[trackbikes]

On a whim I went and checked the fuse box.. it looks like a surge protector is inserted in the fuse box.

I assume thats why they aren't working..

[graystreet]

Does it actually say it's a Surge protector on the device? I would have thought it was more likely to be an RCD which protects against electric shock.

If it is an RCD then my Fusebox has one and Homeplugs work fine.

[trackbikes]

Originally Posted by graystreet

Does it actually say it's a Surge protector on the device? I would have thought it was more likely to be an RCD which protects against electric shock.

If it is an RCD then my Fusebox has one and Homeplugs work fine.

No it's definitely a surge protector, i've been to the manufacturers website.

[Sniper Ash6]

thats a shame you cant get them to work coz they work extremely well for me (thanks gray)

[SimonH]

Quick question.

Instead of plugging your xbox/pc whatever into your homeplug, can you plug a cat 6 ethernet switch into a home plug and then plug numerous network devices into the switch ?

So one homeplug is then giving network connectivity to numerous devices.

[graystreet]

Yep no problem, exactly what I've done in the kids' bedrooms

[SimonH]

Originally Posted by graystreet

Yep no problem, exactly what I've done in the kids' bedrooms

Awesome, in that case, homeplugs are seeming like an incredibly good option versus wireless, so 1x £10 ether switch + 4 patch cables and I'll have my Xbox/HTPC/PS3/Denon Amp all connected "physically" to the network.

Not bad at all, considering my Xbox wireless adapator has died and it's over £60 to replace.

Starting to be a bit of a no brainer actually.

Any advice on min spec etherswitch ?

[graystreet]

As far as a switch goes, I'd go for a Gaiagbit switch if funds allow, the PS3 has gigabit connectivity so if you upgrade your network in the future you're future proofed. There are cheaper ones but I'm using 2 of these I've been using them for many months now and they work flawlessly.

For Homeplugs, I can recommend these Homeplugs. This Scan deal is crazy cheap

[SimonH]

Originally Posted by graystreet

As far as a switch goes, I'd go for a Gaiagbit switch if funds allow, the PS3 has gigabit connectivity so if you upgrade your network in the future you're future proofed. There are cheaper ones but I'm using 2 of these I've been using them for many months now and they work flawlessly.

For Homeplugs, I can recommend these Homeplugs. This Scan deal is crazy cheap

Blinkin marvelous - cheers.

[Sniper Ash6]

Originally Posted by graystreet

As far as a switch goes, I'd go for a Gaiagbit switch if funds allow, the PS3 has gigabit connectivity so if you upgrade your network in the future you're future proofed. There are cheaper ones but I'm using 2 of these I've been using them for many months now and they work flawlessly.

For Homeplugs, I can recommend these Homeplugs. This Scan deal is crazy cheap

i second those HPs they are awesome and a gigbt switch is worth it

[samhain]

I just spent £100 on 200mbps home plugs Advent and I cannot get any kind of performance. I am connecting to an XBOX 360 but the connection is no better than wireless. Can anyone give me a clue as to what I might be doing wrong.

It works just not very well, was expecting no drop outs on Vista exxtender but it does

Thanks

[Sniper Ash6]

check the ethernet cables you are using are not only 100mbps ones

check that neither HP is plugged into a surge protected socket or extension lead

i cant think of anymore right now but im sure someone will come on with more soon

[samhain]

Originally Posted by Sniper Ash6

check the ethernet cables you are using are not only 100mbps ones

check that neither HP is plugged into a surge protected socket or extension lead

i cant think of anymore right now but im sure someone will come on with more soon

Thanks I will check. I didn't realise there were ethernet cables above 100mbs a link would be very useful and most appreciated

[graystreet]

Most patch cables "should" work at 1Gbps speed, although recent postings on this forum suggest otherwise, I've personally had no such problems with patch cables.

