Powerline Network Performance Issues

[default_user]

I've been using a few Netgear powerline adapters for extending my home network throughout the house for a fair while now and they've been great for head to head gaming with two Xboxs, internet access and so on but now I'm trying to use them for sending large files from PC to PC and I've just realised how slow they are. The advertised speed is 85Mbps but I'm only getting around 4Mbps max with no other network loading. That's half the speed of my internet connection! Even real world performance should be better than that surely?

Does anyone else use these and do you have any idea if I can improve the performance somehow?

 

[ChrisUK]

Are they plugged directly into the wall or on extension cords? I've heard extensions slow them down a lot.

Unfortunately their like wireless Ethernet the speed you get very much depends on your environment. Speed between brands also vary.

Every review I've read average about 10mbit.

 

[arc]

sounds about right to me, they'll be 85mBIT/s half duplex. and you'll be transfering at 4mBYTE/s.. so works out around 32mBIT/s.. which is just under half of 85 (allowing for overheads)

 

[default_user]

All plugged directly into sockets.

So Arc, I should be getting 32 Megabits then? I wish! I'm only getting 4.

And why would Netgear advertise that it's capable of 85?

 

[ChrisUK]

All plugged directly into sockets.

So Arc, I should be getting 32 Megabits then? I wish! I'm only getting 4.

And why would Netgear advertise that it's capable of 85?

I think he's getting your bits and bytes mixed up. 4mbit's should be about 480kbytes/s transfer rate.

They advertise them at 85mbit because technically they can do that speed in optimal conditions. It's the same as BT advertising ADSL Max broadband as 8mbit even though 80% of customers will get no where near that throughput.

 

[default_user]

I think he's getting your bits and bytes mixed up. 4mbit's should be about 480kbytes/s transfer rate.

They advertise them at 85mbit because technically they can do that speed in optimal conditions. It's the same as BT advertising ADSL Max broadband as 8mbit even though 80% of customers will get no where near that throughput.

Yes, but there's a hefty difference between 4 and 85 (81, if I'm pedantic, and I am). I know I won't have optimal conditions with my house wiring but that is pathetic performance nevertheless.

Anyway, what I was asking was; is there any way to optimise it for better performance? Or are these just rubbish and I should go back to having CAT5 cable winding through the house?

Oh, and these are sold as plug & play units so I haven't installed any software or tweaked any Windows settings to use them, just plugged them in and used them.

 

[ChrisUK]

Not that I know of. Did a bit of googleing and came across these:-

http://www.plasternetworks.com/products/products-isolator.html

Maybe there's something similar for the UK?

 

[default_user]

I found those when I was Googling the problem earlier. I didn't find anything either except that noise on the electrical wiring could be a factor in performance. Short of turning off everything in the house while I'm transferring files I don't see any way of eliminating it. Even then, you're connected to the grid so I guess some noise comes from there too. I know that there are faster powerline adapters out there but I've already invested a tidy sum in the ones I have and I don't want to just junk it all and get new ones. I'm not exactly flush right now.

Anyone else use these? I'd be interested to compare performance. Maybe the problem is my wiring and not the adapters.

 

[arc]

I think he's getting your bits and bytes mixed up. 4mbit's should be about 480kbytes/s transfer rate.

They advertise them at 85mbit because technically they can do that speed in optimal conditions. It's the same as BT advertising ADSL Max broadband as 8mbit even though 80% of customers will get no where near that throughput.

i was quesitoning where the monitoring is being done from, and in what format.

afaik windows will measure in megabytes a second, where as the adaptors will be sold quoted in megabits a second...

so if windows is telling you 4megabytes a second, that is 32 megabits a second.

powerline adaptors are 85mbit half duplex, meaning you have a theorectical max of 42.5megabits when copying across them.

factor in noise, the overheads on the packets, and 32mbit (4mbyte)/s is about right.

 

[arc]

Or are these just rubbish and I should go back to having CAT5 cable winding through the house?

much better doing that, but with cat5e/cat6. Give you a max of 1000mbit, full duplex.

 

[default_user]

The windows file transfer dialog box is giving me the transfer speed in Kilobytes, it's so slow. I just converted it to Megabits.

As I type I'm transferring a file at 595KB, or about 4.5Mbits if my maths is correct. Still pathetic. I don't want network cables all over the house. I'll just put up with this for now. It wasn't really an issue until I wanted to transfer files to my experimental HTPC.

 

[arc]

oh god, yeah - that is slow. I can copy stuff from servers in the states quicker than that.. on my phone!

 

[default_user]

Just a thought; maybe it's the way I have them set up.

I have my main PC and laptop on the same desk in my office and they both plug directly into my BT Home Hub with network cable.

From the Home hub I have another network cable going to the powerline adapter in one of the sockets under my desk.

I have a powerline adapter in the lounge into which are plugged my Xbox and HTPC.

Upstairs in The Boy's room is another PC plugged into a powerline adapter.

Anything wrong with that? Perhaps I should add that each powerline adapter has four network sockets. Not sure if they're acting as switches or routers, if there's a difference.

 

[arc]

it's gone beyond what i know now. ive never actually set any up before.

i'd always just run cable.. even if it meant pulling up floor boards / drilling through walls / running cable outdoors.

 

[ChrisUK]

Nothing wrong with how you got it set up. And the extra ports act like switches.

 

[default_user]

it's gone beyond what i know now. ive never actually set any up before.

i'd always just run cable.. even if it meant pulling up floor boards / drilling through walls / running cable outdoors.

Far too much work! Especially as I'd have to disturb everything I've done to the house in the last 7 years. I'm planning on moving this year so maybe in the next house I can set up a proper wired network while I do it up. That's assuming the next one needs work of course.

Thanks for all your help guys. I suppose this one doesn't have a solution that doesn't involve starting over.

 

[arc]

consider wireless to replace the HTPC link?

 

[default_user]

consider wireless to replace the HTPC link?

[Groans]

I suppose I could give it a try. I have tried wireless networking before and given up in hopeless confusion. It's not easy. I'd also be trying to get W7 talking to XP or even Ubuntu. (HTPC is currently using XP as that's what it came with but I want to set it up with Ubuntu, booting straight into XBMC, which I find totally brilliant).

 

[arc]

if you used a wireless bridge, and a wireless access point then the actual wireless communicaiton would be handeled by them devices - you'd simply cat5 from each to the relevant devices. the OS's would have no idea whats going on, and they wouldn't need to.

wireless is poor for backbone stuff.. but then the powerline stuff should work better than it is..

 

[default_user]

if you used a wireless bridge, and a wireless access point then the actual wireless communicaiton would be handeled by them devices - you'd simply cat5 from each to the relevant devices. the OS's would have no idea whats going on, and they wouldn't need to.

wireless is poor for backbone stuff.. but then the powerline stuff should work better than it is..

A wireless bridge, hmmmm, that's an idea. It would still be a cobbled together sticking plaster fix for a problem I shouldn't have though. Nevertheless, maybe worth a try.