Multiple Powerline Adapters 1 Mb/s Help!

[Dougieman1001]

Hey there, got a problem that I'm not sure how to fix other than buy completely new gear...

So for a few years, I had been running 2 PC on powerline ethernet (different branded plugs) and was getting 14 Mb/s each PC (Yes I know it's slow and is killing me, fibre is coming soon apparently).

Recently, I added a third PC and powerline plug to my home and it has all messed up. 

Again, I bought a different brand plug as it was good value and all, plugged it in and bam! Literally no internet whatsoever. I did a speed test on my PC and I was getting about 1-2Mb/s, the other PC which was upstairs was getting around 10Mb/s as if it was hogging the speed >.> and the PC downstairs was getting around the same as mine. It gets weird when I unplug the PC which was 'hogging' all the internet and my speed doesn't change back. I have swapped all the plugs around to see if it makes a difference and it weirdly, different plugs gave different speeds, I.e. when I had the plug from downstairs in my PC, I got full speed and when the PC from downstairs had the plug which was 'hogging' the internet, the speed didn't change..

 

Anybody got any ideas why this is and what I could possibly do to cure it without spending a load of cash?

 

Cheers

[Donut417]

23 minutes ago, Dougieman1001 said:

different plugs gave different speeds

Power line adapters are distance limited. Meaning the further away points A and B are, the more crappy the connection will be. Also, the quality of the wiring could be a factor. Thirdly, power line adapters were originally created for 1 circuit. Now days they can cross breakers, but it will reduce the speeds. Fourth, the power company generally at least in the US brings power to the panel with two wires. One wire for each side of the panel. Meaning if one adapter is on side A and the other is on side B, the signal then has to travel out to the meter and back in to the house. So your pretty much screwed. You can try moving the adapters closer to each other. But other than that, I dont know what to say. 

 

At this point you might want to look in to WiFi. Or if your willing to spend the money look in to Moca or better yet, wiring up with Ethernet.  

[KarathKasun]

Also, if a plug uses a slightly different spec the other ones can operate very slowly.

[Dougieman1001]

7 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

 But other than that, I dont know what to say. 

 

Hmm okay.. I just dont understand how 2 adapters can work perfectly then when I add another to the network it all just goes no.. Would it make a difference that the one using all the speed is 'infront' of the circuit than my PC?

[KarathKasun]

Just now, Dougieman1001 said:

Hmm okay.. I just dont understand how 2 adapters can work perfectly then when I add another to the network it all just goes no.. Would it make a difference that the one using all the speed is 'infront' of the circuit than my PC?

Think of it like this, with powerline ethernet the communication happens in a similar way to a walkie-talkie or multiple phones on the same phone line.  All three devices have to share the bandwidth available.  If one of them uses a slightly different protocol it interferes with all the other devices.  If one device floods the network with data, the other devices will also slow down.

[Donut417]

36 minutes ago, Dougieman1001 said:

Hmm okay.. I just dont understand how 2 adapters can work perfectly then when I add another to the network it all just goes no.. Would it make a difference that the one using all the speed is 'infront' of the circuit than my PC?

No. My guess is its a distance or EMI thing. The fact is this, do you want speed? If so you need to look at other alternatives. Powerline adapters are not built for speed, but built more for reliability and stability. Moca adapters which use Coax can do 400-800 Mbps and co exist with cable providers signal, like power line adapters they have draw backs, they are  half duplex but they are generally much faster than power line. 

 

What your describing with your initial post is why I will never consider power line adapters. Because I know the wiring in the walls is not done 100% right. So my experience would be just as shitty. As @KarathKasun stated above, You need adapters that follow the same standard. Newer power line adapters use all 3 wires for data communication.  Which also means that all 3 wires need to be properly ran in your electrical system for it all to work.