Powerline issues

Question

Recently I've started to have trouble with my Homeplug AV 200 network.

With no activity on the network a speedtest shows 20 down, 3 up and a ping of less than 30; with a ping to the router taking less than 10ms.

As soon as any computer connected via the homeplug network begins to download a file, however, this performance plummets. The ping to the router jumps up to anywhere from 300ms to 1000ms, the download speed from speedtest.net drops to about 1 or 2.

This only happens to computers connecting via a homeplug adapter - computers connected directly to the router maintain the same performance and do not effect the performance of those connected via the homeplugs.

After figuring out where the problem with my network was I swapped round the plugs to see if one had stopped working properly, but it made no difference.

This system has been working for over a year, and only within the last couple of weeks has it given me any trouble. I don't think anything has changed recently, so I'm at a complete loss for what the problem might be.

Any clues?

Answer 1

I'm no expert, but I do have some decent experiences on networking devices as a network admin and programmer. I encountered exactly the same problem you're having. Thing is... powerline devices may have advantages, but in my honest opinion, its disadvantages greatly wipes out the good it can offer. Powerline devices are only good for home use or wherever there aren't any appliances connected to the same electrical circuit. The load on the circuit by your other devices are causing this interference. I experimented on the circuit and found out that even 2 routers connected to the same circuit by extension outlet made a lot of interference. I'm not exactly sure how I can explain it in theory because clearly, ads about these devices are just too good. I plugged in the router and I got frequent disconnections, I plugged it out and connection was back in an instant. I have branded powerline devices(with wifi features) that I spent a lot on money on thinking it would ease everything up, but I was wrong. No regrets though, because learning the pros and cons using this type of devices is just worth it. To fix this issue, you must (if you can, likely impossible without relining up electrical circuits) remove all devices that consumes high current, devices with motors, devices with magnetic components, computers, washing machines, etc. from the circuit where you plugged in the powerline devices. Also, the powerline devices must be plugged in within 300 meters of line and I'm not sure about this, but some devices can only communicate with up to 8 devices in total. Although it's still possible for powerline devices to work across circuit breakers, you must avoid these, and lastly...nothing can beat old school wiring :) I hope I helped.