units so the I still had 6 ports at the end of the day.

These newer ones have been more stable, but I still get disconnections now and again which require unplugging resetting the devices several times before they all reconnect properly

It may be the wiring in your walls more than the adaptors.

[denco1]

8 minutes ago, bigo93 said:

OMG Stay away from TP LINK!

I was just giving and example in case I chose wrong English wording for the thing.

 

I just bought a new flat, so I don't want to make holes to the new walls. All the wiring should be brand new, so I thought I might get decent results.

The thing is, between my current position and the router there are two walls. And those two walls drop my speed from around 200Mbps to around 70Mbps, which for me is significant difference.

[Donut417]

39 minutes ago, denco1 said:

Is it reliable

Depends on the wiring in the wall and where both adatpers are located in releation to each other. Mileage may vary, basically. 

[Bombastinator]

34 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Depends on the wiring in the wall and where both adatpers are located in releation to each other. Mileage may vary, basically. 

Wiring type and area is probably going to have a lot to do with it as well as the peculiarities of the installing electrician.

 

electrical work is done to electrical code which varies over time.  There are many eras that vary also by area, and how well something works for powerline ethernet was never really a consideration.  It could be made one.  Powerline ethernet makers might do well by getting themselves inserted in the electrical code creation process.

[Donut417]

Just now, Bombastinator said:

electrical work is done to electrical code which varies over tim

Which is why you need recent wiring. But the fact is most people probably dont know how old the wiring in their home is. And on top of that is it done to code. 

 

1 minute ago, Bombastinator said:

ting themselves inserted in the electrical code creation process.

Code makers arnt going to give a shit about data communication. Code is all about saftey. Thats why GFCI breakers/Outlets exist, thats why ARC Fault breakers exist. You also have to take in to consideration the types of devices on a ciruct. Because some high draw appliances can cause interfrence on the line. Electricy doesnt care but for data intergerty the adapters care. What needs to happen is more people just need to install Ethernet in their homes. 

 

You also have to take in to consideration that not all electrical work is done to code. Hell, you should see the wiring in my home. My dad did much of it. How much to code do you think it is? Keep in mind hes not a certified electricain and no permits were pulled. 

 

Ive just seen far too many post on here about people crying about their power line adapters failing or not working. To me powerline adapeters are a joke. If you want something better, MOCA is the better standard. Outside of going with Ethernet or Fiber. 

[Bombastinator]

I don’t know if recent is critical.  For definitions of recent anyway.  I can see it not working well with knob and tube.  I can see it also working really well with knob and tube because it’s soldered quite often.  Knob and tube was everything till the 50’s most places and the 60’s other places.  There was another period where EMT was used, but connection type varied. Some stuff was done with wire nuts but for a short while there was emt with soldered connections.  Then there was Romex which started in the 70’s.

 

In each and every case though one bad connection, one cracked wire, one weird splice, one cheap wire but, one breaker box, and everything messes up.

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, denco1 said:

Hi,

I would like to ask you, if any of you have any experience with these powerline adapters (internet over power cables, for example https://www.tp-link.com/en/home-networking/powerline/tl-pa4010p-kit/)? And if so, how is it? Is it reliable? Can you recommend any?

 

Thank you.

Not that kit specifically but I have the D-Link AV2 kit - Powerline Ethernet is very variable. It really depends on the quality of the wiring in your home.

 

If you have good quality wiring, you'll likely get pretty decent speeds. I occasionally use it at home, when a wired ethernet connection is not practical, and it does well enough.

[denco1]

Looks like I just have to try it.

 

Thanks.

[denco1]

Just a little update. I ended up with a D-link AV2 1000, which does not give me full speeds. It's much much slower, but it's still better than WiFi. Even though my wiring should be brand new, it's probably being affected by something else. I'm not happy, but I just can't see any practical way of getting the cable to the room (and yes, drilling holes to my walls is not practical).

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, denco1 said:

Just a little update. I ended up with a D-link AV2 1000, which does not give me full speeds. It's much much slower, but it's still better than WiFi. Even though my wiring should be brand new, it's probably being affected by something else. I'm not happy, but I just can't see any practical way of getting the cable to the room (and yes, drilling holes to my walls is not practical).

Might not be.  Power line ethernet is by definition 2 wire.  It’s a much much older system and not that fast.  Latency should be low and consistent even if total bandwidth is not high

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

definition 2 wire.

3. Don’t forget the ground wire. The newer units can use all 3 wires, from what I have read. 

[Columbo]

7 hours ago, denco1 said:

Just a little update. I ended up with a D-link AV2 1000, which does not give me full speeds. It's much much slower, but it's still better than WiFi. Even though my wiring should be brand new, it's probably being affected by something else. I'm not happy, but I just can't see any practical way of getting the cable to the room (and yes, drilling holes to my walls is not practical).

I am a powerline expert. I have been using it for probably 10 years. The latest and outdated powerline is AV2000. I have AV1200 which is the same as AV2000. I get the maximum possible powerline speed via internet which is roughly 150-180mbps down and my upload is 40-45mbps. I can't say what the maximum upload speed is because I am limited to 40-45mbps. 

 

You have to make sure your wiring is correct. There are polarity plugs you can get at harbor freight for $5 to check your wiring. You do not want to mix brands or generation of boxes. I use only a two pack which is essentially one connection. When you start adding powerline adapters beyond that speeds can vary and conflicts could happen. 

 

The other option is MOCA which is currently version 2 that some say pushes 1gbps. That uses the unused cable lines instead of powerline aka electrical wires in the house. 

 

It would be nice if they would update powerline so that you can actually push 1gbps. Supposedly you can sling data between computers between 300-400mbps. But who does that? 

 

Most people buy powerline because their wifi sucks. Powerline is much better but can be worse depending on your situation. 

 

If you could run a speed test and show your results. I can tell you if there is room for improvement. Make sure you have a gigabit router/switch for your powerline. Otherwise you would have speeds below 100mbps.