Powerline Networking

Bl8ckr0uter

I love my Belkin PLN box. I was just curious if anyone has ever used PLN in a professional setting...

demonfurbie

ive toyed with them before, the issue ive come across is the way they broadcast over the power line so in-turn every power outlet becomes a Ethernet port

even the ones on my deck outside the house

it couldve been the brand i used it was a while ago but to me it seamed like setting up a wireless network and not using security

tpatt100

I have a pair and you can set up encryption and require password authentication before you can add another port adapter.

the_Grinch

Never used it in a professional setting, but had very little success with it at home. I live in an older home so I couldn't get it to work. Great concept and with the encryption/authentication it should be pretty safe. Plus add in the fact that a person would have to know you had it and that they'd have to buy the adapter, it all adds up to a decently secure setup.

tpatt100

the_Grinch wrote: »

Never used it in a professional setting, but had very little success with it at home. I live in an older home so I couldn't get it to work. Great concept and with the encryption/authentication it should be pretty safe. Plus add in the fact that a person would have to know you had it and that they'd have to buy the adapter, it all adds up to a decently secure setup.

I know next to nothing about home power lines but I had to try a different outlet in the same room I had the powerline adapter that was going to be connected to my home router. It would not connect downstairs to the other one with the outlet closes to my router so I had to go across the room to the other outlet.

I did it because I wanted to stream stuff downstairs to my game consoles and I average 70-75mbs which was better that I was getting with wireless.

ptilsen

Provided you can do either encryption for the port adapters as described or even have the adapter act as layer 2 device and do 802.1x or something of that nature, I don't see a problem with it. That said, my understanding is it effectively makes your power a layer 1 network, which means collisions and increasingly poor performance as devices are added. Don't quote me on that, though; I haven't researched this at all.

it_consultant

I use them at home, but I wouldn't use them in a professional setting. You would be shocked at how many surge protectors and UPS units are hidden in the grid of a building, making it unlikely that powerline would work very well.

Mike-Mike

I have a pair in my house, they work fine, but yeah, they can be difficult. I was a DSL service tech and we would use them in places where we could not install a new jack. They were hit or miss, and at times the quality would be pretty low