Poweline Ethernet

Hi all,

has anyone here used / have experience with ethernet over powelines? I need
to set up a small LAN / workgroup in a UK domestic environment, such that
several machines can share a Telewest cable modem, and for various reasons
neither wireless networking nor running cat5 around the premises is viable.

I've already set up a router, cloned the MAC address etc, and that side of
things seems to work fine. But I need to get a connection to the router
through to an upstairs home office with the absolute minimum of internal
disruption - the hassle involved in running cat5 under carpets / through
ceilings etc just won't be acceptable in this particular environment. I was
about to invest in some outdoor-quality ethernet cable and run it up the
outside of the building, but I've just remembered about powline ethernet.

From the little research I've done so far it LOOKS as though it might be an
ideal solution in this case. I gather that it's limited to a max throughput
of 14Mbs, but that should be more than adequate to provide access to the 1Mb
broadband connection for the one or two machines lurking in the upstairs
office - file / printer sharing over the workgroup won't be an issue in this
scenario.

But before I go ahead and invest in the kit (reccomendations would be much
appreciated!) I thought I'd ask if anyone knows of any practical gotchas
that the sales blurb etc. doesn't mention?

The scheme I have in mind is as follows: Downstairs, cable modem hooked up
to a router, feeding one PC from the router's switch (already up and
running). An ethernet cable from the router's switch into a ethernet over
power adapter.

Upstairs, a second ethernet over power adapter, with a cable running to a 4
port switch, and from there ethernet cables going to the one or two machines
in the office.

Are there any flaws in this setup? Anthing that might interfere with it?
Anything at all I should know before I get into this?? One final point - how
does this technology get along with power extension cables / surge
protectors? The number of available power points in the building is somewhat
limited and extension cables / surge protectors are widely used there - will
that be likely to cause any problems?

TIA,

Rob Ashburn.

Viking Mail wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> has anyone here used / have experience with ethernet over powelines? I need
> to set up a small LAN / workgroup in a UK domestic environment, such that
> several machines can share a Telewest cable modem, and for various reasons
> neither wireless networking nor running cat5 around the premises is viable.
>
> I've already set up a router, cloned the MAC address etc, and that side of
> things seems to work fine. But I need to get a connection to the router
> through to an upstairs home office with the absolute minimum of internal
> disruption - the hassle involved in running cat5 under carpets / through
> ceilings etc just won't be acceptable in this particular environment. I was
> about to invest in some outdoor-quality ethernet cable and run it up the
> outside of the building, but I've just remembered about powline ethernet.
>
> From the little research I've done so far it LOOKS as though it might be an
> ideal solution in this case. I gather that it's limited to a max throughput
> of 14Mbs, but that should be more than adequate to provide access to the 1Mb
> broadband connection for the one or two machines lurking in the upstairs
> office - file / printer sharing over the workgroup won't be an issue in this
> scenario.
>
> But before I go ahead and invest in the kit (reccomendations would be much
> appreciated!) I thought I'd ask if anyone knows of any practical gotchas
> that the sales blurb etc. doesn't mention?
>
> The scheme I have in mind is as follows: Downstairs, cable modem hooked up
> to a router, feeding one PC from the router's switch (already up and
> running). An ethernet cable from the router's switch into a ethernet over
> power adapter.
>
> Upstairs, a second ethernet over power adapter, with a cable running to a 4
> port switch, and from there ethernet cables going to the one or two machines
> in the office.
>
> Are there any flaws in this setup? Anthing that might interfere with it?
> Anything at all I should know before I get into this?? One final point - how
> does this technology get along with power extension cables / surge
> protectors? The number of available power points in the building is somewhat
> limited and extension cables / surge protectors are widely used there - will
> that be likely to cause any problems?
>

I have exactly the scheme you propose in operation in a building from
ground floor to second floor (occupants of first floor will not let us
cable through it) and it works fine - using Devolo units. We put it in
to replace a flakey wireless network.

[Router -Devolo-powerline-Devolo-Switch-PCs]
4-way power strips do not seem to be a problem but dont know about
surge protectors.

I have also used the cheaper Homeplug brand from Dabs (1 of 4 was dead
on arrival) and they work OK as well. As long as the power points are
on a single phase, which they will be in a house, should work out of
the box.

