will other devices bypass router in this network setup?

[Vlackho]

Hi,

I have a PVR (digicorder) at home that is currently connected through homeplug (85Mbps, so homeplug 1.0 standard), which is necessary for interactivity (like requesting a movie, rewatching a show,...). The PVR cannot be connected to a router since the ISP (Telenet Belgium) must be able to immediatly identify the PVR.

So in between my modem and router there is a switch where the other homeplug 85Mbps is connected to (and so is bypassing the router). The 85Mbps homeplugs were placed by our ISP btw and they are Topcom homeplugs.

Now on my router (which is connected to the switch) I have a 200Mbps homeplug connected (Devolo), so I can easily connect other devices throughout the house. This all works perfectly since the 200Mbps homeplugs are a different technology, they use the homeplug AV standard. And the two (85MBps and 200MBps) can happily co-exist with each other. And I haven't experienced any problems so far.

But this all becomes a giant clutter of boxes around the house, so what I want to do is get away from the Topcom 85Mbps homeplugs and replace them both with devolo homeplugs. You might be thinking, "by replacing you'll not reduce the amount of boxes inside the house". But some of the devolo homeplugs has 3 lanports on it!

I already tested replacing the Topcom homeplugs by Devolo ones and this works smoothly (PVR gets connected). So this proofs that router is again bypassed...

However, and this is my question, what will happen with the other devices??? Will they also bypass the router??? Since I put a Devolo homeplug on the switch instead of the Topcom one??? Or will ALL other devices still be directed to the router first?

(I attached a picture to clarify my question... Look at the green route, that is what I'm wondering???)

Thanks for the help in advance

 

[devnull]

The answer would be yes, there will be connectivity issues with that setup.

You might be able to make this work by manually setting the IP addresses and the default gateway on the HTPC and receiver.

You should be able to create two separate homeplug networks by having two different encryption keys, but I believe you would have to have two homeplug connections at the entertainment center as well. Basically one homeplug connection at each end will use encryption key A and the other pair will use encryption key B.

 

[Vlackho]

Thanks for the reply ^_^ That worked like a charm. By using two encryption keys I can easily setup two homeplug networks and in the router DHCP settings I can choose two fixed IP's for the reciever and HTPC (btw you might be thinking "why the heck would you wanna connect a reciever to the net?" Well I use it for firmware updates and streaming internetradio and services like spotify and last.fm...) And this works smoothly ^^ thanks.

Now I have another question also related to Homeplug... And this is really a weird one...

In several outlets of my living room I have really bad or no connectivity with homeplug. Usually I have NO connectivity in these outlets! However, if I change the setup of the other homeplugs throughout the house (for example replace the homeplugs in other outlets in the office upstairs and downstairs...) I have much better connectivity at those outlets in the living room where I usually have none. (And those are the ones I use for my Home Theatre setup) This baffles me, because I thought interference could only occur with plugs from other devices or power strips... but NOT from other Devolo homeplugs in other rooms in the house???

Cheers

 

[stevech]

Not so much "interference" as "attenuation" - the latter coming from devices plugged into that outlet, or one on the same breaker and nearby. The devices that can attenuate are numerous- high-tech TVs' internal filters, same for home theater components; some power strips; some circuits with light dimmers. And so on.
The solution is to try to use MoCA or cat5. Or juggle things around - move the offending attenuating devices to some other distant outlet with hidden extension cords or some such hacking.

Another issue in No. American homes is the two-phase AC wiring. Your breaker box has three wires coming in: Neutral, Phase A and Phase B. Typically, half the breakers are on A, the other half on B. So HomePlug can have difficulty or slow speeds if one HomePlug type devices in on A and the other is on B. Often, there's no high frequency path that bridges A and B. Some 220V appliances, if on, will do the bridge. There are high frequency phase-bridge products that might work. They go in the breaker box - by a trained installer (electrical shock hazard). Some homes luck-out in that a 220V ROMEX line to a stove or some such will act as a coupler. It's all hit and miss.

 

[StigVanbrabant]

How did you manage to get the devolo 200mbps powerline working with topcom 85mbps?
My wireless network didn't get far enough so i bought the devolo powerline to connect my ps3 with cable but it's not working.

 

[Vlackho]

They don't work together as in "Devolo adapter communicates with Topcom one". They work in the same house as in "Topcom communicates with other Topcom and Devolo with other Devolo" and without interfering with eachother. I can do this because they both use a different standard. Topcom are 85mbps = Homeplug 1.0 and Devolo are 200mbps = Homeplug AV.

Because they both use a different standard, they don't interfere with eachother. And I can both use them in my house. (Of course If I would order an older Devolo powerline adapter that uses the homeplug 1.0 standard, then I expect I would have problems...)

That's the explanation I can think of why it actually works in my house... (If someone else has another explanation, I'm always happy to learn )