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Forum Discussion
4 Powerline (2 x PL1000, 2xPL1200) in one network
Hi I've had 2 x PL1000 working fine over my mains network here for 2yrs. I wanted to expand and obtained 2 x PL1200 to "extend" the system. I cannot factory reset ANY of these units, pressin...
Yes, and that process doesn't work.
Hence the decision to try and factory reset all 4 devices and then start over. But factory reset doesn't appear to work either. What is the EXACT reset process and what feedback is provided to the user? Everywhere says "press the reset button". This is not clear. Is the unit powered up at this point? Or powering up? Or even powered off? How long do you need to press it for? How do you know it's worked?
What is the point of Powerline Utility software that doesn't work? Google suggests many of these devices (from different manufacturers) share the same chipset and can use each others' software. If this is the case, what do people recommend, and can you provide a download link? I have Windows10 and MacOS machines to use to run it, anything will do to get this working...
thesohogeek wrote:
Yes, and that process doesn't work.
In that case, I suspect something else is happening. I have been through that process many, many times as I move plugs around between networks. It has never failed on me.
Unfortunately, "doesn't work" is a poor diagnostic aid. What does it mean? What happened when you tried? What were you doing and what went wrong?
thesohogeek wrote:
But factory reset doesn't appear to work either.
See above. What happens when you try?
thesohogeek wrote:
What is the EXACT reset process and what feedback is provided to the user? Everywhere says "press the reset button". This is not clear. Is the unit powered up at this point? Or powering up? Or even powered off? How long do you need to press it for? How do you know it's worked?
Press the reset "button" with power on. (Pointless doing it with a plug that has no power.)
The lights should flash
thesohogeek wrote:
What is the point of Powerline Utility software that doesn't work?
Very true, but generally the utility has very little use. Its sole role seems to be to disable power the saving mode that bothers some users.
Is there something else you want to do with it? I find that the desktop Netgear Genie (Windows here) does what I need.
genie | Product | Support | NETGEAR
Look for the plugs bit of the Network Map.
thesohogeek wrote:
Google suggests many of these devices (from different manufacturers) share the same chipset and can use each others' software. If this is the case, what do people recommend, and can you provide a download link?
That's also the common refrain around here, which is probably where Google found it. It should also find one of the usual suspect. ZyXel's seems to be the most popular.
This page is more helpful than anything that Netgear has written.
[HomePlug] How to troubleshooting HomePlug/PowerLine adapters – Zyxel Support Campus USA
Hi, frustrating isn't it ;-)
That ZyXEL page is really useful, as you say, miles better than anything Netgear wrote.
I think I have 2 issues, poor (no?) earthing on some of the older wiring here (which I now understand will throttle bandwidth anyway) and 2prs of Netgear Powerline adaptors that are brilliant at pairing up but resisting all opportunities to form one "quad" network.
I've now got the factory reset feedback happening - it seems that a momentary press of the reset button does the trick, I was holding and waiting for something to happen with the leds, in fact you press and release and then the lights flash. Hurrah. But whatever I do with the key buttons (the accessible white button on each unit) I cannot persuade either of the PL1200s to join the existing PL1000 bridge.
My process, to confirm, is to start with a working PL1000 bridge and factory reset both PL1200s. I wait for a couple of minutes to be sure everything is properly powered up. At this point the bridge between PL1000s is working fine and the PL1200s have a power light only only. I press the white button on the nearest PL1000 for 2-3 seconds. Move to one of the PL1200s and press its white button the same way. My understanding is that this should then join the PL1000 network, which would then have 3 nodes. This doesn't happen (yup, that phrase again). I repeat the process with the other PL1200. Again, no indication that it has joined the party, but then both "house" lights come up on the PL1200s and they have formed a bridge between them, unconnected to the PL1000s.
Am I just being really stupid here, or is there something wrong?
I guess it's time to try the Genie again... but so far it doesn't see my devices at all...
thesohogeek wrote:
My process, to confirm, is to start with a working PL1000 bridge and factory reset both PL1200s. I wait for a couple of minutes to be sure everything is properly powered up. At this point the bridge between PL1000s is working fine and the PL1200s have a power light only only. I press the white button on the nearest PL1000 for 2-3 seconds. Move to one of the PL1200s and press its white button the same way. My understanding is that this should then join the PL1000 network, which would then have 3 nodes. This doesn't happen (yup, that phrase again). I repeat the process with the other PL1200. Again, no indication that it has joined the party, but then both "house" lights come up on the PL1200s and they have formed a bridge between them, unconnected to the PL1000s.
Again, "This doesn't happen" is very little help in diagnosing what is going on. What "doesn't happen"? LEDs don't come on? Which ones? (See below)
I'm afraid, I can't follow that sequence.
Here's what I do:
- Get first pair of plugs to work together
- Take next plug and put it into a mains socket near the main router plug
- Go the the add a plug process so that plug three joins the network
- Confirm that plug three is set up by plugging something into its Ethernet port and check tat the appropriate LED comes on
- Move plug three to where I want it
- Repeat process with extra plugs
Remember, remote plugs will not show a lit Ethernet LED if there is nothing plugged in. Many people have made that mistake.
And, of course, the plugs don't have an IP address, so they will not show up as devices on a network map.
Maybe this is what "doesn't happen". Who knows?
OK, this is becoming silly.
When I state "doesn't happen" it means that what we are expecting to happen does not happen:
Once the 3rd unit is joined you would expect a device connected to it to be able to see the network, and since there's a DHCP server there it would acquire an address etc. Looking at the relevant Powerline connector you would expect to see all three leds illuminated, the colour of the "house" providing some indication of raw speed. When I write this "doesn't happen" it means precisely this - there is no DHCP, no ethernet connection at all, and the "house" light does not illuminate in any colour at all. To paraphrase the dead parrot sketch... you get the idea. I do not know what more technical way there is to explain this.
Can anyone meanwhile confirm that the Netgear Powerline Utility (MacOS version) is a complete waste of time.
I'm giving up. This is just consuming too much time. It should be plug and play - it is anything but. Play and pray might be OK, but this doesn't even get that far. Thank you for your input, but we've made no progress ;-)