Re: Netgear Powerline XE102 with Multiple Switch Question

Just to follow-up, I did buy a couple of XE102's and hooked them up
tonight. One I plugged into a router/switch upstairs, and one I
plugged in downstairs (about 30 feet away), which then goes into
another switch. I then plugged my laptop into that.
Both started working immediately. Nothing to configure. I then ran a
couple of speed tests, using dslreports.com and another service. The
results were about 2800 kbps download and 300 kbps upload. This is
very close to what I get from a hardwired ethernet connection (my ISP
is Time Warner Cable). So as far as internet browsing, not much of
speed difference there, but obviously there will be a speed difference
if I copy a bunch of files between PCs on my network. I'll be testing
these things a bit more this weekend.

In article <1c251713.0404061906.502587c1@posting.google.com >,
burgerwars@yahoo.com (burgerwars) wrote:
>Just to follow-up, I did buy a couple of XE102's and hooked them up
>tonight. One I plugged into a router/switch upstairs, and one I
>plugged in downstairs (about 30 feet away), which then goes into
>another switch. I then plugged my laptop into that.
>Both started working immediately. Nothing to configure. I then ran a
>couple of speed tests, using dslreports.com and another service. The
>results were about 2800 kbps download and 300 kbps upload. This is
>very close to what I get from a hardwired ethernet connection (my ISP
>is Time Warner Cable). So as far as internet browsing, not much of
>speed difference there, but obviously there will be a speed difference
>if I copy a bunch of files between PCs on my network. I'll be testing
>these things a bit more this weekend.

Thanks for the report. I'm glad that it's working so well and that
you're getting better speeds than I do!
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Hope you don't mind my jumping in at this point. I'm considering the three
topologies (Cat5, Wireless and Powerline) for an installation at a church
client of mine. Their church office is basically a three story brick and
block construction 1940's home and running the cat5 will be difficult. The
distances between places where network drops are needed are such that the
wireless is possibly a problem. Thus I want to look at Powerline. But when I
talk to Belkin about their powerline products, they say all nodes must be on
the same circuit breaker, not just in the same breaker panel, to be able to
communicate. I can see how this makes some sense but it also severely limits
the use of the technology. I know the bedrooms on the third floor use
different circuit breakers than the offices in the basement, as you'd expect
them to. Does anyone know the correct answer here? Is there one good source
or review of the pluses and minuses of the three topologies that anyone can
recommend?

Thanks.

Michael

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" <winograd@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:9qr9705mu1h9uq4n4ghvdsmftcl1o8p48p@4ax.com...
> In article <1c251713.0404061906.502587c1@posting.google.com >,
> burgerwars@yahoo.com (burgerwars) wrote:
> >Just to follow-up, I did buy a couple of XE102's and hooked them up
> >tonight. One I plugged into a router/switch upstairs, and one I
> >plugged in downstairs (about 30 feet away), which then goes into
> >another switch. I then plugged my laptop into that.
> >Both started working immediately. Nothing to configure. I then ran a
> >couple of speed tests, using dslreports.com and another service. The
> >results were about 2800 kbps download and 300 kbps upload. This is
> >very close to what I get from a hardwired ethernet connection (my ISP
> >is Time Warner Cable). So as far as internet browsing, not much of
> >speed difference there, but obviously there will be a speed difference
> >if I copy a bunch of files between PCs on my network. I'll be testing
> >these things a bit more this weekend.
>
> Thanks for the report. I'm glad that it's working so well and that
> you're getting better speeds than I do!
> --
> Best Wishes,
> Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)
>
> Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
> for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
> addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.
>
> Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


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In article <xY6pc.127672$G_.93997@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>, "Michael"
<milo_dhuey@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Hope you don't mind my jumping in at this point. I'm considering the three
>topologies (Cat5, Wireless and Powerline) for an installation at a church
>client of mine. Their church office is basically a three story brick and
>block construction 1940's home and running the cat5 will be difficult. The
>distances between places where network drops are needed are such that the
>wireless is possibly a problem. Thus I want to look at Powerline. But when I
>talk to Belkin about their powerline products, they say all nodes must be on
>the same circuit breaker, not just in the same breaker panel, to be able to
>communicate. I can see how this makes some sense but it also severely limits
>the use of the technology. I know the bedrooms on the third floor use
>different circuit breakers than the offices in the basement, as you'd expect
>them to. Does anyone know the correct answer here? Is there one good source
>or review of the pluses and minuses of the three topologies that anyone can
>recommend?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Michael

I haven't tried Belkin's powerline product, but I suspect that their
representative gave you bad information.

The Netgear and SpeedStream powerline products that I've used work
fine between different breakers on the same panel, and between
different breaker panels in the same house. As I understand it, they
would even work between different houses that are fed from the same
power company transformer. That's why it's important to use data
encryption on the powerline network.

Here's my summary of the three topologies:

Cat5 Plus

1. Low cost
2. High speed
3. High security
4. High reliability
5. Mature technology, numerous vendors
6. Recent computers have network adapter built in

Cat5 Minus

1. Requires running cables

Wireless Plus

1. No need for cables
2. Laptop users are completely mobile.

Wireless Minus

1. High cost
2. WEP encryption hard to set up, can be broken by determined hacker.
3. Limited range

Powerline Plus

1. Easy to set up -- no driver program to install
2. No new cables -- works wherever there's an AC outlet

Powerline Minus

1. Low speed
2. Few equipment vendors
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com