Powerline Questions...

[User_Zero]

I'm looking at picking up a couple powerline adapters so that I don't have to run cable from my basement to my 2nd floor, but I have some questions that I couldn't find answers to. Hoping someone can help me out (please).

Sorry if these are dumb questions, but here goes:

1. I understand these things can't be plugged into surge protectors. If that's the case, do they have built in surge protection on their ethernet port(s)? (i'd hate for a surge to take out my PC through the NIC)

2. What's the range on these things or do they encrypt traffic on the power wire? (Houses in my neighborhood are pretty close, i'm concerned that a neighbor using one of these bad boi's could essentially hop onto my network)

Thanks in advance!

[michaelkenward · Accepted solution]

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@User_Zero wrote:

@michaelkenward - thanks for the input!

I guess the thing that concerns me regarding surge damage comes from a customer we used to have (a local municipality); every time there'd be a lightning storm, we'd lose connectivity to a handful of our firewalls. sometimes it would be catastrophic failure of the device, sometimes it would be just the ethernet port connected to the cable modem.

I've had that. But the real damage was when there was a voltage spike, either on the mains or via the overhead phone lines. When that happens surge protectors can be useless. They aren't designed for spikes that rapid and vicious. They are just too slow to respond. I had a PC's motherboard, a fax machine and printer wiped out. No Ethernet connection involved.

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@User_Zero wrote:

I ask because the bedrooms where i'm going to connect these guys are on different breakers than the breaker supplying my network closet. it's a guaranteed two breaker hop between any two powerline adapters. unless there's something different about the main breaker and maybe the higher voltage coming off of the street?

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Powerline relies on the plugs' ability to talk to one another over the mains circuit. This can leave them open to interference or to blockages when there is something there that tries to manage the power.

My experience is that plugs have a hard time communicating through fuse boxes. I have a separate building that shares the same mains service, but with boxes for two separate buildings. I don't have problems with plugs within each building. These circuits are on separate upstairs and downstairs fused loops within the building. 

The only way to see if it will work is by testing your circumstances.

The only way to

[michaelkenward]

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@User_Zero wrote:

1. I understand these things can't be plugged into surge protectors. If that's the case, do they have built in surge protection on their ethernet port(s)? (i'd hate for a surge to take out my PC through the NIC)

That may be the official advice – the idea is to keep out devices that interfere with the Powerline signal – but many of us have put powerline plugs behind a protector. Then again, it is hard to see how a mains surge on a powerline plug is going to wipe out a PC through a LAN connection. There's no mains voltage on the Ethernet circuit.

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2. What's the range on these things or do they encrypt traffic on the power wire?

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Two separate questions there. The range depends on the local mains circuit.

The encryption issue is something else. Yes, plugs do have an encrypted signal, but that has not much to do with the neighbours getting at your network. It won't happen. Powerline plugs do not work across circuit breakers. Your neighbours will have completely independent mains circuits with their own fuse boxes. This is much more secure than wifi.

[User_Zero]

@michaelkenward - thanks for the input!

I guess the thing that concerns me regarding surge damage comes from a customer we used to have (a local municipality); every time there'd be a lightning storm, we'd lose connectivity to a handful of our firewalls. sometimes it would be catastrophic failure of the device, sometimes it would be just the ethernet port connected to the cable modem. Sometimes we'd reclaim the firewall there would be visible scorch marks on the WAN interface (which connected to the cable modem). We narrowed the culprit down to power surging through the coax connection and toasting the cable modem and whatever was connected to it's ethernet port. I don't know how likely it is to happen, but I'm afraid of something similar happening to one of these bad bois if it's not on a surge protector... lightning strike, power surge after an outage, or after a brownout, whatever... toasting the device so badly that current carries over to the ethernet port and damages whatever is connected to it.

Regarding my neighbor picking up my signal, it's good to know that these guys use encrypted communication, but can you elaborate on the breaker statement?  I ask because the bedrooms where i'm going to connect these guys are on different breakers than the breaker supplying my network closet. it's a guaranteed two breaker hop between any two powerline adapters. unless there's something different about the main breaker and maybe the higher voltage coming off of the street?

Thank you!

[michaelkenward · Accepted solution]

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@User_Zero wrote:

@michaelkenward - thanks for the input!

I guess the thing that concerns me regarding surge damage comes from a customer we used to have (a local municipality); every time there'd be a lightning storm, we'd lose connectivity to a handful of our firewalls. sometimes it would be catastrophic failure of the device, sometimes it would be just the ethernet port connected to the cable modem.

I've had that. But the real damage was when there was a voltage spike, either on the mains or via the overhead phone lines. When that happens surge protectors can be useless. They aren't designed for spikes that rapid and vicious. They are just too slow to respond. I had a PC's motherboard, a fax machine and printer wiped out. No Ethernet connection involved.

---

@User_Zero wrote:

I ask because the bedrooms where i'm going to connect these guys are on different breakers than the breaker supplying my network closet. it's a guaranteed two breaker hop between any two powerline adapters. unless there's something different about the main breaker and maybe the higher voltage coming off of the street?

---

Powerline relies on the plugs' ability to talk to one another over the mains circuit. This can leave them open to interference or to blockages when there is something there that tries to manage the power.

My experience is that plugs have a hard time communicating through fuse boxes. I have a separate building that shares the same mains service, but with boxes for two separate buildings. I don't have problems with plugs within each building. These circuits are on separate upstairs and downstairs fused loops within the building. 

The only way to see if it will work is by testing your circumstances.

The only way to

[User_Zero]

@michaelkenward the additional input is appreciated!

I just ordered a pair of the PLP1200's... Thanks again!

[michaelkenward]

Good luck. Hope it works out.

I have had PLP1200s working just fine for four years, feeding a media device and an Orbi in AP mode. I sometimes have to reboot them (switch on/off).

You will find that Netgear gave up on supplying software to manage these things some time ago. Third party software can work, but I find that the desktop genie lets me see what is happening.

genie | Product | Support | NETGEAR

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