But the Xbox360 has only got a 100Mbps network interface anyway so I doubt that's the cause of your problem. What SA6 has already suggested regarding plugging the adaptors directly into wall sockets where possible and if not possible, not to use a surge protected extensions and to make any extension cables as short as possible is good advice.

Homeplugs are also affected by the quality of your mains wiring, if your house is old and has not been re-wired you could encounter performance issues. Also noise on the mains supply will have a detrimental effect on them. Some major causes of mains noise are mobile chargers, exercise machines if they're mains powered and, although I haven't proved this, I believe flashing Christmas lights can also introduce mains interference, expecially the LED types with plug in mains transformers. If you have any of these devices in your house it could be worth unplugging them and see if it helps.

There was a post on here many moons ago by a chap who'd gone round all of his mains sockets and tightened the connections inside the sockets and improved his connection. This is obviously a major thing to try and. if you do try it, then obviously turn the mains power off at the consumer unit first. But if you have any doubts at all about doing it then DO NOT try it.

Homeplugs, IMO, are better than a wireless connection for most circumstances. There may be some instances where Wireless gives a better connection, especially if your house wiring is old. Without a doubt though, if you're able to run a cable directly from your router to your Xbox, then that is the way to go.

[graham.myers]

Originally Posted by graystreet

There was a post on here many moons ago by a chap who'd gone round all of his mains sockets and tightened the connections inside the sockets and improved his connection. This is obviously a major thing to try and. if you do try it, then obviously turn the mains power off at the consumer unit first. But if you have any doubts at all about doing it then DO NOT try it.

That was me

It certainly helped. Also double check the kit you have plugged into the mains. Items that have a transformer to change the 240 AC to 12v DC for example phone chargers etc will play havoc with the homeplugs.

unplug them and see if the mains improves.

[graystreet]

Originally Posted by graham.myers

That was me

I thought it was, but I couldn't find the post

[spaceman763]

Over the past couple of days I've been trying to set my PS3 up to stream HD media from my PC wirelessly. Needless to say the choppy stream and lack of FF/FR abilities now means I need to find an alternative solution. Stumbled across this thread and I was wondering if someone could kindly give me some advice to see whether homplugs are viable for me.

I basically have a home network as follows:

Old PC (1) in basement which holds old my old files => Ethernet connection to router
PC (2) on the ground holding HD files => Ethernet connection to router
PS3 in loft => Wireless connection to router

I only stream from PC (2) as this is okay-ish spec and can handle Tversity and WMP11 effortlessly.

From what I've read, am I right in thinking I connect a homeplug directly to the router (Sky Sagem) and another upstairs in the loft connected to the PS3? The homeplug acts a 'virual wire' from the loft, through the power cables into the router and on to my network?

If the above is correct:

1. Do i need special ethernet cables to handle the extra data transfer?

2. Do I need a Gigabit Switch which I saw linked to on another thread or will my Sky Sagem modem / router do?

EDIT: Just checked PC NIC and it is only 10/100 so I take it a Gigabit switch is pointless?

3. Will i be able to FF/FR HD files even when streaming if I use homeplugs?

4. Last question, any recommendations for the best place to buy the equipment I need?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this far. I will use the thanks button to show my gratitude for anyone answering my queries.

Cheers
_________

[Nabs]

Does the use of home plus cause interference with other av equipment, and if so would a mains filter be recommended for av equipment in an alternative socket?

[graystreet]

Originally Posted by spaceman763

If the above is correct:

1. Do i need special ethernet cables to handle the extra data transfer?

2. Do I need a Gigabit Switch which I saw linked to on another thread or will my Sky Sagem modem / router do?

EDIT: Just checked PC NIC and it is only 10/100 so I take it a Gigabit switch is pointless?

3. Will i be able to FF/FR HD files even when streaming if I use homeplugs?

4. Last question, any recommendations for the best place to buy the equipment I need?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this far. I will use the thanks button to show my gratitude for anyone answering my queries.

