[SOLVED] 0.2Mbps upload speed using new powerlines on existing powerline network

[Azurelius]

Hi!

Zoom calls are an everyday norm now with working from home, yet using WiFi I could accumulate up to six disconnects in the space of one two hour session. To alleviate this, I invested in a pair of NETGEAR PL1000 Powerline Adapters and a pair of Cat8 ethernet cables.

One of my housemates has been using powerline for years, and the existing network features a pair of NETGEAR XAVB5221 – Powerline 500 adapters between the router and his room (we share a wall). NETGEAR assures that my more modern PL1000 is backwards compatible with the existing set-up.

My current situation:

• As the existing powerline network has the router hooked up, I have set up both powerline adapters in my room to service two different devices: my MacBook Pro and my desktop PC. The former uses a dongle to connect to ethernet via USB, the latter has an ethernet port in the motherboard.
• Across both devices, the ethernet download speed is consistently high, ordinarily in the 30-50Mbps range.
• The upload speed is predictably lower, usually anywhere between 4-16Mbps.
• HOWEVER, the moment I attempt to use a platform like Zoom or Discord where I turn on the webcam on my laptop, the upload speed drops to an average of 0.2Mbps, with an observed range of 0.02-0.52Mbps. The moment I turn off my webcam, upload speeds significantly increase.
• ADDITIONALLY, when I attempted to view a game stream on Discord (i.e. playing Jackbox Party Pack 5 with a group of international friends), the stream was dropping an excessive amount of frames on ethernet, yet was smooth when I tugged the cable out and went to WiFi. 30-50Mbps download speed remained to be observed in this time.

What I have already tried:

• Changing between computers. On both my MacBook and desktop PC, I encounter issues with both downloading a stream (including intermittent freezing) and speaking. Even without a webcam, friends comment on me sounding "robotic". Download and upload speeds remain consistent, yet inconsistent with the end result.
• Switching between WiFi and Ethernet. See the data table below to see the variance in connection speeds.
• Resetting both powerlines and re-pairing them with the network. Does not appear to have an effect.
• Unplugging one powerline when using the other one (e.g. only having one live powerline in my room for the device I am currently using). No effect.
• Connecting to the router directly. I observed 70Mbps+ download speeds and a 17Mbps upload speed. Tested with Zoom. No issues with connectivity were reported from the person listening to me speak. This suggests that the issue is not with my router, nor my cables, but my powerline set-up.

Additional note: the first night I received my powerline, I used it to connect to a 40+ person Zoom chat. I had no issues with connectivity for the whole night, and my powerline showed a green light for data connectivity. The next morning, I tried to swap out the PL500 at the router with one of my PL1000. Due to unfamiliarity with the pairing mechanics, I ended up with no ethernet, and ended up reverting to the previous set-up with the PL500 remaining where it was. Since then, the powerlines in my room show red lights for data connectivity. However, I do not know if this is due to inconsistent bandwidth or if by resetting and re-pairing powerlines on the network I negatively affected my connection (something I don't see how is possible, but something I won't rule out).

WiFi and Ethernet connectivity data in Mbps, with and without webcam streaming:

	WEBCAM​	OFF	WEBCAM​	ON
	Download​	Upload​	Download​	Upload​
WiFi	21.9​	7.92​	5.99​	3.17​
Powerline Ethernet	33.5​	16.0​	22.9​	0.54​
Router Ethernet	72.9​	17.0​	68.6​	12.3​

As the data shows, both download and upload speeds are negatively affected by the activation of my webcam, yet upload speed is disproportionately more impacted whilst connected to ethernet versus WiFi.

For the purposes of this data collection, my MacBook was used, however, my PC (without a webcam) also suffers from these drops to upload speed. They are severe enough to cause voice distortion and make me unintelligible.

Currently, my best solution seems to be to unplug my ethernet cable when the signal gets bad, then hop to WiFi, but that very much beats the point of having a wired solution.

My housemate who has been using powerline for years has never reported having similar issues to stability. Before I moved in, he and his two housemates at the time were also connected to ethernet via the same PL500 model he currently uses, suggesting that the network can accommodate at least up to three devices simultaneously. If it is helpful to know, we live in central London (i.e. a dense urban centre of a major city). My ISP is PLUSNET (a subsidiary of BT).

I appreciate any help you can provide. Getting to the bottom of this and having a stable internet connection means a lot for me and the work that I do.

 

[kanewolf]

Hi!

Zoom calls are an everyday norm now with working from home, yet using WiFi I could accumulate up to six disconnects in the space of one two hour session. To alleviate this, I invested in a pair of NETGEAR PL1000 Powerline Adapters and a pair of Cat8 ethernet cables.

One of my housemates has been using powerline for years, and the existing network features a pair of NETGEAR XAVB5221 – Powerline 500 adapters between the router and his room (we share a wall). NETGEAR assures that my more modern PL1000 is backwards compatible with the existing set-up.

