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Homplug tips and tricks
After spending an infinite amount of time working on my homeplugs to get the best results and then working on other people’s based on what I have learnt, I thought the best idea would be to present a summary of tips and tricks here for other people who may be looking for something similar.
The Basics
1) What are Homeplugs?
Homeplugs (or HP) are devices which allow your internet signal to travel around a mains circuit rather than an Ethernet wire or wirelessly. This means that wherever you are in your house, if there’s a socket near by then you can plug in the homeplug and have an Ethernet port there.
Why? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly, many houses have WIFI dark spots where a wireless signal can’t reach. In addition to this, the signal will often be weaker and the speed slower than a wired connection.
Secondly, running Ethernet wires all around your house is impractical and expensive, meaning that you need to be near a router to get the best out of your broadband.
Lastly, some technology like Blu-ray players, new TVs and Freeview/Freesat boxes which require the internet don’t have wireless and require an Ethernet connection. If you’re anything like me then your router is upstairs, well away from any of your TV equipment.
2) How do they work?
There are 2 boxes. One plugs in to a mains plug near your router and takes an Ethernet lead from your router to the box. This then sends the signal to another box once they are synced up.
The other box sits anywhere else in the house, plugged into a mains socket. This provides another Ethernet wire out to any piece of equipment.
3) Multiple connections
If you need more than one Ethernet socket out then you can do this 2 ways:
Firstly you can use multiple Homeplugs. The system allows for many Homeplug devices to run on the same network, meaning that with just one box coming from the router you can then place many Homeplugs around the house to get Ethernet connections wherever you are.
Secondly there is the option of buying a multi-port Homeplug. This option is useful for when you need more Ethernet wires close together, such as in a Lounge where you need Ethernet for a second PC, TV and Blu-ray player. These work out cheaper than several separate boxes and only take up one mains plug.
Issues with Homeplugs
Speed
By far the biggest issue I’ve come across is finding that your Homeplug is only giving you 50% of the expected speed, or even less in some cases.
The main reason I’ve found has always been down to either the socket itself or the fact that the plug was used in a multi-way adaptor (like one of those 4-in-1 plugs). Having tested various homeplugs with different adaptors I’ve found several things:
- Don’t assume they won’t work with a surge protected adaptor. I’ve had some good results moving plugs to one of these from an old adaptor
- Try to use the mains socket first without any other plugs, this cuts the risk of other equipment getting in the way.
- Old adaptors or bad wiring can ruin the speed of a homeplug.
- Move the homeplug around and test the speed with speedtest.net.
If this fails then it may be an item of electrical equipment in the house which is causing interference, though this tends to affect the stability of the line rather than the general speed (so could be up to speed for 30 minutes and then drop all of a sudden). However, the checks are the same whether for speed or stability, so follow the list below:
Stability
Anything from fridges to lamps could possibly weaken the signal so if you’re prepared for a bit of a trek around your house then it may yield results. Start by turning off everything you possibly can, even better if you can unplug it all from the wall (I had one neighbour who had an LED light near the homeplug and it didn’t seem to cause any problems until I took it out of the socket completely and the speed jumped right up!
Once everything bar the computer, router and homeplugs are off check Speedtest.net. If this gives you the expected speed and a stable connection then you can go around turning things back on (I’d suggest doing it in 3’s, 3 items at a time then test the speed again.
Just as with speed, some older extention wires or even old wired mains sockets can slow down or even stop the internet signal getting to your homeplug. If you are getting issues, first test out the 2 homeplugs right next to each other on a range of mains sockets or extention leads. I’ve had a very mixed response to all sorts of extention leads, new and old. It’s certainly not true that all extention leads will slow the network down.
Testing
If you really want to test the speed and stability of the network then I’d recommend this link:
http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/
I’ve found it to be very useful in determining where a problem may lay. You will need to run it on a PC at both ends of the Homeplug network though, with the PC on the router side as iperf –s and on the client side being added as iperf -c
AOL
AOL have a bad reputation, but to be fair they’re getting better. Why is this relevant to Homeplugs? Well, it’s the only ISP I’ve come across which provides a router that is incompatible with Homeplugs. The router is so heavily protected it doesn’t allow homeplugs to work. With a quick change of router (they’re not too expensive and you’ll find that they’re probably far more reliable than the standard AOL one) you can solve the issue. From what I’ve seen this tend to apply to AOL routers provided 3 years ago or more.
