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Post by UNKAL on Aug 20, 2007 10:07:16 GMT
Righto Goffers,
I'm planning on getting some of these new fangled 'Homeplugs'. For those of you that haven't heard of them they basically convert your home power circuit into a network.
You need two or more plugs, stick one into a power socket next to your router and run an ethernet cable into that. Stick another one into another socket anywhere else in your house for your PC/Xbox and hey presto you've got a hardwired network!
It looks easy and a friend of mine has bought some and reckons they're great.
They come in different speeds and I'm just wondering which to go for. The basic 14mbps ones are really cheap but will that speed be enough for Xbox live to run effectively? There are 85mbps one as well but they're twice the price.
So does anyone know their bytes from their bits and what's a decent speed for a home network?
;D
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Post by ShadowMan on Aug 20, 2007 11:33:05 GMT
Hi Unkal - I'm running a homeplug setup ;D I've got the Devolo HighSpeed kit - 85Mbps, (£80@Dabs), which I think it a reasonable price - the 200Mbps is about £115 The "plug in the wall" adapters are fantastic, with the major plus side of making your network completely portable - so if I need to move my Xbox to another room or add a PC, simpy just add another adapter or change plug points.... - 85Mbps transfer perfect for gaming/internet sharing/media streaming
- 200Mbps transfer as above + great for streaming video/Internet TV/VoIP
In terms of response times.... like I said I'm running the 85Mbps adapters, (which seems to transfer at 100Mbps) and have never experienced any lag or bottlenecks - I stream movies/music and other media between my PC and Xbox perfectly. And I like the fact that it's completely modular, so you can just add on adapters as and when you need them  |
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Post by Biscitt on Aug 20, 2007 11:47:57 GMT
Coooool!
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Post by EsNotTheMessiah on Aug 20, 2007 12:07:41 GMT
Howdo Unkal I wouldn't go for the 14mb ones, they're fine for sharing an internet connection for browsing etc but I doubt they're fast enough for the 360. Also, if you upgrade to a large connection in the next few years ie 10+ mb then your broadband connection is going to be restricted to the capacity of the homeplugs and you're going to have to upgrade anyway. (what's the saying, buy cheap, buy twice  ) I believe you can mix them (not 100% sure on this so check before you buy) so if you're looking to save money, you could buy a 14mb for any PC's you connect and then an 85mb for the 360. |
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Post by UNKAL on Aug 20, 2007 12:47:40 GMT
Hey Guru, Shadow, Thanks for the advice just ordered a pair of Solwise 85Mbps turbo plugs. Will report back soon.  |
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Post by ShadowMan on Aug 20, 2007 13:39:00 GMT
just had a look on the Solwise website.... £44.50 for 2 85Mbps plugs...  WOW |
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Post by UNKAL on Aug 29, 2007 13:06:59 GMT
Well I got those Homeplugs last week and they are great. Just plugged em in and away I went.
Highly recommended for those looking for an alternative to dodgy wireless connections or trailing 10 foot Ethernet cables through the house!
;D
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Post by Biscitt on Aug 29, 2007 13:24:19 GMT
Do these plugs have to be on the same ring?
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Post by UNKAL on Aug 29, 2007 14:45:18 GMT
Biccy, they work on ring mains or spurs equally well I think. A bit of googling found this comment on the below forum which seems to back this up. You thinking of getting some? www.rogersusers.com/45429-solwise-homeplugs-wow-they-really-work.html
"I just installed 3x PL85's for a customer who had been having problems with
wireless dropping connection in an old stone walled building. I wanted to
make sure they would solve the problem before installing them on site so I
put them through a bit of testing on my own network. I installed them on
different power ring mains and even installed one on the end of a coiled 40
meter extension reel and one on the end of a spur out to a shed. I couldn't
get them to fail to talk to each other... even when the only connection was
via the fusebox!
Love them, and would use them again any day..." |
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Post by Biscitt on Aug 29, 2007 15:09:00 GMT
Yeah just in case I have to move out of the attic if we have visitors.
Ta for the info.
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Post by ShadowMan on Aug 29, 2007 15:57:20 GMT
Works fine on seperate rings - I've got mine split across 2 rings and don't have any issues whatsoever |
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Post by Biscitt on May 13, 2008 11:27:19 GMT
Ok chaps and chappesses with me having 2 x 360's now I'd like to link them together or onto Live at the same time. These pluggy things look like the simplest way of doing that, UNKAL has your set up worked OK?
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Post by soggyshoe on May 13, 2008 14:17:46 GMT
I have the netgear 200mb ones and they work great - I can even stream HD from one machine to another no problem. To save a little cash and because the pc/360 and ps3 are close to each other - I installed a 4 port hub which they connect into - that then connects into a netgear power ethernet adapter. The other 2 are in my Kitchen and Bedroom - these are on a different ring - whilst the speed isn't as good as them being on the same ring - it's still more than adequate.
A point to remember - 200 really means 100 as they measure the capability there and back if you get my drift. 85 are really 42.5 etc etc
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Post by soggyshoe on May 13, 2008 14:19:23 GMT
Another point to note - if you have any "filtered" extension sockets - these adapters will not work or will work but at a very low speed.
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Post by metshaz on May 14, 2008 10:26:14 GMT
Another point to note - if you have any "filtered" extension sockets - these adapters will not work or will work but at a very low speed. Not that it matters to me, but i like to expand my knowledge, what exactly is a filtered / unfilitered socket? |
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WOW 
