[SOLVED] Powerline Network all of a sudden at unusable speeds

[Loizos Aristides]

Hello,

For the past 2 years, I've been using a powerline solution. The devices I used were 2 TP-LINK AV500 adaptors, with 500Mbps link speed. One was plugged via Ethernet cable to the router, and the other one plugged also via Ethernet cable to my laptop upstairs. Everything was working just fine, until yesterday it got really slow suddenly. Multiple speedtests I carried out revaled that from the 25 - 30Mbps link speed I was getting, it dropped down to 150 or so Kbps. Yes, Kbps, while my Wifi speeds stayed the same. I didn't change anything, neither have I plugged any new devices, so the only reasonable explanation was that the adaptors broke down or stopped working.

With that in mind, I went out today and bought a pair of TP-LINK AV1000 powerline adaptors thinking this would solve my problem. Those have 1000Mbps link speed. I got home, paired them, ran a speedtest and the result was 92Mbps, a huge boost in link speed. I got super excited and thought to myself everything is back as it should be. Little did I know, a few hours later, the same thing would start to happen with the new pair of powerline adapters (the AV1000 ones) as well. All of a sudden, from the 92Mbps speed I was getting, 150Kbps again, making it completely useless. This happened instantly...one moment I was browsing the internet, enjoying the new fast speeds, and the next second even Facebook would take 30 seconds to load normally.

I can't understand what's happening here. It turns out the problem isn't the "faulty" previous pair of adapters, it's something else. As I said, I didn't change any network settings, and I didn't connect or plug new devices to the network.

After this problem appeared, I tried a ton of things, such as:

• restarting the laptop multiple times
• re-pairing both pairs of adapters also multiple times
• replacing the ethernet cables
• plugging out and back in all of my devices
• restarting the router mutiple times
• resetting the router to its factory settings
• using a different laptop with the same results
• reinstalling the drivers and using cmd for renewing the dns settings on my laptop (which doesn't work because it happens to the other laptop as well)
• placing the poweline cable to a different LAN port on the router
• checked the network and LAN settings of my ISP through the default IP Address, all LAN ports are up and running
• literally any possible solution you can think of

Could someone tell me what is going on here? This is really weird and quite annoying...I've never faced this kind of problem before. One moment the powerline adaptors are working just fine, and the other they go from 92Mbps to 150Kbps speeds...

Thank you in advance!

 

[Ralston18]

Any changes in or problems with the home electrical system?

Any new devices of any sort: audio, video, fans, network....?

Could be a loose wire in one of the outlets or maybe some developing issue in the wiring itself.

Are both outlets on same electrical circuit?

Any flickering (seemingly at random) lights?

You may an electrician to check out the outlets and circuits.

 

[Loizos Aristides]

Thank you! You seem to have guided me towards the solution.

It is something I didn't think was possible. Turns out, the problem is caused by the lamp in my room. When the lamp is on, this problem happens. If I turn the lights off, the connection returns to normal.

I had no idea that this could effect the network. Will try to find a solution for it.

Thanks again!

 

[Ralston18]

Try another lamp.

If the problem continues it is likely in the outlet/electrical circuit ---> Electrician needed.

If the problem does not continue then it is likely in the lamp ----> Lamp repair or new lamp needed.

 

[kanewolf]

Thank you! You seem to have guided me towards the solution.

It is something I didn't think was possible. Turns out, the problem is caused by the lamp in my room. When the lamp is on, this problem happens. If I turn the lights off, the connection returns to normal.

I had no idea that this could effect the network. Will try to find a solution for it.

Thanks again!

Be sure the powerline adapters are plugged directly into the wall. You might try a power strip for the light. Most power strips have noise filtering, which might help isolate the powerline adapters.

 

[gggplaya]

Out of curiosity, what type of bulb is in that lamp? Flourecent, LED, or Halogen??

 

[Loizos Aristides]

Thank you all for the replies!

To answer your questions, it's a LED lamp, which I have replaced with a newer one and now everything is working as it should. I am able to hit the 92Mbps speeds I was talking about earlier. Regarding the power strip situation, the TP-LINK AV1000 adaptors are pass-through, so I've got them plugged directly into the wall outlet, and the power strips I use are plugged into the adaptors themselves.