@KiteArmy 

 

Pretty neat review. 

 

I don't think I've seen a test with the extention cord before.

 

Typically it is usually recommended to just plug them directly into a outlet, but this proves otherwise.

 

Thanks!

@KiteArmy 

 

These things are amazing - I would use these any day over wifi extenders 

@KiteArmy 

 

be careful, Ihave tried PA9020P kit and itstuggles with real internet throughput.

most users with standard adsl, vdsl, virgin cable will not detect this.

the issue surfaces when 350mbps and higher is tried to be extended. the tcp throughput is very poor. <200mpbs, i get average of 120-130mbps even on link rate of 1300mbps.

 

 

@manim It is true - my video only tested the speed of my internet service (100Mbps) not the maxium speed between adapters.

 

That would be a good second video - I will make if I get enough interest

@Tony 

I have a 4-port wifi access point.  If I disconnect one device to connect it to the Powerline adapter, can I connect the device I removed to the powerline adapter?  I can change it back to wifi if I need to, but the documentation is not clear.  It does look it supports two ethernets at the far end, and I have seen tp-link adapters for four ethernet adapters.

 

Thanks.

@KiteArmy 

 

Enjoyed this review. Admire the enthusiasm.  Having four PA9020's installed in my home, I would caution "start slow and be prepared for disappointment." 

 

• Achieving 115mbs on 300 ft. of straight cable is fine, but says nothing about the 2000mbs claimed for the product.  In my experience, I have never seen more than 1,300mbs claimed for two adapters on the same circuit.  To the PA9020 that is "farthest away" on a different electrical circuit, the maximum claimed rate is often less than 100mbs.  When there are multiple adapters, multiple electrical circuits, and lots of electrical connections, transmission are reduced.
• Powerline loses about 50% of its transmission to overhead (error checking, redundancy, etc.)
• Powerline is sensitive to what is connected to the electrical circuits.  Electrical motors, modern power supplies, and other things affect the signal.  Some brands of AFCI breakers which are now a code requirement, can totally kill Powerline.  300ft. of extension cord is a lot different than typical house wiring.
• My biggest concern is that Powerline has a lot in common with WiFi in regard to variability.  I have cameras that stream over Powerline for months and then one day the link simply "goes down."  I have added filters, moved rewired devices, put on ferrite chokes, etc. and not solved this issue.

 

So my bottom line is (a) these are really great as long as they "work".  Inexpensive, simple to install, "plug and play" at its best.  (b) I would never expect to have 10 or 20 of these installed in a house and not have problems.  So, put in a pair and see what happens.  Outlay under $100 plus less than an hour of effort.  If it works great, consider buying another pair.

@__David__ 

 

That should work - plug whatever you had plugged into your router into the powerline - it is a 2 port switch

Good points - you are right that electrical noise can be a problem with these devices. Getting 1.3Gbbs is pretty good - most ethernet ports are not capable of going faster than 1Gbps

KiteArmy wrote

Good points - you are right that electrical noise can be a problem with these devices. Getting 1.3Gbbs is pretty good - most ethernet ports are not capable of going faster than 1Gbps

That 1,300mbs figure was one of the things that made me question, "what's going on?"  As the TP-Link engineer pointed out, the "Transmission Rate" reported by the tpPLC Utility is some mystical, theoretical value that is sort of a "maximum".  Sort ofl like a WiFi adapter saying "866mbs connection."  All of the headers, error correction, timing pauses, sync frames, etc. etc. come out of that before any actual data is passed.  This is one of the big reasons ethernet cable is always faster than 5G WiFi.  I consistently get 949mbs of actual data across a gigabit link.

 

I have four adapters.  Two on one circuit -> electrical panel -> two on another circuit.

Just now tpPLC Utility reports from

#1 to #2 - 1,165

#1 to #3 -    513

#1 to #4 -    120

 

The total length of actual electrical wire inside the walls is unknown.  Figuring 10'-15' of wire between outlets, it is about 120' - 200' from $1 to the panel, and about 160-200' from the panel to #4.

 

I did an actual throughput test by hauling a laptop from one adapter to anther, but seem to have lost the 4x6 card I wrote the results on.

Great info. In the early 2000 I ran a whole building off of powerline equipment (50 units) - back then in was 10Mbps. It worked great. It's funny that 120Mbps seems sadly slow. The point of my video is that even at great distances (beyond wifi capability) these things just plug along (joke intended)