upgrading from XAV5021 -> will it improve speed? Does upgrading the firmware make a difference?

[BWVictorious]

Heyas

Been using powerline for a long time and finally got a new half decent internet connection.

Using a powerline adaptor from router to the upstairs gives me a speed of 20->40 MBits via speed test.

Would it be worth it updating the firmware? Should I just go ahead and buy a new set? will a new powerline work faster even though it doesnt seem that the current one hits max speed (as per specs)?

Kindly let me know.

[plemans · Accepted solution]

Firmware probably won't change a whole lot on that device. 

And upgrading, *might* help but we can't tell you how much. 

Sadly everyone's home is different. The newer/faster connections might help out nicely but if there's enough interference, it might not help out at all. 

So its kind of a try it and see. I'd recommend buying from somewhere with a generour return policy in case it doesn't help out to your satisfaction. 

[plemans · Accepted solution]

Firmware probably won't change a whole lot on that device. 

And upgrading, *might* help but we can't tell you how much. 

Sadly everyone's home is different. The newer/faster connections might help out nicely but if there's enough interference, it might not help out at all. 

So its kind of a try it and see. I'd recommend buying from somewhere with a generour return policy in case it doesn't help out to your satisfaction. 

[michaelkenward]

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@BWVictorious wrote:

Using a powerline adaptor from router to the upstairs gives me a speed of 20->40 MBits via speed test.

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The Ethernet ports on the XAV5021 are rated at 100 Mbps. Given the way they measure these things, your speeds may be about the best you'll get.

Newer Powerline plugs have 1000 Mbps ports.

The speeds you get suggest that your mains circuit isn't that bad. So I'd be a bit more confident that new plugs would be faster.

But don't use then alongside the old ones. Put the two together and they will work at the speed of the slower plugs.

Try the faster plugs on their own first. Then add the old ones, if you want to use them, and check what happens.

As @plemans says, firmware won't do much. Its main role in Powerline devices is for those with wifi built in.