Powerline Adaptors?

[PotNoodleTech]

So need to sort the old mans house out, wifi is going to be problematic so we're looking at powerline adaptors now but I am clueless about them gonna watch some youtube vids but in the mean time, my main worry is are they secure?

 

I am assuming that as they're plugged in to the leccy, and leccy doesn't care where it is, your effectively broadcasting your network half way up the street?

 

I see they have encryption and access key a bit like wifi, but at least with wifi someone woud need to stand in the garden to start hacking, don't like the idea of someone 3 doors up plugin into the power and having a go?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Cheers!

[3s-gtech]

They tend to have secure pairing, via a button on the unit. They often won't traverse rings across your consumer unit, let alone leave the premises and pass into other houses, so don't worry too much about that. I use mine in my parents' house where wifi won't cross a thick stone wall, and work perfectly.

[Fazza]

I am assuming that as they're plugged in to the leccy, and leccy doesn't care where it is, your effectively broadcasting your network half way up the street?

 

The only way to get it to go halfway up your street (why not all the way?) would be if you all share one single electricity meter meaning that you paid for half your streets electricity.

[PotNoodleTech]

The only way to get it to go halfway up your street (why not all the way?) would be if you all share one single electricity meter meaning that you paid for half your streets electricity.

 

Why? What's it got to do with a meter? Elecricity is either connected, or not, if your meter is connected then that means it's connected to every other meter in the street too?

[robk]

Why? What's it got to do with a meter? Elecricity is either connected, or not, if your meter is connected then that means it's connected to every other meter in the street too?

The coils in the meter block the high frequency power line signal that the units use to communicate.

[elsiegee40]

The power line connectors frequently won’t operate across different circuits in one house.

 

My next door neighbour, an electronics whizz, and I did try swapping our powerline adapters to see what happened. My Devolo picked up nothing in his house and his TP-Link picked up nothing in mine.

[Fazza]

if your meter is connected then that means it's connected to every other meter in the street too?

 

If that was true then it would mean your meter is not just connected to to all the ones in your street but all meters on the National Grid.

[PotNoodleTech]

If that was true then it would mean your meter is not just connected to to all the ones in your street but all meters on the National Grid.

 

It is! Via the national grid!

 

Anyway, electronics arguments aside if people have actually tried it with next door neighbours and fount it's secure than I am happy with that!

 

Cheers all!

[Bertie_Dellend]

It is! Via the national grid!

 

[Fazza]

 

Rings. It's all about rings. You each have your own ring, sometimes one ring for upstairs and one for downstairs. Most powerline adaptors need to be on the same ring. You cant use your nextdoor neighbours ring. Nor anyone else's ring in your street. If you do use someone else's ring it's called steeling and you will be using their electricity.

[3s-gtech]

You need to ask permission before you plug into your neighbour’s ring.

[Michael]

Just consider your single fuse box/consumer unit as your router to all other sockets in your home, but no one else's.

[PD1279]

Each Electric meter (phase) has some electronics wizardry in them which stops any frequencies/blow backs/short circuits etc etc from traversing them hence why data will NEVER leave your Electric meter, so that will explain the tests that people have done next door and they don't work. Also this is why when you blow a trip it doesn't take half the street out :-)

They are perfectly safe to use and are as secure as you make them - i.e. if you have a wireless powerline device and put a rubbish password on it (so not using built in one) then it will probably be hacked if someone wants to. If you use WiFi powerline then I normally use their tool and change it to the same as their home router and just put it on a different channel than the router. So if the router is running Channel 1 then use 6 or 11 as these do not overlap and cause collisions.

Hope this helps

[mikeprice]

I have just added an extra 2 to my house - I now have 4 - much better than the wifi

 

I have used TP-Link units to do it. One problem based on pairing - make sure that you pair them on the main plugs - not extensions - or both on the same extension. If you don't then pairing can be a bit hit and miss. I have paired them on main sockets in the same room and it worked fine. I have also used 2 sockets on one 4 way lead - which also worked OK.

 

BTW - you can't plug them into a surge protected extension - or socket and this blocks the signal. This is a major pain in my study as I can't plug them into the 10 way surge protected thingy that all the other 'stuff' goes into.

[jmak]

 

BTW - you can't plug them into a surge protected extension - or socket and this blocks the signal. This is a major pain in my study as I can't plug them into the 10 way surge protected thingy that all the other 'stuff' goes into.

 

I chose the "pass through" type: Powerline plug goes directly in the wall socket and the surge protected 10 way adapter plugs into that.

[Achandler]

The only issue I have with them is they give feedback onto my speakers, these are 18 year old surround sound I still have on my computer. But it's quite frustrating still.

 

Basically downloading resulting in buzzing sound, its like I'm back in the 90s with modems again. Only affects these really old speakers though, my headset etc are fine.

 

Before the suggestions pour in about ferrite loops, putting them through a surge protected cable, this makes no difference. I suspect, like a lot of others who have a similar issue, the speakers are just badly designed for this type of tech. A good old figure of 8 plug through a transformer that clearly is bigger then it needs to be. I'll buy some more one day (maybe). The buzz isn't bad enough to stop me using them, as inevitably games/ music are louder and it is limited.

[jmak]

The only issue I have with them is they give feedback onto my speakers, these are 18 year old surround sound I still have on my computer. But it's quite frustrating still.

 

Basically downloading resulting in buzzing sound, its like I'm back in the 90s with modems again. Only affects these really old speakers though, my headset etc are fine.

 

Before the suggestions pour in about ferrite loops, putting them through a surge protected cable, this makes no difference. I suspect, like a lot of others who have a similar issue, the speakers are just badly designed for this type of tech. A good old figure of 8 plug through a transformer that clearly is bigger then it needs to be. I'll buy some more one day (maybe). The buzz isn't bad enough to stop me using them, as inevitably games/ music are louder and it is limited.

Ha! I have this and until I used terms in your post for my Google searches, I'd found diddly squat. I was pretty convinced it was the Powerline adapters causing the problem from looking at the flashing network activity LEDs which looked like the "pulsing" crackle I could hear through the speakers. No one else calls it pulsing.... I got rid of it in one room - but changed too many things at the same time to price the theory.

 

I have run Cat 6 cables into the lounge and run them up through 2 outside walls, a ceiling void and into the airing cupboard. That was a year ago - maybe this holiday is time to continue the run into the loft and then down the other side of the house where the BroadBand connection and router are located and even possibly terminate the cables in the wall plates I bought. It's also been mentioned that two 50m coils of Cat6 cable gets in the way in the airing cupboard [emoji57]

 

Thanks for the kick up the bum @Achandler [emoji16]

 

(And apologies to everyone else for making such a long off topic post!)

Edited December 21, 2018 by jmak

[PotNoodleTech]

Ordered a pair for the old man so will see what they're like.

 

Cheers all!