My current situation:

• As the existing powerline network has the router hooked up, I have set up both powerline adapters in my room to service two different devices: my MacBook Pro and my desktop PC. The former uses a dongle to connect to ethernet via USB, the latter has an ethernet port in the motherboard.
• Across both devices, the ethernet download speed is consistently high, ordinarily in the 30-50Mbps range.
• The upload speed is predictably lower, usually anywhere between 4-16Mbps.
• HOWEVER, the moment I attempt to use a platform like Zoom or Discord where I turn on the webcam on my laptop, the upload speed drops to an average of 0.2Mbps, with an observed range of 0.02-0.52Mbps. The moment I turn off my webcam, upload speeds significantly increase.
• ADDITIONALLY, when I attempted to view a game stream on Discord (i.e. playing Jackbox Party Pack 5 with a group of international friends), the stream was dropping an excessive amount of frames on ethernet, yet was smooth when I tugged the cable out and went to WiFi. 30-50Mbps download speed remained to be observed in this time.

What I have already tried:

• Changing between computers. On both my MacBook and desktop PC, I encounter issues with both downloading a stream (including intermittent freezing) and speaking. Even without a webcam, friends comment on me sounding "robotic". Download and upload speeds remain consistent, yet inconsistent with the end result.
• Switching between WiFi and Ethernet. See the data table below to see the variance in connection speeds.
• Resetting both powerlines and re-pairing them with the network. Does not appear to have an effect.
• Unplugging one powerline when using the other one (e.g. only having one live powerline in my room for the device I am currently using). No effect.
• Connecting to the router directly. I observed 70Mbps+ download speeds and a 17Mbps upload speed. Tested with Zoom. No issues with connectivity were reported from the person listening to me speak. This suggests that the issue is not with my router, nor my cables, but my powerline set-up.

Additional note: the first night I received my powerline, I used it to connect to a 40+ person Zoom chat. I had no issues with connectivity for the whole night, and my powerline showed a green light for data connectivity. The next morning, I tried to swap out the PL500 at the router with one of my PL1000. Due to unfamiliarity with the pairing mechanics, I ended up with no ethernet, and ended up reverting to the previous set-up with the PL500 remaining where it was. Since then, the powerlines in my room show red lights for data connectivity. However, I do not know if this is due to inconsistent bandwidth or if by resetting and re-pairing powerlines on the network I negatively affected my connection (something I don't see how is possible, but something I won't rule out).

WiFi and Ethernet connectivity data in Mbps, with and without webcam streaming:

	WEBCAM​	OFF	WEBCAM​	ON
	Download​	Upload​	Download​	Upload​
WiFi	21.9​	7.92​	5.99​	3.17​
Powerline Ethernet	33.5​	16.0​	22.9​	0.54​
Router Ethernet	72.9​	17.0​	68.6​	12.3​

As the data shows, both download and upload speeds are negatively affected by the activation of my webcam, yet upload speed is disproportionately more impacted whilst connected to ethernet versus WiFi.

For the purposes of this data collection, my MacBook was used, however, my PC (without a webcam) also suffers from these drops to upload speed. They are severe enough to cause voice distortion and make me unintelligible.

Currently, my best solution seems to be to unplug my ethernet cable when the signal gets bad, then hop to WiFi, but that very much beats the point of having a wired solution.

My housemate who has been using powerline for years has never reported having similar issues to stability. Before I moved in, he and his two housemates at the time were also connected to ethernet via the same PL500 model he currently uses, suggesting that the network can accommodate at least up to three devices simultaneously. If it is helpful to know, we live in central London (i.e. a dense urban centre of a major city). My ISP is PLUSNET (a subsidiary of BT).

I appreciate any help you can provide. Getting to the bottom of this and having a stable internet connection means a lot for me and the work that I do.

Use a single PL1000 in your room and get an ethernet switch to distribute that network to multiple devices. If possible put the second PL1000 at the router. That may allow your PL1000 to work better than the legacy PL500 device. You want to minimize the number powerline adapters.

 

[Azurelius]

Use a single PL1000 in your room and get an ethernet switch to distribute that network to multiple devices. If possible put the second PL1000 at the router. That may allow your PL1000 to work better than the legacy PL500 device. You want to minimize the number powerline adapters.

Thank you for your advice! It seems silly how easy it was to fix when I just swapped out the PL500 downstairs with one of my PL1000s. I was, initially, reluctant to try this again after my first attempt (due to my inexperience with resetting the devices) lead to no ethernet for an hour.

One of my techy friends suggested that I check my housemate's ethernet speeds on my laptop, and they were higher than what I was hitting (around 60Mbps download and 15Mpbs upload) and were unaffected by joining a videocall. Now that I have swapped out the the router's powerline, my housemate's speed remains as constant as it was before and my speeds have gone up significantly:

Now I reach 72Mbps DL and 18Mbps UL under normal conditions and 70Mbps DL and 13Mpbs UL with the webcam on. Perfect!

Turns out that while the PL1000 and PL500 are compatible, having the newest powerline at the router made a huge difference.

Thank you for your help.