Passwords
All modern Homeplugs can be password protected, most have a button to create a random password between homeplugs on your network but many also use software which you can use on your PC or Mac to create a password and even manage the speed and visibility of the plugs.
If you live in a semi-detached or terrace house then it’s essential you ensure the Homeplug network is password protected. Despite having separate fuseboxes it is possible (albeit very slightly) for the homeplug network to be picked up on your neighbours power line. If both of you are using homeplugs, then you can imagine the possibilities. However, this is only a precaution and many tests have shown that most houses will stop the signal at the fuse box.
After spending an infinite amount of time working on my homeplugs to get the best results and then working on other people’s based on what I have learnt, I thought the best idea would be to present a summary of tips and tricks here for other people who may be looking for something similar.
The Basics
1) What are Homeplugs?
Homeplugs (or HP) are devices which allow your internet signal to travel around a mains circuit rather than an Ethernet wire or wirelessly. This means that wherever you are in your house, if there’s a socket near by then you can plug in the homeplug and have an Ethernet port there.
Why? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly, many houses have WIFI dark spots where a wireless signal can’t reach. In addition to this, the signal will often be weaker and the speed slower than a wired connection.
Secondly, running Ethernet wires all around your house is impractical and expensive, meaning that you need to be near a router to get the best out of your broadband.
Lastly, some technology like Blu-ray players, new TVs and Freeview/Freesat boxes which require the internet don’t have wireless and require an Ethernet connection. If you’re anything like me then your router is upstairs, well away from any of your TV equipment.
2) How do they work?
There are 2 boxes. One plugs in to a mains plug near your router and takes an Ethernet lead from your router to the box. This then sends the signal to another box once they are synced up.
The other box sits anywhere else in the house, plugged into a mains socket. This provides another Ethernet wire out to any piece of equipment.
3) Multiple connections
If you need more than one Ethernet socket out then you can do this 2 ways:
Firstly you can use multiple Homeplugs. The system allows for many Homeplug devices to run on the same network, meaning that with just one box coming from the router you can then place many Homeplugs around the house to get Ethernet connections wherever you are.
Secondly there is the option of buying a multi-port Homeplug. This option is useful for when you need more Ethernet wires close together, such as in a Lounge where you need Ethernet for a second PC, TV and Blu-ray player. These work out cheaper than several separate boxes and only take up one mains plug.
Issues with Homeplugs
Speed
By far the biggest issue I’ve come across is finding that your Homeplug is only giving you 50% of the expected speed, or even less in some cases.
The main reason I’ve found has always been down to either the socket itself or the fact that the plug was used in a multi-way adaptor (like one of those 4-in-1 plugs). Having tested various homeplugs with different adaptors I’ve found several things:
- Don’t assume they won’t work with a surge protected adaptor. I’ve had some good results moving plugs to one of these from an old adaptor
- Try to use the mains socket first without any other plugs, this cuts the risk of other equipment getting in the way.
- Old adaptors or bad wiring can ruin the speed of a homeplug.
- Move the homeplug around and test the speed with speedtest.net.
If this fails then it may be an item of electrical equipment in the house which is causing interference, though this tends to affect the stability of the line rather than the general speed (so could be up to speed for 30 minutes and then drop all of a sudden). However, the checks are the same whether for speed or stability, so follow the list below:
Stability
Anything from fridges to lamps could possibly weaken the signal so if you’re prepared for a bit of a trek around your house then it may yield results. Start by turning off everything you possibly can, even better if you can unplug it all from the wall (I had one neighbour who had an LED light near the homeplug and it didn’t seem to cause any problems until I took it out of the socket completely and the speed jumped right up!
Once everything bar the computer, router and homeplugs are off check Speedtest.net. If this gives you the expected speed and a stable connection then you can go around turning things back on (I’d suggest doing it in 3’s, 3 items at a time then test the speed again.
