Power line Bottlenecking?

[beaverman445]

I recently got a pair of Trendnet TPL-406E power line network adaptors and have been using them for over a month with no complaints. However, tonight I noticed that I was getting some lag and speedtest showed only ~15mbps down. I hard wired to my modem and I was at my normal ~60mbps. I guess I'm just wondering if these adaptors normally cause bottlenecking this severe or if maybe they just need to be reset occasionally? Any input is welcome, thanks!

 

[InvalidError]

The performance of power-line networking adapters can vary drastically depending on the distance of electrical wiring signals need to travel through and any noise your appliances put on the power lines. Additional electrical loads may also increase attenuation.

Power line networking has tons of variables and unknowns. If you need reliable performance, it is one of the worst options available. I would not use it beyond getting LAN connectivity to an area WiFi cannot reach and I cannot run cat5 to.

 

[beaverman445]

The performance of power-line networking adapters can vary drastically depending on the distance of electrical wiring signals need to travel through and any noise your appliances put on the power lines. Additional electrical loads may also increase attenuation.

Power line networking has tons of variables and unknowns. If you need reliable performance, it is one of the worst options available. I would not use it beyond getting LAN connectivity to an area WiFi cannot reach and I cannot run cat5 to.

I see. I was afraid this might be the case because I like the idea of the powerline adaptors. Just to further detail my personal situation, My desktop is only 2 rooms away from my modem/wireless router. I've tried using the Cisco AE1000 wireless adaptor but I was suprised at how inconsistent the signal was since the router is only 2 walls and maybe 15 feet from my desktop. Would adding a Wireless card be the best solution for me?

 

[bill001g]

All you can do is try other outlets. You want to make sure you are plugged directly into the outlet no extensions or surge strips. Things you suspect may cause interference you DO want to put on extension or surge strips.

Like wireless there is no way to predict how well these work. They work in most houses but some they do not work at all.....newer houses especially with the new arc fault breakers.

There is no way to predict if wireless will work or not. The most common issue with wireless lately is not the distance but the interference from neighbors. You can only do the standard of try different channels and also try 5g if you have the option. There are some difference between wireless cards but I would not expect a huge improvement.

 

[InvalidError]

The big catch with powerline networking is that regardless of how close two adapters might be, the signal still needs to go all the way to the breaker box and back if the two adapters are on different breakers and things get even worse if the two devices are are on opposite phases of a 230V split service.

With a USB WiFi adapter and only 15' distance, you should be able to position the adapter in a location and orientation that works reasonably well. You may want to check how cluttered the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are to pick a quiet spot.