Ethernet through POWERlines. It works....very well

This is a follow-up to the 802.11a thread from yesterday.

I decided to try the power line networking. I am driven by a need for instant gratification. As a result, I am up and running already.

I went with 3 Netgear XE602 powerline-to-ethernet bridges. I bought these Netgear ones for a couple reasons:

• There were 3 available at a Circuit City about an hour away. Every other CC in the area only had one in stock. CompUSA had them, but their return policy sucks and there was a good chance I would only be "trying" these things.
• The Netgears are best rated from the one halfway decent review.
• They require no software to be installed. It comes with a CD, but I didn't even open them.
• They use a 2-prong wall plug, not an AC adapter.
• They look damn sexy.

I initially only set up two of them. Without any configuration, I plugged each into the wall and then into a hub. I then renewed my IP on my machine. Magically it worked. It is astonishing to me how effective this solution is. It is literally a device that makes an RJ-45 port from an electrical outlet. It is amazing.

Then came the true test.... Windows file transfers. This was my main gripe about Wi-Fi. Without doing any real benchmarks, I am seeing very close to 10Mbps speed (pure estimation)! The files transfer very quickly and without hiccups. I then proceeded to re-arrange my network to fit in the 3rd XE602. This one is also hooked up to a hub and works just the same as the first two! Why is this technology not very popular? This is some very cool sh*t!!!!!!

So, here are the pros and cons as I see it:

Pros:

• 10 BaseT speeds without running Cat5
• Easy set up with no software to load
• Affordable
• Resilient. I have two air conditioners running, one 220v and one 110v. They don't seem to be affecting the powerline network at all.

Cons:

• Ethernet port on XE602 device is 10Mbit half duplex only. Speed advertised on box as 14Mbit.
• Security. All my neighbor has to do is get one of these and they can mooch my internet. They would also be on the same network as me... if they even know what a network is outside of AOL.
• There will probably be a faster version in a few months.

This post would probably be of much more interest on the RioReceiver BBS. If I had this instead of wireless, a lot of headaches would have been saved. I think I will cross-post in a bit...

In reply to:

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They look damn sexy.

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I dunno, I've got to say I'm much more of a fan of the real metal blue boxes netgear stuff usualy comes in... They're half the reason I buy netgear...

Matthew

It's good that it works for you, but, in many cases, you'd end up plugging them into different electrical circuits and they would have no common path. I'll bet that a single circuit breaker in your home controls all three devices, right?

Plus, I've heard that there can be problems with crappy power.

Ethernet port on XE602 device is 10Mbit half duplex only. Speed advertised on box as 14Mbi.t

On the assumption that you're also using a NetGear ethernet card... the ones I've seen switch speeds. So if they can't get 100, they lock at 10 and won't go higher even if the ability is there.

Just a guess, though.

According to the website, it says it works across circuit breakers and multiple phases. It also has the magic words "up to" in front of the 14Mbs.

veeeery interesting. Thanks for posting the review... i'm now rethinking the wireless idea for my new apartment. This is way cheaper.

They probably suffer from very similar issues to X10 stuff:

Reliability in larger houses - especially across phases.
Reliability when used with surge protectors.
Security.

But that also means that the same solutions might work:

Phase coupler in the fuse box.
Judicious use of surge protection. (if indeed this does turn out to be an issue).
Powerline filter at the main breaker to stop signals entering and exiting via the main service lines.

You also have to be careful about interference from other appliances. Apparently the Rio Receiver PSU totally kills X10 signals. No idea if it would affect the powerline network gear though

- Trevor

Due to your praise of the product I would assume that you are satisfied and will be keeping them, so it shouldn't be a problem, but I just wanted to warn you: around here (Chicago) all the Circuit City stores that I have been to charge a 15% restocking fee on the return of any computer related items. I too always try things out before making a final decision, and I got stung thinking that CC had a similar return policy to Best Buy.

Good Guys is the best for returning things, but then again they dont do computer stuff

Before this thread gets too old, I think I should update my findings with the powerline networking. I ran into a snag that I hadn't noticed at first. This snag existed with my Orinoco Ethernet Converter as well. Basically, plugging a hub into the powerline ethernet bridge doesn't allow you to reliably access all devices on the hub. I contemplated installing a router, but I ultimately decided against it.

Instead, I installed a 802.11a access point. Here's a nifty diagram of my network that I made in MS Paint:



The 802.11a is great! It feels like I'm wired to the network. Transferring MP3s over it seems 3-4 times as fast as the powerline. 802.11a versus 802.11b is night and day. It's simply killer.

Nice diagram. 802.11a is probably in the near future for my network as well. Which AP did you end up going with?

Thanks for the compliment. I never knew I could be so artistic! I am using a D-Link DWL-5000AP for the access point and DWL-A520 on my PC.

I forgot to mention why my DSL modem is located in my bedroom. Sadly, the jack in my bedroom is the main jack from which all other jacks in the apartment split off of. It gives the best reliability, so I gotta go with what works. Oh yeah, the other 7 units in my building have their phone wires behind my jack. I don't think that's too safe.

As long as there is still interest.... Here's some insight into how the early 20s geek bachelor lives. No entertainment center would be complete without a networked printer. Audio rack top to bottom: Sony SAT-T60 hacked TiVo, Turtle Beach Audiotron, JVC 7 Disc prgressive scan DVD, Sony STR-DB1070 receiver, Sony VHS, APC UPS, Via Eden platform server in black case.

The money shot....

No problem. It's always nice to see someone discover the wonders of MS Paint.

The DWL-5000AP seems nice; the price isn't bad either. I still think 802.11a is a little young; I'm going to give it another 3-4 months and see where it is near the end of the year. Maybe 802.11g will be out soon, from what Tom said - it seems promising. Knowing myself though, I’ll probably not take my own advice and end up getting an 802.11a AP soon.

As for your DSL being in the bedroom – I understand. I have the same problem here. There is really only one jack in the whole house that it is reliable and maintains high-speed. Just by going to the next room over I lose 30% of the bandwidth. Hell, even moving the DSL modem around in my room trying to get it away from interference really makes a difference. I had it on top of a computer for a while and could only get 60k/s or so, and as soon as I put it up in the rack, I always got 155-160k/s. <shrug> So that’s where it stays.

My main problem with 802.11g is that it runs on 2.4GHz. That is one of the reasons I got away from 802.11b for my main machine. Someone in the building would pick up a phone or heat a burrito (usually me) and the connection would hiccup or die.

True. I get that every so often with my laptop (usually when my sister gets on the phone). Although, it doesn't happen often enough to make me not want to use it. Having more than one wap on different channels probably has something to do with it.

> Here's some insight into how the early 20s geek bachelor lives.

That can't be typical. Where is the dirty laundry and pizza boxes all over floor....You place is way too clean.

Nice TiVo plush doll...

:-)

"Geeks" are very often neat freaks.