JP

Viking Mail wrote:
> Hi all,
.....
>
> From the little research I've done so far it LOOKS as though it might be an
> ideal solution in this case. I gather that it's limited to a max throughput
> of 14Mbs, but that should be more than adequate to provide access to the 1Mb
> broadband connection for the one or two machines lurking in the upstairs
> office - file / printer sharing over the workgroup won't be an issue in this
> scenario.

Just to add there is a 'HighSpeed' 85Mbps version available and I
suspect the older 14Mbps version is being phased out - it is out of
stock in a number of on-line stores. I have only used the older version.

JP

wonder if you can use that systen if you are NTL cable customer ?

In article <rLt7f.11714$(E-Mail Removed)>,
Viking Mail <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>has anyone here used / have experience with ethernet over powelines? I need
>to set up a small LAN / workgroup in a UK domestic environment, such that
>several machines can share a Telewest cable modem, and for various reasons
>neither wireless networking nor running cat5 around the premises is viable.
>
>I've already set up a router, cloned the MAC address etc, and that side of
>things seems to work fine. But I need to get a connection to the router
>through to an upstairs home office with the absolute minimum of internal
>disruption - the hassle involved in running cat5 under carpets / through
>ceilings etc just won't be acceptable in this particular environment. I was
>about to invest in some outdoor-quality ethernet cable and run it up the
>outside of the building, but I've just remembered about powline ethernet.
>
>From the little research I've done so far it LOOKS as though it might be an
>ideal solution in this case. I gather that it's limited to a max throughput
>of 14Mbs, but that should be more than adequate to provide access to the 1Mb
>broadband connection for the one or two machines lurking in the upstairs
>office - file / printer sharing over the workgroup won't be an issue in this
>scenario.
>
>But before I go ahead and invest in the kit (reccomendations would be much
>appreciated!) I thought I'd ask if anyone knows of any practical gotchas
>that the sales blurb etc. doesn't mention?

The basic kit is half duplex. Essentially you are back to olde fashioned
10b2 or co-ax Ethernet.

Now, in a domestic setting thats unlikely to cause you problems. One
person downloading at full 10Mb/sec for an extended period of time may
well give problems for other users of the LAN, but thats probably not
likely to happen. In throughput terms, you'll get twice the oomph
as 801.11b WiFi. (Which is also half duplex)

I've setup one pair of these units and they did just plug and go. I had
to bridge some networking from a house to a barn on the same mains
phase. Don't plug the units into a filtered socket though! (ie. one
of those fancy extension leads with filters, etc. in them)

I got a pair of these:

http://www.eazynetworks.co.uk/product.php?sku=00001

Gordon

John, Gordon,

thanks for your quick responses - much appreciated. I think I'll have a
crack at the high speed variant of these things. I'll post back when I've
got it set up.

Rob.

"ted_radioham" <deletenospam--(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:aSu7f.11742$(E-Mail Removed)...
> wonder if you can use that systen if you are NTL cable customer ?

I'd think it would work just as well with NTL as it would with any other
broadband - the ethernet over power setup is on the LAN side of the router,
so it should be totally transparent to anything on the WAN side, be it NTL,
Telewest or anything else. I think! No doubt someone will correct me if I'm
wrong about that - at least, I hope they will because I'm an NTL user and
might well be tempted to give this a try on my own network at some stage if
it's successful.

Rob.

What is the chance of these working with a house a few doors down the
road? What is the range of these units?

Thanks


Matthew

Matt wrote:
> What is the chance of these working with a house a few doors down the
> road? What is the range of these units?

AIUI they won't work if the signal has to pass through an electricity
meter.

- Ian

--
Ian Chard, Unix & Network Administrator | E: (E-Mail Removed)
Systems and Electronic Resources Service | T: 80587 / (01865) 280587
Oxford University Library Services | F: (01865) 242287

In article <djnl0i$c5h$(E-Mail Removed)>,
Ian Chard <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Matt wrote:
>> What is the chance of these working with a house a few doors down the
>> road? What is the range of these units?
>
>AIUI they won't work if the signal has to pass through an electricity
>meter.

Ditto. Which is good and bad! Good in that if effectively isolates your
house network from your neighbours from a security point of view, and
bad if you want to share your network with your neighbours...

You can get meter bypass units - a friend investigated this for a
small residential home/guest house thing where each room had its own
meter, but it starts to get expensive then - and even then it relies
on the networks past the meter being on the same phase - you might find
houses are wired up on different phases as you go down the street...
(And although you can get phase couplers, it really does start to get
expensive then!)

Gordon