Which Home Plug to go for?

Phragzy

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I just moved in with my Grandad, he has a bungalow and my room is in the loft. He already has broadband so i set him up with my Netgear DG834G wireless modem so i could access the net. The problem is the signal is quite weak and playing games can be hit or miss. Downloading any type of media content on my laptop or xbox live is pretty much near impossibe (for your info i have the Wireless N Adapter).
I was looking at getting a N router to try and extend the range but then came across homeplugs and well am quite interested in them as this will ensure i have a good connection to my room. I do however still want to use wireless as i have my laptop and well as i just spent £40 on my 360 adapter would still like to use this. I was looking at the homeplugs from solewise as i saw they got a few good mentions on here. I will get the standard AV push one for downstairs to connect to the router but im not sure which one to go for in my room. Either the AV with 54g wireless or the 11n version. I was thinking the 11n version due to my 360 adapteer being n so the transfer speeds should be alot quicker than standard g? forgive me but my knowledge on the internet is quite limited. What would you guys suggest?.
 
As no one has replied I will try to help you.

I use to use Wireless which was fine until I moved some new furniture into the room where the router was, it killed the signal.

I am bit confused by your mail as you say you still want wireless for your laptop which is fair enough but then you mention homeplugs again. Do these Solewise ones has some sort of wireless built in?

Anyway as for the Homeplugs I bought some Devolo 200Mbps plugs and have to say they are the best computer peripheral I have ever bought. I bought some for a friend recently and again excellent performance.
Very easy to set-up, great performance (I can stream HD from my Media Center easily)
Do make sure you buy 200Mbps and not 85Mbps.

I have included a link to Devolo though there are other brands like Netgear that do them. They are not cheap but you should be able to pick up for £80 online for a pair (you need x2 at least)

The fastest dLAN® 200 Mbps ... devolo AG

Edit: These have wireless ability (must be a new thing as wasn't aware of them!)

http://www.devolo.co.uk/consumer/4_..._starter-kit_product-presentation_1.html?l=en


The only issues that can arise is if your house wiring is really bad or there is interference being generated somewhere. Not that I have had any issues.

Hope it sorts you problem out. :)
 
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Pretty sound advice from Droogie there

I use a pair of Zyxel HPs and they are brilliant. With a 5 port Gb LAN switch I can use my computer, 360 and NAS all from the one pair of HPs

If you are not looking at streaming media or your budget doesnt reach the 200Mb HPs then the 85Mb ones are fine but if given the choice I would advise the 200Mb versions due to having the higher bandwidth potential.
 
My advice is ditch the x box wireless option. Sell the adaptor and just go for the solwise homeplugs. 85 are perfect for gaming, i have them myself. Only get 200 if you will be streaming and want to spend more. You can still use your laptop wirelessly.
 
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Thanks for the replies. In the end i went for the solewise 85Mbps ones which i received yesterday (the one in my room includes wifi).
I plugged them in yesterday and all was well until after 4 hours of use. The one in my room just completely switched off. It was very hot so im not sure if it overheated or something?. Quite disappointed but will give it another test later when i get back from work. At the moment both plugs are switched off.
 
They do get hot on their own but I have found that to be a problem. The one plugged into the router is up in a room where the temperature is commonly over 30 degrees C and the other one is behind all of my kit so it must be fairly hot down there.

if they aren't working properly I would get them replaced
 
Agree about sending them back.

I have had mine (solwise 85mbps) for over 3 years and that has never happened. I have left them on all day before too.

Best of luck with it though
 
Mine are always on and have been for quite a while

I had a replacement which upon receiving it didnt work and I took it apart (only a screw or two) and the main connection was properly made. I pushed it back together and it works fine
 
i too can vouch for the solwise ones. Absolutely brilliant. Had the 85's for 3 years and not once had a problem.
 
Just to give you all an update. The one in my room switched off again after being on for just over an hour and a half. To see whether it was the temperature affecting it i swapped the plugs over so the wireless plug was now downstairs, interestingly it worked for the remainder of the day with no problems at all. Oddly i actually got a quicker connection with my xbox using the normal plug than using the ethernet connection on the wifi adapter. Because of this im reluctant to get another wifi plug so i think i will contact solewise tomorrow and ask that they replace it for a normal plug.
 
I leave all my homeplugs switched on 24/7 - never had an issue with any of them since being a homeplug convert two years ago. They do get hot but I've never had any performance issues.
 

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