How to get the best out of homeplugs

**Geko** · 23rd August 2009

I have just purchased some 200 meg homeplugs.

When I first installed them was getting my full 8 meg on a speed test. Tested a minute ago, and got 2 meg. Reset both ends. Now getting 5 meg.

Is there anything I can do to get the full speeds from them? Any special way of configuring them?

Cheers.

**gurry** · 23rd August 2009

Strange. Mine were just plug in and go. No config needed.

Are you sure speedtest is reporting speeds properly??

What make are they?? The XyXEL models I have work great.

Do you have them on the same ring circuit(not necessarily the cause but worth checking)?
Are the plugged in to a socket directly or are the plugged into a surge protector??

**Geko** · 23rd August 2009

Originally Posted by gurry

Strange. Mine were just plug in and go. No config needed.

Are you sure speedtest is reporting speeds properly??

What make are they?? The XyXEL models I have work great.

Do you have them on the same ring circuit(not necessarily the cause but worth checking)?
Are the plugged in to a socket directly or are the plugged into a surge protector??

They are comtrend. I got them cheap.

You know what, it is probably a different ring. Will that make a lot of difference?

**neo2810** · 23rd August 2009

Originally Posted by WhiskyMan

They are comtrend. I got them cheap.

You know what, it is probably a different ring. Will that make a lot of difference?

Yes, how much depends on how well your house is wired...

**Geko** · 24th August 2009

Originally Posted by neo2810

Yes, how much depends on how well your house is wired...

Cheers. The guy who lived here before was a bodge, so I can imagine it isn't wired to well. But... The walls hide it well.

**gurry** · 24th August 2009

Originally Posted by WhiskyMan

Cheers. The guy who lived here before was a bodge, so I can imagine it isn't wired to well. But... The walls hide it well.

Even on a different ring they should work. I think they need two continuous conductors to work so as long as your earth and neutral are completly wired back to the switch board all should be fine.

Try them plugged in to sockets in the same room.They should, in theroy, be on the same ring.

**Geko** · 24th August 2009

Originally Posted by gurry

Even on a different ring they should work. I think they need two continuous conductors to work so as long as your earth and neutral are completly wired back to the switch board all should be fine.

Try them plugged in to sockets in the same room.They should, in theroy, be on the same ring.

Well. They do work. But my downloads are very slow.

I haven't tried in the same room, yet.

**dainese** · 3rd February 2011

Sorry to bump this. I have picked up 2 sets of these homeplugs and have got 3 working properly together. I'm not that happy with the performance I'm getting. My Internet speed is 4mb usually and have the router in the living room. From here I have one adaptor on the opposite wall in the room used for either my 360 or humax freeway box. The other is upstairs in a bedroom which is used on a dm box for freesat.

I don't experience any issues with my 360 when playing on live, but if I'm watching the dm channels other than 1-4, it has viewing glitches every 8 seconds or so. I have tried it in different sockets around the house and even next to the router and still get this. The wiring is all on one fuse, but being built in 1850's I can't judge how new all the mains wiring is, other than say it has a modern RCA fuse box and looks like fairly new wires coming into it.

I hope this is just a set-up issue as streaming would be terrible. Can something be done using an ip address for the homeplugs?

**reverend** · 3rd February 2011

What brand were the ones you've got? I picked up some Solwise 500Mbit ones on Monday and they come with an app that runs on Windows called Powerpacket or something like that, and you can view all the plugs in the network, along with their speed and firmware versions, might be worth seeing if something similar is available for yours?

**dainese** · 3rd February 2011

They are Comtrend (bt) homeplugs I picked up for about �80 for 4. They claim 200mbps but I think it is split 100mbps download and 100mbps upload. I linked up my laptop and did a speedcheck on a website online and it showed about 4mb on all the homeplugs i plugged it into? Hardly any noticeable difference than being plugged into the router itself. I might have overlooked something here?

**Geko** · 3rd February 2011

^^

On the DM, I presume you are getting infomation from the net? Have you checked the ping speed on your server/client you are attached to? Could be an over subscribed share.

I forgot I had started this thread. I have a 56 meg throughput on my homeplugs and yet still can't stream HD. I have come to the conclusion that it is an issue with the wiring in my house as it streams fine plugged directly into the gig switch.

**the.insane** · 3rd February 2011

ok, based on the information in this thread, i tradionally used solwise plugs between virgin media modem and D-link router with DD-WRT firmware, i was getting around 5-7 MPS and kept ringing virgin media calling them cunts and allsorts. Today i swapped the solwise plugs with the orange plugs made by devolo ( these were originally going from touter to SAT box). withthe orange plugs now between modem and router i get a constant 14MPS, looks like those twats at VM werent capping me after all but i had shitty homeplugs.

**tom999** · 3rd February 2011

Sorry to jack this thread. but can anyone with homeplugs confirm if they will allow a remote computer to wake on lan (WOL)? do they go to 'sleep' and prevent the packet getting through?

thanks

**reverend** · 3rd February 2011

Originally Posted by tom999

Sorry to jack this thread. but can anyone with homeplugs confirm if they will allow a remote computer to wake on lan (WOL)? do they go to 'sleep' and prevent the packet getting through?

thanks

From what I've seen so far of mine they go to sleep when the ethernet connection is down - so that may scupper WOL as the magic packets won't get through?

I'll take a look at the book when I get home to see what it says

**gunner** · 3rd February 2011

Originally Posted by dainese

They are Comtrend (bt) homeplugs I picked up for about �80 for 4. They claim 200mbps but I think it is split 100mbps download and 100mbps upload. I linked up my laptop and did a speedcheck on a website online and it showed about 4mb on all the homeplugs i plugged it into? Hardly any noticeable difference than being plugged into the router itself. I might have overlooked something here?

There is a setup page accessed via IP for the comtrends. Run angry IP scanner, and pick a range to scan, anything identified but not known by yourself will be the comtrends, then type in the IP to get the menu.

Not sure there are any settings that will improve performance though.

**flipper321** · 16th February 2011

Originally Posted by tom999

Sorry to jack this thread. but can anyone with homeplugs confirm if they will allow a remote computer to wake on lan (WOL)? do they go to 'sleep' and prevent the packet getting through?

thanks

My homeplugs do work with WOL. As long as your PC is compatible and maintains power to the NIC when off then the my homeplugs maintain a connection.