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bitslayer42's avatar
bitslayer42
Aspirant
Jan 05, 2016
Solved

Powerline 1200 audio noise

When the Powerline 1200 is plugged in noisy static comes out of my computer speakers. Unplugging the 1200 makes it go away. Opening a webpage increases the noise. The speakers are plugged into the sa...
  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Jan 08, 2016

    After your detailed experiments, I think we can safely say that the Powerplugs are the source of noise on the mains circuit that is messing up the audio signal on the speakers.

     

    I haven't seen other reports of this here. Nor has anyone from Netgear stepped into this discussion.

     

    I suggested that you could try an extension block that claims to offer "noise" suppression. But the trouble there is that these plugs are usually designed for a particular type of electrical noise. I have no idea if it would also clean up the noise that the Powerplug generates.

     

    I am surprised that these plugs create noise, so there is another thing worth considering. Any mains circuit requires effective earthing. Somewhere around you should have a pretty hefty bit of cable connected to a large chunk of metal that goes into the ground. Here in the UK there are strict regulations and specifications for earthing. A few years ago, our electrician insisted that he would not work on the house until he had brought the earth circuit up to scratch. Maybe there are ways in which you can check your earth circuits.

     

    Even when a house is effectively earthed, local earth loops can add their own noise, but that usually shows up as a steady 50/60Hz hum. Eliminating that is down to earthing individual components.

     

    You might also want to file an official support case. You have now done enough experiments to provide detailed evidence.