23 May 2011
Powerline Ethernet vs. Wifi
Testing out my LAN performance when on wifi, I was only getting 4.5 - 8 Mbps. It's certainly a crowded field. Must take extra time for those radio packets to elbow through the neighborhood scrum. Today my powerline ethernet adapters arrived (D-Link 307AV, £50 for a pair). Does it work? Oh yes: 78 Mbps, even though one is plugged into a shared power strip (suboptimal) instead of a wall socket. Take that, wifi.
I am curious, if the power ethernet comes with any kind of power surge protector? I am assuming it is not hard wired to your laptop... but it connects via dedicated Wifi frequency, no?
ReplyDeleteNot wifi. They connect directly to computer via ethernet cable.
ReplyDeletebeware of spikes
ReplyDeleteCan you be more specific? Not sure why I should be more worried about spikes for this than for anything else. E.g. the computer is plugged into the wall. E.g. my adsl router & ehternet hub is plugged into the wall and directly connected, via ethernet, to at least one computer. You realise the powerline adapter isn't vending 240v power down the ethernet cable to the computer, right? Also. every plug in the UK is fused (yep, every single thing you plug in has its own fuse). That gets tedious but it helps.
ReplyDeleteI'm not being facetious here, since I'm not a hw expert, but what specifically is more dangerous about this? In what case would a power spike that would be harmless to the computer plugged into the same wall outlet be harmful to that computer that's connected via an ethernet cable to a network adapter in that outlet?
On the plus side, you're strengthening my argument for getting a massive whole-house line conditioner and UPS solution :-)
Our power in the house actualy is pretty dirty. We go through lightbulbs like mad, but never had an issue with any of the electronics so far.
Maybe Joe was making a Tempest reference ... ?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, I've got tempest on my iPad. Sound and look are nearly perfect, but it's really hard to play without a control wheel.
ReplyDeletemy apologies, I did not know about the intrinsic fusing. Nice touch, and very CE-esque.
ReplyDeleteMy initial concern was that most signal voltages are low enough to give a mild shock to a human, surge protector, or circuit board, whereas the 230VDC power source is more than enough to kill a human, surge a poorly constructed bridge, or let the electrons out of the circuitry in which they've been hiding. As Tim Beitz has said to me before "electrons are naturally shy creatures, so when they are released, it is often en masse and with heat, light, and a burning smell" (smoke, fire). I concur with you that a cost effective and common place "whole house" UPS solution is sorely lacking in our wired world.
@Rick, Ha! Nice allusion. Mademe think about the Honeycreek Mall tempest machine in Terre Haute that used to accept nickels... until the owner stood there as I played through the invisible levels, and then told me I was no longer welcome in his arcade when I was finally dragged to the bottom of the wire frame tube.