Just as with speed, some older extention wires or even old wired mains sockets can slow down or even stop the internet signal getting to your homeplug. If you are getting issues, first test out the 2 homeplugs right next to each other on a range of mains sockets or extention leads. I’ve had a very mixed response to all sorts of extention leads, new and old. It’s certainly not true that all extention leads will slow the network down.
Testing
If you really want to test the speed and stability of the network then I’d recommend this link:
http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/
I’ve found it to be very useful in determining where a problem may lay. You will need to run it on a PC at both ends of the Homeplug network though, with the PC on the router side as iperf –s and on the client side being added as iperf -c
AOL
AOL have a bad reputation, but to be fair they’re getting better. Why is this relevant to Homeplugs? Well, it’s the only ISP I’ve come across which provides a router that is incompatible with Homeplugs. The router is so heavily protected it doesn’t allow homeplugs to work. With a quick change of router (they’re not too expensive and you’ll find that they’re probably far more reliable than the standard AOL one) you can solve the issue. From what I’ve seen this tend to apply to AOL routers provided 3 years ago or more.
Passwords
All modern Homeplugs can be password protected, most have a button to create a random password between homeplugs on your network but many also use software which you can use on your PC or Mac to create a password and even manage the speed and visibility of the plugs.
If you live in a semi-detached or terrace house then it’s essential you ensure the Homeplug network is password protected. Despite having separate fuseboxes it is possible (albeit very slightly) for the homeplug network to be picked up on your neighbours power line. If both of you are using homeplugs, then you can imagine the possibilities. However, this is only a precaution and many tests have shown that most houses will stop the signal at the fuse box.
This is a great guide. i used Homeplugs for a few months, but had several issues with its reliability. First, it just stopped working suddenly. Through a tiresome process of elimination it was due to the multiplug extension downstairs... was working fine before but now it stops the net connection... so threw that away and bought a new one.
Then I noticed the connection would break if I switched certain appliances on (again, connected to the new multiplug adaptor) the wrong way - eg TV on, then DVD recorder, then TV off - that would cut off the data transfer through the internet - even though the connection is still active.
So in the end I decided it would be far less hassle to buy a 40m cable and just run it along the wall and upstairs to the computer.
Then I noticed the connection would break if I switched certain appliances on (again, connected to the new multiplug adaptor) the wrong way - eg TV on, then DVD recorder, then TV off - that would cut off the data transfer through the internet - even though the connection is still active.
So in the end I decided it would be far less hassle to buy a 40m cable and just run it along the wall and upstairs to the computer.
Homplug tips and tricks
After spending an infinite amount of time working on my homeplugs to get the best results and then working on other people’s based on what I have learnt, I thought the best idea would be to present a summary of tips and tricks here for other people who may be looking for something similar.
The Basics
1) What are Homeplugs?
Homeplugs (or HP) are devices which allow your internet signal to travel around a mains circuit rather than an Ethernet wire or wirelessly. This means that wherever you are in your house, if there’s a socket near by then you can plug in the homeplug and have an Ethernet port there.
Why? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly, many houses have WIFI dark spots where a wireless signal can’t reach. In addition to this, the signal will often be weaker and the speed slower than a wired connection.
Secondly, running Ethernet wires all around your house is impractical and expensive, meaning that you need to be near a router to get the best out of your broadband.
Lastly, some technology like Blu-ray players, new TVs and Freeview/Freesat boxes which require the internet don’t have wireless and require an Ethernet connection. If you’re anything like me then your router is upstairs, well away from any of your TV equipment.
2) How do they work?
There are 2 boxes. One plugs in to a mains plug near your router and takes an Ethernet lead from your router to the box. This then sends the signal to another box once they are synced up.
The other box sits anywhere else in the house, plugged into a mains socket. This provides another Ethernet wire out to any piece of equipment.
3) Multiple connections
If you need more than one Ethernet socket out then you can do this 2 ways:
Firstly you can use multiple Homeplugs. The system allows for many Homeplug devices to run on the same network, meaning that with just one box coming from the router you can then place many Homeplugs around the house to get Ethernet connections wherever you are.
