Powerline my last hope dashed :(

[Carnagerover]

Hi all,

I bought a Netgear HDB101 starterkit as i have recently moved my HTPC from the loungue into the now computer room.

I had previously tried the D-link DIR-855 and this went back within a day as it wasnt up to the task of delivering wireless into my computer room without dropping packets and tbh wireless just doesn't seem to cut it for gaming full stop.

I can't re-wire the house to include Cat 5 cable, live in the UK and its just not practical to do that in my house.

So i thought i had found the answer in homeplugs put it seems that something in my wiring is causing a problem for the old Powerline adapters.

I get zero packet loss with these put i get spikes in my ping, therefore it is better than wireless and slightly faster but for gaming it is still causing me problems.

Here is an example of me pinging the router from my PC upstairs to the router downstairs through the Powerline adapters;

Pinging 192.168.0.200 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=89ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=66ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=221ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=81ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.0.200: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=255

As you can see there is a whopper 221ms spike in there, just one of them when i'm playing an overseas game which in Halo 3 is a distinct possibility then its lag time and i'm buying. Even the 82ms would probably throw a stutter.

So this is a better solution that wireless for me as i dont drop packets but i will still get the odd stutter.

 

[thiggins]

The varying ping times are typical for the technology. Considering the lousy electrical characteristics of mains wiring for transmission of high speed digital signals, it's a wonder that powerline networking works as well as it does!

 

[Carnagerover]

This is true and i agree,

I still think it is better than wireless though if you dont need latency, and you dont get any packet loss like with wireless.

I am going wired, Cat5e external cable coming out of my router cupboard in the lounge, outside up the front of the house then into the loft, across the loft and then down the other side of the house into the computer room, two rj45 back boxes for each side and bobs your uncle.

No more lag and <1ms ping to my router, its gonna be wicked sick and i can't wait, not looking forward to going up the ladder but unless i fall off it will be worth it for sure

Then all the important rooms will be wired

I'm geeking out for sure

 

[thiggins]

No more lag and <1ms ping to my router

Yep. That's what real Ethernet delivers. Can't beat it for gaming and media distribution.

Be careful on that ladder!

 

[Carnagerover]

Be careful on that ladder!

Thanks i'll need it

I'll post back when installed, possibly take some pics as i go so you can see the mayhem

 

[Carnagerover]

Well finally got round to installing the cable, did it this afternoon, it is a 20 metre cat 5e cable that goes out of the lounge into the loft and then across the loft and then down into my computer room.

Both have back boxes, so there is a patch lead going into the router and one in the computer room into the back of the PC.

After pinging the router from here i am working at 100mbps at the moment until i get a gigabit switch, however.

When i ping my router i get an average ping of 0ms but each time i have done an extended ping i get either a 2 or 3ms ping.

What could cause the 3ms ping ? Have i wired them up wrong ?

At the moment in the PC room there is a 10 metre cable that goes from the pc to the network box as that is all that i had, could this be the problem ?

At the moment then it is 30+ metres, 20 metres for the actual cable then 1 for the patch cable into the router and 10 metres for the cable into the PC.

 

[thiggins]

3ms ping is no cause for concern.

 

[Carnagerover]

Hi,

I assumed that it would all be 0ms though, i know that it will not cause a problem however i am very interested in finding out why this happens.

I have replaced the 10 metre cable with a smaller one and changed the patch cable that goes into the router, i still get the occasional 2ms ping, average is 0ms.

Is it because i have used to backboxes, if i change the cable that goes out of the lounge to be a normal rj45 cable that plugs directly into the router do you think that should make a difference ?

I know it is trivial but it took some big work to get this installed and i like perfection.

How can i work out what i causing this ?

 

[Carnagerover]

Just to add i have tried the laptop directly wired into the router and it always comes back with <1ms.

The Backboxes i used had a colour coded rj45 connection on them, there was B, A and then another set of colours.

I used B on them both, the last set of colours is the same for either A or B wiring configuration from what i have read.

 

[Carnagerover]

Fixed the problem by doing some reading up on it,

Apparantly the Cat5e cable loses speed and strenght if the cable is untwisted when installed, i had un-twisted.

I have now re-wired with a twist and now enjoy a ping of 0ms

Yay of yays

I'm going on Holiday tomorrow but will post some installation pics when i get back