Netgear PLP2000 performance comparison to TP-Link PA9020P

Question

Hi all,&nbsp;I have a TP-Link PA9020P, which is a competitor to the Netgear PLP2000. My ISP connection is 100/20 and I get maxed out speeds when I'm connected to my router via ethernet.&nbsp;When I'm connected via my TP-Link powerline from about 50m away, I get around 65~95 Mbps down and 16 Mbps up. On average, my download would be around 65~75 Mbps and only sometimes hitting above 85 Mbps. I don't really have an issue with my TP-Link, as it is pretty stable and performs quite well. However, the speed not ideal sometimes and so I'm looking to try out the Netgear.&nbsp;I've read some articles and it seems that Netgear performs better, but I can't find any good performance benchmarks and I can't find proper comparison tests between the Netgear and the TP-Link. Just wondering if anyone can provide some input on this please?&nbsp;Also, my TP-Link is a v1 and the latest version (for the same model) is currently at v4. My understanding is that v4 has a better and newer hardware and updated firmware (only dedicated to that version). Is the same true for the Netgear? I can't find any firmware updates or any changelogs for the Netgear, so I don't know how to properly compare the 2.

plemans · Answer

MIght it help a little? Tough to say as it'd requiring someone to have both sets to compare with. Its going to be a bit rare.&nbsp;
And I haven't seen a whole lot for details on Netgears adapters or even much for support. It seems like users have to use other companies utlities to update.
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Any chance you have coax ran through your home? A set of Moca Adapters (ethernet over coax) might get you better performance than powerline.&nbsp;

chaoscreater · Answer

Nope, I don't have coax in my house.&nbsp;The reason why I'm wanting to try out a different powerline adapter is because I used to have a D-Link (can't remember the model). It was supposedly (on paper) to be on par with my TP-Link, but it performed a lot worse. So I think the bottleneck here is definitely the powerline.&nbsp;Regarding firmware update using other other companies' utilities, could you elaborate a bit more on that please? What tools are they using and how are they actually updating their powerline? I wasn't able to find any firmware available to download for the PLP2000 from Netgear's website, so how did others update without a firmware file?

plemans · Answer

Zyxel makes a powerline utility that works based off the chipset and not the make of the devices. I've used it before but not recently so not sure if it still works. You can do a quick google search.&nbsp;
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Sadly, I haven't seen a big difference between powerline makes on actual performance as it tends to be the same chipsets used. Difference is only usually around that 10%. Not enough to invest in new prodcuts in my experience.&nbsp;
Any chance a mesh network like orbi might work at your place?&nbsp;

chaoscreater · Answer

Interesting. So the firmware is just for the chipset itself? I would've thought the firmware would include other bits and bobs for the different vendors. From memory, the&nbsp;TP-Link PA9020P uses the same chipset, but offers more visibility of the speed coming in and out of the powerlines through the TP-Link utility.&nbsp;As for setting up a mesh network, that's not an option for me unfortunately. I have a granny flat behind the main house and the 2 properties are separated by a huge space in between, where there's a garden and a lot of concrete ground. I think mesh would be super weak. I tried wireless repeater previously and was getting poor results.

michaelkenward · Answer

chaoscreater&nbsp;wrote:
Interesting. So the firmware is just for the chipset itself?

That's not how I see it. The utility and the firmware are different things.
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The utility is just a way of managing devices, with ZyXEL being the most capable and Netgear providing nothing. (I have also used devolo.)
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The software will not let you write someone else's firmware. In other words, I think you are correct in this bit:
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chaoscreater&nbsp;wrote:
I would've thought the firmware would include other bits and bobs for the different vendors. From memory, the&nbsp;TP-Link PA9020P uses the same chipset, but offers more visibility of the speed coming in and out of the powerlines through the TP-Link utility.
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In reality, the only&nbsp;firmware updates I have seen for Powerline devices is for plugs with a built in wireless access point.
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chaoscreater&nbsp;wrote:
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As for setting up a mesh network, that's not an option for me unfortunately. I have a granny flat behind the main house and the 2 properties are separated by a huge space in between...
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Depends on the size of this huge space., Netgear's Omni range has an outdoor satellite that can bridge the gap while also supporting Mesh as an option. My&nbsp;experience is that can be faster than using Powerline to bridge the same gap, but that depends on the quality of the mains connection between the properties.
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Netgear PLP2000 performance comparison to TP-Link PA9020P

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