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Non-Invasive Networking - HomePNA vs. HomePlug?

Posted by Cliff on from the when-you-can't-settle-on-traditional-wired-or-wireless dept.

zonker asks: "I live in a relatively new, moderately sized home that doesn't have conduit in the walls, nor does it have extra wires for networking. I am investigating getting a broadband connection, but first I have to decide how I will connect the network for the 6 computers in the house. As per the owners, I am not allowed to drill holes in the walls, and as per my girlfriend, I am not allowed to run Cat5 through the halls, so I am looking at my alternatives: wireless, HomePNA, and HomePlug. I'm afraid the house is a little too big for wireless without getting expensive, so it looks like either phonewire, or electric-wire. I've done some initial googling for people's opinions of these products and my quick findings where that magazine and website reviews seem to be favorable of some of them, while personal accounts seem to vary wildly. What solutions have worked for you? Are these things ready for primetime? Or should I suck it up and buy a few WAP's to extend the radius of a wireless network?"

5 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. HomePNA by TheDarkRogue · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've had nothing but trouble with the PhoneLine networking. It would go in and out sporadically without any good reason. I can say though that it is about the only thing you can fix by Singing.... Just picked up a phone on the line they were on and started to sing abit and BAM, the conection was present again. It would of course go out again in like 10 minutes, so we just replaced all the phone wiring in the house with Cat5 using the 2 free pairs. And what is with this house that you can't use Wireless? are all the walls lined with metal or something? And on the note of PhoneLine, how good is the phone wiring in the house? PowerLine, Linksys says it's shit can do 12-14mbps, but I've never really heard of anyone using powerline networking for anything other then Home Automation. Also if you are using DSL I think (NOT SURE) that you can just forget phoneline, they I belive will interfere.

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    1. Re:HomePNA by Kaoslord · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have PNA in my 6 bedroom house on our main phoneline, I put the dsl-style filters before each phone and it works great. From the 2 farthest points in the network i get like 9mbps So I'm pretty happy, The line it's on has 5 phones attached to it and 6 computers attached to it. my only complaint is the bandwidth, i wish i had like 100mbps but 9 will have to do for me i guess until i run some other wires

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  2. Got forced-air heat? by Telecommando · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Run it down the furnace ducts. A friend of mine has done that to the last 3 houses where he's lived. Just make sure to use plenum-rated Cat-5 and route it out of the ducts at an unobtrusive location several feet from the furnace's heating element.

    Pry an opening in a duct in the furnace room, route the cables out of it to your hub, cover the hole temporarily with a strip of duct tape. When you move out, just yank the cables out of the duct and cover the hole with another piece of duct tape. The owner will never know.

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  3. Re:Wireless not an option? by Guspaz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You may want to give 802.11a a shot. True, it does cost more, but it provides up to 72mbit and much better range. It also doesn't operate in the microwave spectrum, so should shut up those crazy schizophrenic "The Microwaves! They're coming for me!" people (802.11b works in the 2.4ghz range, but 802.11a works in the 5.8Ghz spectrum, which is pretty empty).

    Regards, Guspaz.

  4. Conductive Paint Networking by cybermace5 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I tried to find some info on this, but no success.

    Has anyone tried running Ethernet over conductive traces painted on a wall? I know it wouldn't be optimal, as the capacitance due to the twisted pairs would be difficult to match. But for a few dozen feet, perhaps it would work. I imagine the paint would be more resistive than copper wire, and of course more susceptible to interference (unshielded, unless six layers of conductive and regular paint seems like a good idea).

    A person could do this in two ways. One requires a lot of conductive pens and a steady hand. The other requires a can of conductive paint and a high-density foam roller with four ridges. After the wires are carefully run along the wall or ceiling, a touchup roller with matched interior paint would conceal the traces. Connections could be made with a copper tab that you can solder a wire to, would be superglued to the wall and the conductive paint brushed on and around it to make the trace connection.

    This "solution" repulses me since it goes against every instinct of proper design and following the Ethernet cabling standard. But...hey, if you can't generate enough trust with your soon-to-be relatives to let you run REAL wires, then you have to deal. Honestly, if running WIRES (a valuable improvement, come on!) was such a problem with either my girlfriend or landlord, I'd seriously start to wonder what other problems might be present in both relationships.

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