Communication through the Mains??

[Rhyolith]

After a debate centred around wirless extenders, mainly claims that they have to be on the same mains circuit to work, I have discovered that these devices communicated through the mains wiring! I don't really understand how this is possible and am still dubious about it.

Then I read this: http://www.techradar.com/news/networkin ... now-930691

There are many more articles supporting that this is indeed how they work... so its back to school with my understanding of electronics

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a BT one because the wifi was poor. The BT one was worse than the wifi.

 

[LancsRick]

You're mixing two different technologies here which might be why you're confused.

Wireless extenders/repeaters come in broadly 3 forms - they're wired into the network and provide another broadcast point, they're wireless attached to the network so that their coverage overlaps with the previous one, or they're using powerline networking to communicate. This last one is what you've linked there.

Since mains wiring typically just carries a 50-60hz signal depending on where you are in the world, piggybacking a much higher frequency signal is not an issue, it's easy to filter out the mains frequency. You can therefore use the mains wiring as a form of hard wiring, which is the principle of powerline networking. The fact that one end of that then chooses to broadcast a wireless signal is where the wireless extender aspect comes into play .

 

[Aggrajag]

I have a couple of these at home (not WiFi but LAN sockets) where I've "hidden" a backup drive somewhere in the house and all our PCs backup documents/pictures etc to it each week - my logic being if the house is burgled they're more likely to take a PC than this hidden drive. Also in the terrible event of a fire maybe different rooms might survive. (I have online backup for important documents.)

I don't get the speeds quoted but I find them very useful.

 

[DennisCA]

Man I remember about that. I was so stoked for it in the late 90s and hoped it would make an entrance RIGHT NOW and free me of this dial-up modem.

 

[Homerjh]

i use them at home, i have the 500Mb ones, and get generally around 3ish Mb speed, you never get the rated.

this is with house wiring about 2 years old, and on a different spur, the downstairs is by the router and the other in my office on the upstairs circuit.

Also worth mentioning, we have a long garden and the wifi just about reaches from the box, but i have a plug in wireless adapter that i put on the end of the extention lead to the end of the garden and works a treat, uses the mains then the wireless at the end.

i would use wireless but i like a direct (ish) connection, and never found wireless to be 100% reliable and the ideal would be a physical wire to the upstairs but didnt know where things were going when getting it rewired.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Anybody remember those "wireless" (mains) intercom systems from the 1970s. I vaguely remember three or four channels, intended for small offices, etc., and some were sold as baby monitors too.

Same idea as the wifi mains extenders, but purely analogue. They were initially illegal, as it amounted to operating radio transmitters without a license (which upset the Postmaster General, apparently). Not much new under the sun really.

Don't forget, incidentally, that, depending on the quality of encryption used, you're "sharing" your network with neighbours and anyone else down the street on the same mains phase (it probably can't reach beyond the local 11kV substation though).

 

[DTR]

Don't forget, incidentally, that, depending on the quality of encryption used, you're "sharing" your network with neighbours and anyone else down the street on the same mains phase (it probably can't reach beyond the local 11kV substation though).

I was wondering about that.... they always say to put them on the "same circuit", but when you disregard the fuses / MCBs it's all the same circuit until you get back to the sub. I was thinking about getting one for the shed, which is obviously on a different MCB to the rest of the house..... :-k

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I use powerline adaptors and it has enabled removal of all the additional hard wiring the previous owners of the house installed during the 1990s and early 2000s.

I have one box in the hallway containing wireless phone base station and router. Two powerline adaptors support the TV (catch up etc on youview box) and study where the wireless signal was somewhat iffy. No problems with either now.

Terry

 

[Eric The Viking]

I use powerline adaptors and it has enabled removal of all the additional hard wiring the previous owners of the house installed during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Depends what you want. I am determined to complete the hard wiring I started installing in the 1990s onwards.
That's because I quite enjoy having gigabit speeds on my network, and fewer security holes.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have one box in the hallway containing wireless phone base station and router. Two powerline adaptors support the TV (catch up etc on youview box) and study where the wireless signal was somewhat iffy. No problems with either now.

Terry

Interesting. The same reason I tried mine ... only mine made it worse.

 

[RogerS]

These devices are the Spawn of Satan. Ask any radio amateur.

 

[bugbear]

These devices are the Spawn of Satan. Ask any radio amateur.

What's the problem with them?

BugBear (who didn't know there were any radio amateurs left)

 

[RogerS]

These devices are the Spawn of Satan. Ask any radio amateur.

What's the problem with them?

BugBear (who didn't know there were any radio amateurs left)

Here

http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/powerline.html

after a very quick Google.