On Wednesday 15 April 2009 09:13:29 Stephen Rowles wrote:
> > I have used these homeplug[1] type ethernet adaptors in the past where a
> > wireless unit would not work due to old house, thick walls and distance.
> >
> > As for Zyxel, here the one I recommend [2], they normally come with a
> > wireless
> > usb dongle although you can get a router and home plug kit
> >
> > [1]
> > http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=34
> >
> > [2]
> > http://www.zyxel.co.uk/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=2004081
> >2093058&CategoryGroupNo=AC5783AE-9475-41AD-BDA5-0997187F44AA
>
> I know several people here recommend zyxel but I've had nothing but
> problems with mine, and a friend who has the same router (P660H) has also
> had similar problems. The main issue I have with it is randomly rebooting,
> which gets worse over time (depending on how many of the features of the
> router, such as upnp, syslogging etc. are turned on, as a result I don't
> use any of the "power" features any more, which was half the reason for
> buying it!) until eventually I have to do a factory reset and then
> reconfigure. My friends version also consistently connected at a lower
> speed than the netgear he has now bought to replace it. I wouldn't buy one
> again, but maybe I've just seen 2 bad cases :).
>
> As for homeplug. Do remember that it is not a switched technology, it
> essentially is the same technology as wireless but turns all the wires in
> your house into the "air". But as with wireless this is a hub rather than
> a switch style solution, each transfer will eat into the total available
> bandwidth.
>
> I have also seen various issues similar to wireless where depending on
> your cabling etc. you will probably not get the quoted speeds. There is
> quite an overhead, similar to wireless, and you rarely get the full
> throughput. A guy I worked with looked at supposedly 100meg homeplug
> adapters but in reality they could not provide enough bandwidth to stream
> high def video over (which was the whole reason for buying them) despite
> in theory there being enough headroom to do so.
>
> I would say homeplug is a good replacement for wireless, but not a good
> replacement for ethernet cables and a switch.
Home plug system is quite susceptible to bad (house) wiring and noisy appliances
on the same circuit. But when used in a good environment they work well, it
just unfortunately that you won't know the environment you have until you have
purchased them.
As for the Zyxel, I have 7 P660HW in use currently and I don't have a problem
with them. I can't comment if the bandwidth is more or less with another router
as all these ADSL were setup with the Zyxel. I have only had one fail and that
was the older dark grey version (as opposed to the newer white one).
Tim
____________________________________________________________
FREE 3D MARINE AQUARIUM SCREENSAVER - Watch dolphins, sharks & orcas on your desktop!
Check it out at
http://www.inbox.com/marineaquarium
