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Forum Discussion
PLP-1200 and WNR2000v5
Here's my situation. Our cable Internet comes into the house in a second floor bedroom, so that's where the modem is located. There's no convenient way to put the modem anywhere else. The PC and smar...
I'm afraid I haven't had time to go through your message in great detail, but I wonder if the problem could be that you are trying to use two different sets of Netgear Powerline devices.
Out of the box, Powerline devices will only talk to their partner from the same set.
To add plugs from a different set you have to go through this routine:
Adding a powerline adapter to an existing powerline network | Answer | NETGEAR Support
You can do the pairing with the plugs in the same room, as close together as possible is a good idea. Then when you have got the new plugs talking to the older ones, you can just put the new ones where you want them. They will remember that they are supposed to talk to the existing plugs.
I am slightly surprised that support started muttering about phases. It suggests to me that they are not really familiar with powerline hardware. Phase is important, but rarely in a domestic building with a single power circuit.
Thank you. I think I have done everything suggested at that link.I reset the security keys multiple times, always being careful to push the buttom for at least two seconds, and to get the adapters cycled within two minutes. I also performed a factory reset on all three powerline adapters. And when that didn't help I moved the misbehaving adapter into the same room as the adapter to which the modem is attached, then performed factory resets on both of those devices, then reset their security keys. Still nothing.
Yes, I really got the distinct impression that the support tech really didn't know anything more than I did about powerline adapters. He was also a terrible listener. At the very beginning of our session he pointed out to me that the PC's wifi was turned off. He was waving the cursor around on the screen, pointing at the little "on/off" button for wifi in the network settings, asking, "sir, do you see this?" and I could tell he was getting ready to say something like, "there's your problem, dummy!" I cut him off. I had just explained to him that I didn't want the PC on wifi.
MattB70 wrote:I also performed a factory reset on all three powerline adapters.
How many plugs do you have? If you bought two packs I would expect there to be four.
Your arrangement is not typical. Maybe that is the issue.
Using plugs to bridge between a modem and a router isn't normal. Most people would plug the router into the modem and then run all of the plugs off a single plug LAN attached to the router.
Getting wifi to somewhere else in the house is better done using a plug that doubles as a wifi access point, or feeding an access point from a plug.
I have four plugs. One is unused because I didn't need it for what I was trying to do. I did factory resets on the ones that are part of the network.
The problem with connecting the router to the modem with an ethernet cable, then running a cable from the router to a plug, is that co-locating the router with the modem provides a poor wifi signal to the parts of the house where it's mainly needed. I suppose it'd be better than the current situation (no wifi at all), so I may go ahead and do that as as stopgap measure, but it'd be far from ideal. Trying to solve the signal strength problem was what got me into PL networking in the first place.
I guess I don't really understand the difference between a router and an access point. I thought that in this configuration the router essentially was an access point.
MattB70 wrote:
Trying to solve the signal strength problem was what got me into PL networking in the first place.It is too late now but you could have fixed that by buying a powerline bundle that comes with a wifi access point. The remote plug acts as both Ethernet (LAN) connection and a wifi access point.
Connect modem to router. Connect plug to router. Put second (wifi) plug where you now have the router and you have your extended wifi coverage.
MattB70 wrote:I guess I don't really understand the difference between a router and an access point. I thought that in this configuration the router essentially was an access point.
A router can act as a wireless access point, as you have found, but it is really intended to be a LAN switch and a wifi source. An access point, more usually called a wireless access point, is simply a box that gives access to the wifi. (It can also have LAN ports.) It is usually wired to a router or to a powerline plug.
Routers are generally more powerful and controllable than access points, which are pretty dumb. If you look at the documentation of a router you will see that it invariably has a direct connection between the modem and the router.
Just to throw in some more confusion, there are also wireless repeaters. These are not hard wired to a router but "listen" to its wifi and repeat it to widen the wifi coverage.
You might want to try your fourth plug just to check that the one you have used is not a dud.
You can run two separate powerline networks over the same mains circuit. So you could use the router as the source for a second powerline circuit to feed the TV. It might work. But the network is getting complicated.