Secondly there is the option of buying a multi-port Homeplug. This option is useful for when you need more Ethernet wires close together, such as in a Lounge where you need Ethernet for a second PC, TV and Blu-ray player. These work out cheaper than several separate boxes and only take up one mains plug.
Issues with Homeplugs
Speed
By far the biggest issue I’ve come across is finding that your Homeplug is only giving you 50% of the expected speed, or even less in some cases.
The main reason I’ve found has always been down to either the socket itself or the fact that the plug was used in a multi-way adaptor (like one of those 4-in-1 plugs). Having tested various homeplugs with different adaptors I’ve found several things:
- Don’t assume they won’t work with a surge protected adaptor. I’ve had some good results moving plugs to one of these from an old adaptor
- Try to use the mains socket first without any other plugs, this cuts the risk of other equipment getting in the way.
- Old adaptors or bad wiring can ruin the speed of a homeplug.
- Move the homeplug around and test the speed with speedtest.net.
If this fails then it may be an item of electrical equipment in the house which is causing interference, though this tends to affect the stability of the line rather than the general speed (so could be up to speed for 30 minutes and then drop all of a sudden). However, the checks are the same whether for speed or stability, so follow the list below:
Stability
Anything from fridges to lamps could possibly weaken the signal so if you’re prepared for a bit of a trek around your house then it may yield results. Start by turning off everything you possibly can, even better if you can unplug it all from the wall (I had one neighbour who had an LED light near the homeplug and it didn’t seem to cause any problems until I took it out of the socket completely and the speed jumped right up!
Once everything bar the computer, router and homeplugs are off check Speedtest.net. If this gives you the expected speed and a stable connection then you can go around turning things back on (I’d suggest doing it in 3’s, 3 items at a time then test the speed again.
Just as with speed, some older extention wires or even old wired mains sockets can slow down or even stop the internet signal getting to your homeplug. If you are getting issues, first test out the 2 homeplugs right next to each other on a range of mains sockets or extention leads. I’ve had a very mixed response to all sorts of extention leads, new and old. It’s certainly not true that all extention leads will slow the network down.
Testing
If you really want to test the speed and stability of the network then I’d recommend this link:
http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/
I’ve found it to be very useful in determining where a problem may lay. You will need to run it on a PC at both ends of the Homeplug network though, with the PC on the router side as iperf –s and on the client side being added as iperf -c
AOL
AOL have a bad reputation, but to be fair they’re getting better. Why is this relevant to Homeplugs? Well, it’s the only ISP I’ve come across which provides a router that is incompatible with Homeplugs. The router is so heavily protected it doesn’t allow homeplugs to work. With a quick change of router (they’re not too expensive and you’ll find that they’re probably far more reliable than the standard AOL one) you can solve the issue. From what I’ve seen this tend to apply to AOL routers provided 3 years ago or more.
Passwords
All modern Homeplugs can be password protected, most have a button to create a random password between homeplugs on your network but many also use software which you can use on your PC or Mac to create a password and even manage the speed and visibility of the plugs.
If you live in a semi-detached or terrace house then it’s essential you ensure the Homeplug network is password protected. Despite having separate fuseboxes it is possible (albeit very slightly) for the homeplug network to be picked up on your neighbours power line. If both of you are using homeplugs, then you can imagine the possibilities. However, this is only a precaution and many tests have shown that most houses will stop the signal at the fuse box.
After spending an infinite amount of time working on my homeplugs to get the best results and then working on other people’s based on what I have learnt, I thought the best idea would be to present a summary of tips and tricks here for other people who may be looking for something similar.
The Basics
1) What are Homeplugs?
Homeplugs (or HP) are devices which allow your internet signal to travel around a mains circuit rather than an Ethernet wire or wirelessly. This means that wherever you are in your house, if there’s a socket near by then you can plug in the homeplug and have an Ethernet port there.
Why? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly, many houses have WIFI dark spots where a wireless signal can’t reach. In addition to this, the signal will often be weaker and the speed slower than a wired connection.
Secondly, running Ethernet wires all around your house is impractical and expensive, meaning that you need to be near a router to get the best out of your broadband.
