200 mbps Homeplugs setup issue - stuck at 100mpbs

AnimalHungry

Standard Member
Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Points
7
I've just got the Devolo 200mpbs homeplugs starter kit with an extra homeplug. The idea is I'm going to connect my PC, router and EVA8000 (when it arrives in a few days time) so I can stream HD from PC to EVA8000.

I've plugged in the homeplugs for the PC and the router direct into the mains wall sockets. They connected instantly and I set up an encryption password for them. However, when I look at my connection speed in the XP system tray (when I hover over the Local Area Connection icon) it's saying I'm connected at only 100mbps. The ethernet cable from the homeplug is plugged in to the ethernet port on the back of my motherboard, an MSI K9N SLI Platinum which has an onboard 10/100/1000 NIC. What do I need to do to get a 200mps connection between my homeplugs? I want it as fast as possible so I can stream HD video files when the EVA8000 arrives.

All ideas gratefully received.

Cheers
Simon
 
100mbps is plenty for streaming HD video so don't worry if you don't get to the bottom of it, should still work fine
 
I have four systems connected with 85mbps Devolo's and the most I have ever seen is 50 mbps.
 
Thanks guys, it's cool that 100mpbs will work to stream HD, but I want to understand why my network connection is only saying 100mpbs. I paid the extra for the 200mbps homeplugs and want to get 200mpbs out of them (or at least no be capped at 100mpbs). Also, what if I want to stream an HD video to my TV and also stream something else or move files over the network. Having the extra headroom in speed will just make the whole network more stable.

With it being stuck on 100mbps it looks like there's some part of my setup limiting the speed, rather than just the natural limit of the mains cabling in my flat.

Simon
 
I think 200Mbps is a bit of marketing. They can probably get it in a lab under ideal conditions, but I don't think it's real world.

This is similar to ethernet - a 100Mbps network probably doesn't get much above 80Mbps in the real world.
 
OK, I think I might have worked it out. The network connection icon in the system tray is showing 100mpbs because that is the connection between my PC and my router, which has a 10/100 mbps ethernet switch in it. Therefore the connection is never going to be any faster than 100mpbs when connected to only the router.

The litmus test will be when I connect the EVA8000 to the network via a third homeplug and see what speed that gets. Presumably the data will not have to pass through the router but will go directly from the PC to the EVA8000 via the homeplugs?

Simon
 
The litmus test will be when I connect the EVA8000 to the network via a third homeplug and see what speed that gets. Presumably the data will not have to pass through the router but will go directly from the PC to the EVA8000 via the homeplugs?

Simon
Yes but the EVA8000 only supports 10/100 Mbps Ethernet so you'll never get 200Mbps connection!
 
200Mbps is the raw physical layer data rate. In powerline modems such as yours, there is plenty of physical layer overhead. For example the forward-error-correction overhead can eat 30% of the bandwidth. This is all even before you have your normal layer 2/3 network overheads.

The Devolo modems are shipped with 100Mbps Ethernet Interfaces. There are not many consumer devices with 1Gbps Ethernet yet.

At the UDP layer (i.e. user level) under ideal conditions you can expect 70-80Mbps. In my house with a long distance between modems and old wiring I am getting 35Mbps. This is still enough for HD TV.
 
Thanks guys. So is it the case that the Devolo 200mbps homeplugs can only ever transfer data at a maximum of 100mpbs anyway (ignoreing overheads for a minute)? In which case how on earth are they allowed to state 200mbps connection speeds?

Since the EVA8000 is limited to 100mbps then it doesn't matter if the homeplugs could trasfer data at 200mbps, unless of course I wanted to transfer multiple streams of data to different devices which at the minute isn't very likely.

I still feel a bit cheated that the homeplugs say 200mbps on the box but I can;t get a connection speed of 200mbps though (assuming of course that the EVA8000 or my router supported such speeds).

Simon
 
Devolo rate them around 80-90 mbps after overhead. They do provide 200mbps, just not as measured as useable throughput by most users :thumbsdow

Like many computer products (ADSL, wireless, hard disks) we're sold on a specification based on smoke and mirrors. To be fair, there are many layers at which the bandwidth could be measured, but they do seem to pick the numbers that look good, rather than those that might be meaningful at first glance to most consumers.

As always, buyer beware !
 
Thanks cwick. That sounds about right. Just frustrating when you don't know any better. At least my 200mbps homeplugs should be faster than a set of 100mbps homeplugs :rolleyes:

Simon
 
all the above is spot on - I work in the network industry and all network topologies since day 1 have always been quoted as the physical later data rates.

The reason being is that the actual throughput of data at the other layers can vary wildy depending on the upper layer protocols and the overhead they add.

100Mbps ethernet dosent actually give you 100Mbps of real data throughput either ...what has brought this to light in recent years was 802.11 wireless networks ...there was even a class action lawsuit in the USA (typical) blaming manufacturers for mis-selling stuff with 54Mbps etc on the box (note how all manufacturers have small print now that says this can vary)

basically ethernet is about 95% efficient, whereas 802.11 wireless is about 50% (due to protocol overhead) ...the same goes for Powerline ethernet adapters - they are about 40-50% efficient dependant on which chipset is used (generally Intellon or DS2)

so the best you will get from 200Mbps powerline ethernet bridges is about 80-90Mbps ...less if you have long distances and interference to deal with

to get the best out of them, make sure you dont plug them into any powerstrips (direct into a wall socket) and try not to plug any "noisy" devices in next to them - hairdryers, switched power supplys (mobile phone chargers etc) and halogen lamps are particularly bad.

The technology itself is designed to deal with noise and maintain a signal, however there will be degradation in throughput

cheers
bogie
 
What is the minimum mbps for HD streaming to be effective?

Some Blu-Ray titles need up to 36Mb/s, HD-DVD is usually slower at up to 25Mb/s.

My 100Mb/s wired network struggles with the higher rate Blu-Rays (Starship Troopers), but has no problem with the HD-DVDs.
You might be better off with a portable USB hard drive like a Western Digital Mybook.
 
Depends what format the HD material is in, if it's MPEG2 then up to 40Mb/s, if it's MPEG4 (H264/AVC/WMVHD) then 20Mb/s should be more than adequate
 
Some Blu-Ray titles need up to 36Mb/s, HD-DVD is usually slower at up to 25Mb/s.

My 100Mb/s wired network struggles with the higher rate Blu-Rays (Starship Troopers), but has no problem with the HD-DVDs.
You might be better off with a portable USB hard drive like a Western Digital Mybook.

Hi my computer has the older style usb port, would that still be greater than 36mbps?
I get my TVIX 4100 tomorrow, and I have 200meg devolo plug ins, what do you recommend for my best streaming options...thanks.
 
USB 1.0 is 12Mbps so not ideal....

You can buy add on cards for PC or laptop that are relatively inexpensive... worth doing if you plan on using such a device.
 
Why dont you run the devolo informer utility provided mate, that will tell you what the plugs are doing across the grid. Mine shows (right now) 136 upstream and 97 mbps downstream from the AV200 set up i have.

Cheers

S
 
Why dont you run the devolo informer utility provided mate, that will tell you what the plugs are doing across the grid. Mine shows (right now) 136 upstream and 97 mbps downstream from the AV200 set up i have.

Cheers

S

Thanks Sunil. It's hard to believe, but the Devolo informer app is saying I have 186Mbps upstream and 196Mbps downstream! Yee-haaaa! I'm in a block of flats and the homeplugs are about 5 feet away each side of a wall.

Simon
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom