@coffee123 

 

Hi,

 

Yes, the connection is encrypted after you have paired the Powerline adapters and nobody else can add one of their Powerline adapters to your Powerline network unless they can manage to push the physical "Pair" button of one of your Powerline adapters.

 

There is no additional password or whitelist that could protect you from pairing via a "Pair" button.

 

As for the encryption. If you'd like to strengthen the encryption further, then you can do so by changing the default network name "HomePlugAV" to something else by clicking the "Secure" button in the tpPLC Utility software.

 

Thanks for your reply. May I ask, how would changing the network name improve security? Like, if a malicious person in the building tries to tap into someone else's powerline, how would changing the network name help when there is no password? Just trying to understand how these powerlines work.

  @coffee123 

 

I also merely read that info about the default name HomePlugAV and recommendation to changing it on the Internet.

 

But your reply got me thinking as well.

So I've just tested this myself and actually what apparently happens is that the "network name" is automatically changed when the pairing procedure via the "Pair" buttons is performed. (At least on my TP-Link Powerline adapters. It might be different on other brands' Powerline adapters.)

Therefore there is no need to modify the powerline network name again manually. Please ignore what I wrote in my previous post.

I see. Thanks for testing it out :)