Question Internet link dropping through Devolo dLAN 500 but router connected and active

Fellwalker

Standard Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2007
Messages
9
Reaction score
6
Points
2
I have a pair of Devolo dLAN adapters. One is next to the router (BT homehub 6) in a wall mains socket connected with an ethernet cable. The other is a triple, again connected to a mains wall socket, behind the TV and connected using ethernet to the TV, the youview box and the dvd player.

From time to time while watching BBC iPlayer or amazon prime, the programme stops and eventually a message says the Internet has been lost. But a speed check from my mobile connected via WiFi shows it is still up and running, at around 50 Mbps down and 18 up. The router shows connected - in the management screen it still shows the TV and youview boxes. But they can't see the Internet.

Is this a common problem with Powerline networking? I've not found any posts with this particular problem, either here or on other forums. It was a minor inconvenience before, but now that we are at home so much and watching more through the Internet, it is happening at least once a day, a real pain. It takes 5 to 10 minutes for the connection to reappear.

So far as I can tell the adaptors have the latest firmware. The sockets are the original ones, not extensions. The house is about 30 years old so it isn't obsolete wiring.

Is there a way to fix this?

Are devolo magic devices more reliable (they use a different system altogether)?

The TV etc is basically at the opposite corner of the house to the router so does not get a strong enough WiFi signal. I went wired rather than WiFi extender so I didn't clutter the WiFi, but would I be better with a BT whole home set up?
 
Don't take any notice of what devices your router shows as being "connected:"

In LAN's, devices are not in any meaningful way "connected" to a router. About the only thing the router status is good for is showing whether the ISP link is up of down, what speed it's synching a and maybe whether the Wi-Fi radios are on or off.

Data travels around networks in discrete little units called "packets" like letter in the post. Routers are like the sorting offices, processing any packets they happen to receive and forwarding them towards their intended destination. Just as you don't need to be "connected" to you local postal sorting office in order for it to process mail to/from you,, routers are not "connected" to their client device beyond the physical connections.

Without knowing why your HomePlug liks are dropping, there's no way to advise as to how to fix it. HomePlugs are relying on an underlying technology that was never designed for high frequency, high quality data signalling and unfortunately it can be fickle.

BT "whole home" and other such "mesh" and magical Wi-Fi voodoo are using exactly the same radio signals as client devices, so in and of themselves they are no silver bullet guaranteed to work well in all situation. To get the best out of such solutions, you need to experiment a bit with where best to place the discs to get the best "disc-to-disc" signalling conditions and provide good signalling for the client devices in the poor coverage areas. Depending on the radio channels plan used, bouncing traffic around multiple discs between client and the rest of the (wired) network could even be slower.

It's still the case that the fastest most reliable data networking is using "proper" wired ethernet. Everything else, despite all their cleverness, is less good.

There's an FAQ about HomePlugs pinned in this forum. I haven't read it in years, but maybe it has some suggestions on how to diagnose issues with HomePlugs.
 
Thanks. I had read that pinned post, but it didn't mention homeplugs dropping connections.

I wish my wife would let me run ethernet. Before homeplug, when I wanted to use my laptop downstairs in the lounge, I used to use a 15 metre cable that I unrolled down the stairs - but only when she was out!
 
How old are the plugs? I found that my Develo ones lasted about two or three years befreo teh connection became to intermittant to use, same symptoms as yuo mention.
I reaplced them and the issue went away. I think that, because they get warm over time, that they have a finite lifespan.
 
That could be it. The original one was bought in 2013 as part of a set including a wifi extender. That is apparently very soon after they were introduced.
A couple of weeks ago the devolo cockpit advised that there was an update to the wifi device. The update bricked it. The triple is only a couple of years old.
Tuesday I ordered a new devolo dLAN 550 duo+ with pass through socket to replace the base dLAN 500. I also spoke to devolo who suggested that having my router powered through that new pass-through rather than a nearby socket has been known to cure drop outs.
We shall see.
 
Hey Fellwalker , did you have any luck trying to sort this one out?

I have the devolo dLAN 500 duo+ since 2018 and am observing similar dropouts.
The device is basically unusable , drops out after ~10min everytime i reset the adaptor.

Dropouts do seem to get more frequent now, after severe use during corona.
The socket adaptor is very warm all the time , I also wonder if the electronics used are rated for long term high temp. use.

You were advised to plug in the modem power supply to the socket in the Devolo base station? Please let me know if you could resolve it in any way. I'm trying to avoid having to buy a mesh router , and creating more e-waste.
 
Hey Fellwalker , did you have any luck trying to sort this one out?

I have the devolo dLAN 500 duo+ since 2018 and am observing similar dropouts.
The device is basically unusable , drops out after ~10min everytime i reset the adaptor.

Dropouts do seem to get more frequent now, after severe use during corona.
The socket adaptor is very warm all the time , I also wonder if the electronics used are rated for long term high temp. use.

You were advised to plug in the modem power supply to the socket in the Devolo base station? Please let me know if you could resolve it in any way. I'm trying to avoid having to buy a mesh router , and creating more e-waste.
Sorry I didn't get notified of your post. I found it because I was searching for an alternative solution !

The old 500 series used to drop out daily - never as frequently as yours.

The new dlan 550 pair worked without dropouts until about a month ago. We're getting freezes now every 4 to 7 days. Each time the powerline system loses the Internet, though the WiFi from the router is still fine. I can connect with the WiFi on the devolo d550 device but it shows as "connected without Internet". The lights on the dlan all stay on and don't suggest any problem. It is astoundingly frustrating.

As an alternative I tried the BT Whole Home WiFi premium system, which worked well for a day. Thereafter it worked for less and less time before cutting the full Internet, not just that which came through the whole home system. BT second level support couldn't find out what was going on. After 2 months I gave up and was luckily able to return it for a refund.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom