Homeplug AV2, should we expect real improvement ?

[slimoli]

I wonder if the new Homeplug AV2 will make a lot of difference in comparison with the existing 500Mbps adapters or will just be another 1000Mbps nominal and 45Mbps real ? My Linksys 200Mbps Powerline network goes from 10 to 30 Mbps real speed and I need at least 50 to 70Mbps to be able to stream Bluray movies. Should I wait or should I try something like the Zyxel 500Mbps ? Thanks.

 

[stevech]

Opinion: Wireless/WiFi at more than 10 ft. line of sight won't do what you want.

Why do you need these high data rates? HD 1080p is compatible with the net yield of the exisiting MoCA. HPNA on the power lines will always be erratic due to noise and signal-attenuating appliances/devices added, removed, etc.

Or can you use the flat cat5 cable under baseboards or carpet?

 

[slimoli]

Opinion: Wireless/WiFi at more than 10 ft. line of sight won't do what you want.

Why do you need these high data rates? HD 1080p is compatible with the net yield of the exisiting MoCA. HPNA on the power lines will always be erratic due to noise and signal-attenuating appliances/devices added, removed, etc.

Or can you use the flat cat5 cable under baseboards or carpet?

I live in a condo, no way to pass any cable through walls. A good bluray movie wil require 50 Mbps without stuttering. You can have 1080P from 15 to 50 Mbps for domestic use. In order to stream high bitrates you also need stable connection and even if some adpters, Wireless or Powerline, can go higher than 50 Mbps real speed, they normally are not stable. I had wireless N going from 10 to 80 Mbps depending on interference. Where I live there are more than 200 wireless modems active at the same time.

 

[kk22]

As stevech suggested, go MoCA if you have cable outlets in the rooms in question. I was in the same situation as you (multi-level townhouse vs a condo), got a Netgear MoCA kit, never looked back.

Check Tim's review and bandwidth test results at:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...tgear-moca-coax-ethernet-adapter-kit-reviewed

 

[slimoli]

As stevech suggested, go MoCA if you have cable outlets in the rooms in question. I was in the same situation as you (multi-level townhouse vs a condo), got a Netgear MoCA kit, never looked back.

Check Tim's review and bandwidth test results at:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...tgear-moca-coax-ethernet-adapter-kit-reviewed

Thanks, no go with satellite TV and I have Directv. I could use their own MOCA system (called DECA) but they claim it should only be used with their own receivers. I am happy with my current Linksys Powerline 200Mbps setup, just need a little more speed. That's the reason for my original post, I was wondering if anything new about Homeplug Av2 had come up.

 

[thiggins]

I think 500 Mbps powerline adapters will provide what you are looking for. At least they are worth a try.

See http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/powerline-charts/view

 

[slimoli]

OK. There is no miracle. I replaced all my 4 Linksys PLK300 , 200Mbps, adapters with 4 Zyxel 500Mbps (2 singles and 2 4 ports). As indicated before and after by the Zyxel utility, the speed gain was about 10 to 15 % but the real speed went from 22 to 30 Mbps. With 30 Mbps I still can't stream Bluray material or, at least, the high bitrate ones, but the connection is now much more stable than before. I tested with a M2TS file at 25 Mbps and had no stuttering at all for more than a full hour. With the previous Linksys adapter I could do it for 1 or 2 minutes but the speed would drop and the breakups would come. My conclusion: 500 Mbps is better, more stable but if you need twice the speed, forget about it and keep the old 200 Mbps.

 

[stevech]

TV coax data transmission (MoCA) uses OFDM and data "carrier" modulation techniques very much the same as WiFi and IP data on power lines.

The key difference is that MoCA on coax can have very little interference or multipath whereas WiFi (wireless) cannot, by laws of physics. The power line problems are high noise and high attenuation by various things plugged in, coming and going, switched on/off, etc. These all cause slower speeds.

500Mbps on power line is akin to WiFi trying to go 40MHz mode to cram more data per MHz of available bandwidth into an increasingly overloaded medium (wireless in residential areas).

MoCA on coax has a "private medium", the coax. The frequencies used differ from those of the TV signals.