'Powerline' mains plug adaptors

[Horse]

'Powerline' mains plug adaptors

Do these jobbies all work on the same 'frequency'? ie Will one type sync/match/recognise another brand?

I have, supplied with the BT box, two 'Simpler Networks' 200mbps plugs and need two that work with them.

Or am I better off buying four that match?

Or running another cable from the router and getting a set of three?

Ta

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

As far as I know, different makes don't work with each other, they use proprietary protocols, I don't think there's an IEEE standard for them.

The BT ones are good, get two more the same as the ones you've got.

They do seem to work worse with time, and how well they work depends on the quality and distance of your electrical wiring.

They work like wireless devices, the problem with this is, if you have one that works badly, it makes all of them work badly.

[Horse]

Looks like the pair I have are obsolete, so a new set of four (router, tv box, then two new for connecting to laptops) will be needed.

Edit: house completely rewired to latest (then) standards 22 years ago (it was used as an 'exam piece' by the electrician and inspected, so should be ok!).

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If you're buying new the Devolo ones are the best I've used and have a really nice admin application that shows you how well they're working, but you probably won't need something that expensive if your wiring is good.

[Horse]

If you're buying new the Devolo ones are the best I've used and have a really nice admin application that shows you how well they're working, but you probably won't need something that expensive if your wiring is good.

'Admin'?

I'll need plug & play (well, work)

[Horse]

Boing!

Ok, Filly is now demanding (nicely, of course) an Internet connection that won't drop out [According to her employer's IT department, my laptop is - somehow, I wasn't there during the last of many calls - hogging the WiFi]

A couple of experiments later, using a several metres long cable direct from the router (across the hall, up the stairs, across the landing ... ) to her laptop.

So, JB recommended Develo - but instantly got scary with talk of 'admin application.

Any recommendations for fit and forget plugsthings?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The Devolos are fit and forget, but they have an admin app if you want to use it.

But BT powerline work well and are sensibly priced, most of how well they work is determined by what your house electrics are like as they work by running radio frequency over your mains wiring.

[wheelnut]

These will do, just plug them in.

Generally best if they’re not plugged into extension leads, definitely not into a surge protected extension.

As has been said, it all depends on your electrical system.

[Skub]

I miss Julian Boolean,he was a cool fella.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I miss Julian Boolean,he was a cool fella.

Nah, he was a total knob, the big cheese is far cooler.

[Rockburner]

I've just bought a set of TP Link powerline plugs, the AC1200 pair, to go with a TPLink 4g router and they seem to work very well. The "other end" plug has 3 network sockets so it's also a small network switch, you'd only need 1 plug for any 3 non-wifi devices close together. (Ie your tv and box).
Also i can buy extra "other end" plugs and extend the network if i need to. Very easy to setup.

[iansoady]

In our previous house we had a wired ethernet system which was brilliant. I didn't want to drill holes in the ceiling sof our present place (a bungalow) so went for the TP link option. This is OK most of the time but does drop out occasionally - usually on my computer which is a pain. I've found that wifi although very slightly slower is more reliable. We're still on old style copper connection at about 18Mb/s download speed which is quite fast enough for everything we need including zoom.

[Horse]

This is OK most of the time but does drop out occasionally - usually on my computer which is a pain. I've found that wifi although very slightly slower is more reliable.

Filly's IT claim that the problem is my laptop hogging the WiFi. Unfortunately, when the connection goes for her, it goes completely - not ideal if she's delivering an online training session to several other sites. Since using a cable direct from the router, she has suffered no issues.

Potentially, Foal will move back home in August. That will mean three of us WfHome ...

[Rockburner]

In our previous house we had a wired ethernet system which was brilliant. I didn't want to drill holes in the ceiling sof our present place (a bungalow) so went for the TP link option. This is OK most of the time but does drop out occasionally - usually on my computer which is a pain. I've found that wifi although very slightly slower is more reliable. We're still on old style copper connection at about 18Mb/s download speed which is quite fast enough for everything we need including zoom.

We're something like 4km from the nearest cabinets (right between the two nearest) so the copper connection can only give us a max of about 15Mbps, and more likely to be less than 10Mpbs consistently; which is why we went for the 4G router, there's a couple of masts across the fields only a km or so away. I've been playing with it's location in the house and managed to get up to 55Mbps download speed on occasion, with about 28 up. That's far better than wired and enough for both of us to be on Teams calls at the same time (we're both working from home).

[Rockburner]

This is OK most of the time but does drop out occasionally - usually on my computer which is a pain. I've found that wifi although very slightly slower is more reliable.

Filly's IT claim that the problem is my laptop hogging the WiFi. Unfortunately, when the connection goes for her, it goes completely - not ideal if she's delivering an online training session to several other sites. Since using a cable direct from the router, she has suffered no issues.

Potentially, Foal will move back home in August. That will mean three of us WfHome ...

What's the wifi router and how old is it? the wifi gear you get from BT or Virgin (ie the default one from your bb provider) are not exactly the best quality......

[Horse]

It's a BT Homehub ... not sure which version. 4 rings a bell. They sent a new one within the last year or so.

Google images shows 4 and 5 as identical ...

[Rockburner]

It's a BT Homehub ... not sure which version. 4 rings a bell. They sent a new one within the last year or so.

Google images shows 4 and 5 as identical ...

IIRC BT make a lot of promises about 'whole-house' wifi with their own range extenders (which I think are wifi-repeaters* rather than powerline units), so you could get in touch with them and make a song and dance about it.....




* IE they receive the wifi signal from the original router, and then broadcast their own wifi signal with the same details and credentials as the original signal, thus creating a 'mesh' network: multiple wifi broadcast signals that the phone/laptop can latch onto, all with the same credentials.
Powerline plugs do the same thing - but they transmit and receive the signal through the mains circuitry and can therefore have greater range (a wifi extender is dependant on the original wifi signal being 'reasonable' at the location the repeater is placed), but they can get signal interference (hence they need to be plugged directly to the wall socket, not an extension or through a surge protector etc).

[Horse]

IIRC BT make a lot of promises about 'whole-house' wifi with their own range extenders (which I think are wifi-repeaters* rather than powerline units), so you could get in touch with them and make a song and dance about it.....

I think I looked into that before they replaced the Hub - and it wasn't free (at least, not for our circumstances.

[Felix]

Tell BT yours are buggered. Just did this with a friend and they sent her two new ones out free of charge.

[Count Steer]

Just noticed something I connected some time ago. A Netgear booster plug thingummy. It's got a couple of little aerials on, picks up the wi-fi signal and retransmits with a slightly different ID. It sits
indoors on the bedroom window ledge and gives a decent signal in the cabin ~ 20 yards away.