Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Phoneline Networks?

Posted by Cliff on from the better-than-10baseT? dept.

styxlord asks: "Has anyone set up a Phone Line Network at home (or the office for that matter)? Do they work? How do they compare to 10Mbps ethernet networks? Are there Linux drivers for any of the major ones? Does it interfere with DSL or voice on phone lines? I've seen offerings from Netgear, 3Com,LinkSys, Intel and Diamond to name a few. One of these in the Linux box which is then connected to a cable/DSL modem would make a very nice gateway. "

1 of 6 comments (clear)

  1. Not that great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    I tried the LinkSys Homelink 2mb kit (PC Card and the 'Broadband' bridge) and was disappointed. It wasn't really the speed, but the restrictions imposed by the physical aspects of the system.

    Know going in that...

    1) The homelink and other Home PNA devices cannot be connected to the phone jack using a splitter. If you try it, you will not even be able to get them talking (and it's not documented anywhere). If you have alot of available outlets (located where you want to use the computer) that's not a big deal.

    2) The 10mb spec has been formalized, but only a few PCI cards support it. If you buy a bridge or PCMCIA card today, you'll be pissed in a couple months.

    3) 2MB is slow. It works well for web and most internet access, but I wouldn't want to use it to mount remote drives.

    I believe that Linux support for Home PNA has been in the kernel for a while.

    Check out www.homepna.org for the manufacturers' view and www.homepna.com for reviews (no idea how independant).

    I ended up exchanging it for a pair of Aviator cards. It's better for me than the phoneline stuff, but it too has a bunch of problems. I wanted to hook a laptop to my existing lan without having to run cat5. When I look at this again in the fall, I'll probably get a 10Mb WaveLan card and 'access point'.