Lastly, some technology like Blu-ray players, new TVs and Freeview/Freesat boxes which require the internet don’t have wireless and require an Ethernet connection. If you’re anything like me then your router is upstairs, well away from any of your TV equipment.
2) How do they work?
There are 2 boxes. One plugs in to a mains plug near your router and takes an Ethernet lead from your router to the box. This then sends the signal to another box once they are synced up.
The other box sits anywhere else in the house, plugged into a mains socket. This provides another Ethernet wire out to any piece of equipment.
3) Multiple connections
If you need more than one Ethernet socket out then you can do this 2 ways:
Firstly you can use multiple Homeplugs. The system allows for many Homeplug devices to run on the same network, meaning that with just one box coming from the router you can then place many Homeplugs around the house to get Ethernet connections wherever you are.
Secondly there is the option of buying a multi-port Homeplug. This option is useful for when you need more Ethernet wires close together, such as in a Lounge where you need Ethernet for a second PC, TV and Blu-ray player. These work out cheaper than several separate boxes and only take up one mains plug.
Issues with Homeplugs
Speed
By far the biggest issue I’ve come across is finding that your Homeplug is only giving you 50% of the expected speed, or even less in some cases.
The main reason I’ve found has always been down to either the socket itself or the fact that the plug was used in a multi-way adaptor (like one of those 4-in-1 plugs). Having tested various homeplugs with different adaptors I’ve found several things:
- Don’t assume they won’t work with a surge protected adaptor. I’ve had some good results moving plugs to one of these from an old adaptor
- Try to use the mains socket first without any other plugs, this cuts the risk of other equipment getting in the way.
- Old adaptors or bad wiring can ruin the speed of a homeplug.
- Move the homeplug around and test the speed with speedtest.net.
If this fails then it may be an item of electrical equipment in the house which is causing interference, though this tends to affect the stability of the line rather than the general speed (so could be up to speed for 30 minutes and then drop all of a sudden). However, the checks are the same whether for speed or stability, so follow the list below:
Stability
Anything from fridges to lamps could possibly weaken the signal so if you’re prepared for a bit of a trek around your house then it may yield results. Start by turning off everything you possibly can, even better if you can unplug it all from the wall (I had one neighbour who had an LED light near the homeplug and it didn’t seem to cause any problems until I took it out of the socket completely and the speed jumped right up!
Once everything bar the computer, router and homeplugs are off check Speedtest.net. If this gives you the expected speed and a stable connection then you can go around turning things back on (I’d suggest doing it in 3’s, 3 items at a time then test the speed again.
Just as with speed, some older extention wires or even old wired mains sockets can slow down or even stop the internet signal getting to your homeplug. If you are getting issues, first test out the 2 homeplugs right next to each other on a range of mains sockets or extention leads. I’ve had a very mixed response to all sorts of extention leads, new and old. It’s certainly not true that all extention leads will slow the network down.
Testing
If you really want to test the speed and stability of the network then I’d recommend this link:
http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/
I’ve found it to be very useful in determining where a problem may lay. You will need to run it on a PC at both ends of the Homeplug network though, with the PC on the router side as iperf –s and on the client side being added as iperf -c
AOL
AOL have a bad reputation, but to be fair they’re getting better. Why is this relevant to Homeplugs? Well, it’s the only ISP I’ve come across which provides a router that is incompatible with Homeplugs. The router is so heavily protected it doesn’t allow homeplugs to work. With a quick change of router (they’re not too expensive and you’ll find that they’re probably far more reliable than the standard AOL one) you can solve the issue. From what I’ve seen this tend to apply to AOL routers provided 3 years ago or more.
Passwords
All modern Homeplugs can be password protected, most have a button to create a random password between homeplugs on your network but many also use software which you can use on your PC or Mac to create a password and even manage the speed and visibility of the plugs.
If you live in a semi-detached or terrace house then it’s essential you ensure the Homeplug network is password protected. Despite having separate fuseboxes it is possible (albeit very slightly) for the homeplug network to be picked up on your neighbours power line. If both of you are using homeplugs, then you can imagine the possibilities. However, this is only a precaution and many tests have shown that most houses will stop the signal at the fuse box.