Answers
We already have an Ethernet
network with cat5 cabling but want to add a few other users. Is
Powerline networking able to achieve this for us?
If you want to extend your network but don’t want
the hassle of installing extra network cables or to suffer from
the unreliability of wireless then Powerline Networking offers a
reliable alternative to you.
Can I combine a cable network,
Powerline network and wireless?
Yes. A Powerline Network can connect with all the
types of Ethernet Network which are in common use in offices and
houses today.
Does Powerline networking only
work with PCs?
Powerline Networking works with PCs running
Windows or Linux, Apple Macs, File Servers, games consoles and
many other devices.
Can I access the Internet using
a Powerline network?
Yes you can connect to the internet using
Powerline Networking. You can either connect to the existing
Ethernet network which incorporates your router, the RJ45
network port on your existing router if it has one, or you can
buy a router which is specially designed to run with a Powerline
Network or existing Ethernet network.
How easy is it to set up a
Powerline Network?
Setting up a Powerline Network
could not really be any easier. You take the
adaptors out of their boxes, plug them in to wall sockets and
switch on. After a few seconds the units will find each other
and form a link. You will need to connect the network port of
your computer to the network port of the Powerline Network
adaptor with a network cable (which are usually supplied with
the units) and providing the network settings have been
correctly configured on your computer you're finished. That's
all there is to it.
Do I need any
special cables?
You
don't need any special cables or equipment. Most Powerline
Networking Adaptors are supplied with a 1.8mtr network cable (Delta PC ones
certainly are, anyway). If your computer equipment is further
away than that you just need to use a longer network cable which
you can order from ourselves,
click here.
How does Powerline Networking
compare for speed with traditional Ethernet networks?
An 85Mbps Powerline Network is not noticeably
slower that a traditional 100Mhz network in normal
circumstances. If you were to move huge amounts of data around
it would probably take a little longer than on a dedicated
Ethernet network, but for what most people would consider
“normal” use (opening Word documents, browsing the internet,
dealing with emails, digital photographs, etc) you would notice
very little, if any, difference using Powerline Networking.
How does Powerline Networking
compare for speed with wireless networks?
Powerline Networking is faster than Wireless
networking in the vast majority of cases, and the speed
difference is quite considerable most of the time.
Is Powerline Networking more
reliable than wireless?
Yes, greatly so!!
The reliability of a wireless network is greatly affected by the
number and thickness of walls and ceilings the radio signal is
expected to travel through. Many users experience drop-outs, or
very slow connections due to those factors where as a powerline
network will remain unaffected. Powerline Networking, in our
experience, is considerably more reliable than wireless
networking in many cases.
Is Powerline networking secure?
A Powerline Network is as secure as most other
wired network systems and more secure than many wireless
systems. The network system “stops” at the electricity meter so
nobody outside your ring main can connect whilst those
inside can use it in the same way as any other Ethernet system
with user names, passwords, etc.
I’m running low on wall sockets
so will Powerline networking work through electrical extension
blocks or a powerstrip?
Powerline Networking will usually operate through
a power strip although its speed is reduced a little. It’s
impossible to state by how much because different types and
sizes of power strip produce different effects but we’ve yet to
see one that completely fails to connect. It is not ideal
though, and power blocks with built in UPS or line filters will
prove particularly problematic and should be avoided.
Does Powerline networking
interfere with any other devices on the ring main?
In our experience of supplying, installing and
using Powerline Network adaptors ourselves we’ve never come
across any problems with interference either caused by or to
other devices which are plugged in.
Can I use Powerline networking
for VOIP?
VOIP works very well on a Powerline Network.
I see this technology referred
to as Homeplug and Powerline networking. What is the difference?
Homeplug and Powerline Networking refer to the
same technology. When this technology was being developed it was
envisaged that it would appeal to home users much more than
office users although, as it has turned out, it has proved to be
just as useful and reliable for thousands of offices and
businesses. The HomePlug Powerline Alliance is an industry
consortium which was established to provide a forum for the
development of an open specification of home powerline
networking products and services. In June 2001, the Alliance
released the HomePlug 1.0 powerline home networking
specification, providing a robust, field proven industry
specification upon which HomePlug member companies will build
compatible products to enable the connected home and the
development has continued from there.
Illustrations and Examples
Small Network of 2 PCs and 1 printer networked with Powerline
Network Adaptors
Add a Broadband Modem or a Router, and another Powerline
Network Adaptor
for shared internet access for the network.
Adding another PC to the network is as simple as plugging in
another
Powerline Network Adaptor.
In the example shown below, the Laptop PC shown above would
really struggle to connect
to the network wirelessly through the thick concrete floor, but
it is made very simple by adding
a Powerline Networking Wireless Access Point as shown.
The illustrations above show how a
simple 2 user network can be upgraded and enlarged to offer
shared network printing, shared internet access and extended so
that it works through thick concrete or stone walls without the
installation of a single piece of Cat 5 or Cat 6 network cable
(save for the short patch leads).
The offices illustrated above could
just as easily be rooms in a house, classrooms in a school,
temporary rooms in a conference centre or anywhere else where a
speedy, reliable and secure network could be required. Likewise,
the PCs shown could easily be Apple Macs (one is, in actual
fact!), file servers, media servers or games consoles in the
home.
Powerline Networking is the very
essence of Plug and Play simplicity.