Cheers
_________

I'll try to answer as best I can with a Caveat at the end

1) No, Any patch cable will carry the data at 100Mbps.

2) If you have no plans to upgrade your PC NICs to Gigabit then, yes a Gigabit switch is pointless. A 100Mbps switch may slightly improve your connection speed however. If you got a 100Mbps switch, plugged both PCs into it with a single cable to the router for internet connectivity the PCs would communicate via the switch, by-passing the router. So if you plugged your Homeplug into the switch as well it too would communicate with the PCs without having to go via the router.

3) It depends...I'm running a PS3 on a Gigabit network from a QNAP NAS and recently had a try at streaming a 720p .vob file ( it came down as an mkv file so I had to convert it to vob for the PS3 to see it ). It played fine, would Fast forward but I couldn't, for the life of me, get it for Fast rewind. I suspect this is a limitation of the PS3 but it wasn't a major issue to me so I didn't investigate if further.

4) Scan is as good a place as any to buy stuff from. They've got Zyxel PLA-401 200 Mbps Homeplugs for a little under £50 at the mo'. I've used these and can recommend them.

Now the Caveat:

Homeplug performance is dependent on the quality of your mains wiring. Any sources of interference ( mobile phone chargers, flashing Xmas tree lights etc., ) will all degrade their performance. The only way to find out if they'll help in your situation is to try them. In the vast majority of circumstances you will get better performance from HPs compared to wireless. How much better is, as I've said, dependent on the quality of your mains wiring.

If there is any way you can run a cable to the loft from the router this is by far and away the best solution but not always practical.

Sorry to have gone on a bit, I wanted to cover it as thoroughly as I could. If any of the above isn't clear lemme know.

Forgot to say, get 200Mbps Homeplugs if you want to attempt HD streaming.

Cheers,

G

[graystreet]

Originally Posted by Nabs

Does the use of home plus cause interference with other av equipment, and if so would a mains filter be recommended for av equipment in an alternative socket?

Some have reported RFI using Comtrend Powerline adaptors. I've always used Zyxel Homeplugs and have noticed no interference at all.

[spaceman763]

Originally Posted by graystreet

I'll try to answer as best I can with a Caveat at the end

1) No, Any patch cable will carry the data at 100Mbps.

2) If you have no plans to upgrade your PC NICs to Gigabit then, yes a Gigabit switch is pointless. A 100Mbps switch may slightly improve your connection speed however. If you got a 100Mbps switch, plugged both PCs into it with a single cable to the router for internet connectivity the PCs would communicate via the switch, by-passing the router. So if you plugged your Homeplug into the switch as well it too would communicate with the PCs without having to go via the router.

3) It depends...I'm running a PS3 on a Gigabit network from a QNAP NAS and recently had a try at streaming a 720p .vob file ( it came down as an mkv file so I had to convert it to vob for the PS3 to see it ). It played fine, would Fast forward but I couldn't, for the life of me, get it for Fast rewind. I suspect this is a limitation of the PS3 but it wasn't a major issue to me so I didn't investigate if further.

4) Scan is as good a place as any to buy stuff from. They've got Zyxel PLA-401 200 Mbps Homeplugs for a little under £50 at the mo'. I've used these and can recommend them.

Now the Caveat:

Homeplug performance is dependent on the quality of your mains wiring. Any sources of interference ( mobile phone chargers, flashing Xmas tree lights etc., ) will all degrade their performance. The only way to find out if they'll help in your situation is to try them. In the vast majority of circumstances you will get better performance from HPs compared to wireless. How much better is, as I've said, dependent on the quality of your mains wiring.

If there is any way you can run a cable to the loft from the router this is by far and away the best solution but not always practical.

Sorry to have gone on a bit, I wanted to cover it as thoroughly as I could. If any of the above isn't clear lemme know.

Forgot to say, get 200Mbps Homeplugs if you want to attempt HD streaming.

