Powerline with passthrough(filter) needed

[Chakonari]

Hello

I currently have these:

http://www.dlink.com/uk/en/support/product/dhp-309av-powerline-av-mini-adapter-starter-kit

They do a good job until my powered speakers (JBL LSR305) are turned on. Which leads to going from best signal quality to worst.

The powerline adapter is in its own socket and the rest (PC and speakers on the other end of the wall). I can even put the adapter and PC on the same multi-socket without issues. But as soon as the speakers get power, the signal degrades.

I only have a single phase and tried all possible combinations for powering my gear, so I am hoping a powerline homeplug with a passthrough+filter will do the trick.

Yet I can't find any proper reviews. Most 'reviewers' even seem to think the only reason for having passthrough is so the wall socket does not get blocked.

I have also not been able to find information on how the filters actually work or if it possible to build your own filter.

Any tips on which powerline kit have decent filters built-in or information which leads to a diy-filter project are very much appreciated. Thanks

 

[13thmonkey]

have you got a filter on the speakers?

 

[makkem]

Hi
I am going to preface this by saying that the easiest way to solve this may be to get new speakers.
The speakers are obviously injecting interference into the mains electricity.
You really need to try the speakers into a different ring main,which may mean plugging them in on a different floor if possible or possibly into a kitchen socket,you will get an idea of the circuits by looking at the circuit breakers in the consumer unit which should be labelled,I appreciate that this may not be practical.
You could try a filtered powerline adaptor which may or may not work depending on the nature of the interference and is probably the reason for the lack of reviews.
You could even try one of these on your speakers though I am unsure if they work in reverse to stop the speakers injecting the noise.

http://

 

[Chakonari]

Thanks for the reply. No additional filters in anything.

As I only have single phase power, wouldn't any power conditioning multi-socket (if that's the kind of filter you meant) also filter the network signal as it would be parallel to the adapter no matter where I plug it in?

Also I do not have any problems with audio signal quality or noise - just the degradation of the network signal. Signal quality is shown by an LED: Green/Orange/Red. It goes from green to red within a few seconds of turning on the speakers. In numbers this means internet speed test going from 20-30 (depending on server) to about 4-5 Mbps 🙁

@ makkem: You posted when I was writing my response to 13thmonkey. It's single phase with old type fuses (yes I live in an EU country that reminds me of Asia in the early 80s in terms of infrastructure). So everything is essentially parallel.

New speakers are not an option due to cost - would be cheaper to get a power drill and network cable - which I would have done in the first place if I wasn't renting - or even to buy all available kits with passthrough+filter. The speakers are studio monitors by the way, just though it wasn't really worth mentioning in regards to the issue.

 

[makkem]

Firstly the power condition socket would be used only for the speakers and these only filter upstream and not in parallel like a surge protector.
The noise will be RF noise being injected into the mains line by the speaker power supply and would not affect the audio quality of the speakers and would not be audible,what happens is that a percentage of that noise will be the same frequency as the powerline which cause errors in the transmission which have to be rebroadcast and so cause the speed drop.
I don't suppose you can use ethernet cable or even WiFi to connect to the router.

 

[Chakonari]

Thanks makkem. Didn't know the filter only upstream. And yes. I do understand that JBL would make sure that noise introduced by the speakers does not interfere with audio signals.

Ethernet cable, which has always been my solution of choice wherever possible, would mean drilling through 2 walls in a rented flat. Easy enough to clean up when moving out, but I can't afford the landlord having to come in for some reason and seeing the cable. Also no carpeting, otherwise I would have got 30m of flat cable and be done with it.

 

[makkem]

I thought you were in the UK when you linked to a UK sight so disregard the ring main and electricity comments.
This is why I said the easiest way would be to buy new speakers though it would be a shame as those are good ones and easiest is not always the best option.
I don't think we'll find a cheap and simple solution,I mean you could even try different powerline adaptors which may work on a different frequency but that may still not work.
Personally I would try a filtered powerline adaptor and see if it improved the situation.
BTW the pass through adaptors are designed to stop it blocking the socket as you said and have no effect on any filtration.

Also this type of filter prevents equipment from injecting interference into the electricity supply but its pretty expensive.

http://

 

[Chakonari]

Thanks makkem - I live in Malta where they use UK mains sockets. I really mean it when I say this country reminds me of 3rd world Asia from the 80s in terms of infrastructure (...and officials... corruption...)

Re passthrough with filter - so the filter claim is just another marketing thing?

Guess that coming up with a practical and economical solution means I'm going to have to find out what kind of noise is created by the speakers' power supplies and if I can find adapters that work in a different range. Once or twice a year I wish I had an oscilloscope, would make things so much easier. The solution might be as simple as adding one or two capacitors in the right place

For now I'll just use headphones when I need best available network quality and audio. To be honest, the only real practical application where I face the issue is when trying to play GTA V online.

Using a long extension lead to get the speakers plugged into a wall socket as far as possible, does help a bit by the way. But in practical terms, running a network cable would be easier.

In the meantime I'll also do more research on the frequencies involved - maybe JBL tech support will help there or if I can find out what kind of modulation D-Link uses for the adapters I have Trying a pair that works with different frequencies might do the trick.

Living in Malta means lack of choice of locally available hardware - otherwise I'd just make friends with a guy in shop and try out different models and save myself the research.

 

[makkem]

No it will have a filter the same way you can get a non pass through with a filter its just that the pass through part is not there for the filtration but to allow you to plug something into it and not block the socket.
Just out of interest you could try removing the earth wires from the speaker plugs temporarily as often the earth is the main source of the interference and see if it improves it.

 

[Chakonari]

Aha! OK I had misunderstood, I am aware that the passthrough is not a filter, but was under the impression that all models with passthrough (at least the ones currently available) also have filters to avoid things that draw power through the socket on the homeplug from interfering with it.

Disconnecting earth did not change it.

 

[makkem]

Ok,keep me updated if you find any adaptors that use a different frequency and that work.

 

[westom]

If I read correctly, your signal connection to speakers is via power lines. Any power conditioner or surge protector near speakers or the music source will distort, weaken, or corrupt those signals.

Even in the early days of X-10 controllers (signals on power lines), it was well understood that even protectors are signal destructive. In those forums, a Leviton 'whole house' protector was strongly recommended. Since that does not harm signals. And is the only type of protector in a house that actually does surge protection.

Other and similar products come from Siemens, General Electric, Keison, ABB, etc. But plug-in conditioners will simply create more problems. And do not claim to do anything useful for electronic hardware protection.