Cheers,

G

Ta mate, excellent comprehensive post which has answered all my questions! Unfortunately, running a cable to the loft is a no go for the time being so it's got to be either a wireless or homeplug network. I am a bit worried about the quality of wiring in my house and the amount of load that is already on the track.

I'll order the 200Mbps homeplugs from Scan and if they are not satisfactory I'll either sell them on eBay or upgrade the NIC and get a Gigabit Switch wired as you suggested above.

Cheers

[johnavf]

Whole family have wireless laptops - is there such a thing has a wireless homeplug ie no need to to connect to final plug by cable - if so has anybody had any experince of them.

[graystreet]

It is indeed possible see here.

I've never used them however so hopefully somebody who has can comment

[johnavf]

Thanks - i should have looked

[samhain]

I had my doubts about this and problems, but running Media Centre through my XBOX 360 last night, the tuning meter said I can stream HD media easily. With the wireless connection, I was only showing stream performance to SD TV only but the bar now goes to the top with only slight fluctuations away from the very top.

[Sniper Ash6]

with the HPs and a gigbit switch between computer and 360 i can media center perfectly

tuning the network performance where you see the graph the connection cant possibly go any higher

thanks to Gray and all those that helped its great

[SuperMinko]

Originally Posted by graystreet

As far as a switch goes, I'd go for a Gaiagbit switch if funds allow, the PS3 has gigabit connectivity so if you upgrade your network in the future you're future proofed. There are cheaper ones but I'm using 2 of these I've been using them for many months now and they work flawlessly.

For Homeplugs, I can recommend these Homeplugs. This Scan deal is crazy cheap

Has anyone got a recommendation for which homeplugs to get?

I'm considering getting some 200Mbps HPs for my new rented flat. The only phoneline is in the kitchen, and I want to connect my pc (mainly used for gaming) via HPs in the spare bedroom. I also have the PS3, 360 and Wii in the lounge - will it be better to get a homeplug for them or continue to connect to them wirelessly (I don't often online game on them, just use them for browsing internet and downloading demos).

Is there anything else I can do to speed up the connection to my pc - I'm on bt broadband using homehub at the moment.

Cheers for any advice!

[Sniper Ash6]

its up to you whether you go HPs or wireless

with wireless do you flawlessly get a great connection and good good speeds otherwise go for the HPs as i ca vouch they are brilliant (i have the 200mbps ones)

[graystreet]

Presumably, as it's a rented flat, running cables is a no-no? That would be your best bet tbh.

Failing that Homeplugs,as you say, are a solution. Unfortunately Scan have stopped selling the PLA-401s for a silly price now but have these Linksys ones for a good price. I haven't used them personally so can't recommend them, perhaps someone who has used them can comment. I haven't heard anything negative about them however.

You can use HPs to connect your PC in the bedroom to your router. Homeplug performance is reliant on the quality of your mains wiring, also performance can take a hit if you use them via extension leads. Surge protected extension leads are the kiss of death to 200Mbps Homeplugs...! If you can plug them directly into mains sockets, and your mains is ok then performance should be fine for gaming.

As to your Consoles, if you're happy with how they're working with wireless then do you need to change to HPs? If you do, and assuming you can't run a cable from the spare bedroom to the lounge, you'd have to get a third Homeplug and a switch to split the network feed to all 3 consoles. This is easy with the PS3 and 360 as they've both got ethernet sockets already, you'll have to get an ethernet adaptor for the Wii.

Hope the above covers most things, post back if you've any more questions

[SuperMinko]

Many thanks graystreet and sniper. Until we've lived in the property for a while (and know we want to stay there for a while) I don't want the cost of laying cables - although I'm sure the landlord would be ok with it.

At the moment wireless is fine for the consoles, and I can always get another HP if I change my mind.

In our old property we had bt vision (with the powerline adapters). If we kept bt vision in the new place would the powerlines interfere with the HPs? It's not a big problem as we hardly ever use bt vision, but thought i'd check.

Cheers again