Socket attenuation.
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Chippychap
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Socket attenuation.

by Chippychap » Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:19 pm

Hi, I wish to use Homeplugs to carry my broadband signal from the source to my PC upstairs.
It uses the home electricity circuit to carry the B/B signal.
The plugs should go into a socket and not a strip lead for attenuation reasons.
Upstairs no problems but downstairs the socket which is nearest to BT point is bang in front of a radiator leaving no room for a bulky Homeplug.
The socket is on the side of my leccy cupboard. My options seem to be.........single socket mounted nearby fed by a short cable with plug on the end to plug into original socket. Or, I wondered if the same single surface mounted socket should be fed via short lead (8 inches ish) through the side of both the new socket and the existing one and wired into the terminals of existing jobby.
Or should I just unscrew the socket top and turn it round, which would clear the obstruction?
I wish to lose as little signal as I can.
What would you recommend?

ericmark

by ericmark » Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:45 pm

I have heard of using the mains for also sending telemetry but the problem is to send multi telemetry signals on the same mains, and once you realise how the supply companies have tried to use the same system, one starts to see the problems of introducing multi parasitic signals on the mains, and we as the user try to reduce these to a minimum by using filters. If you watch films made in the USA you will see transformers on poles which make for dramatic sparks when knocked down. But in the UK these are rare and only used to supply remote farms and most housing estates are feed with huge transformers feeding streets of houses not just one or two. So although the system works reasonably well in the USA it is not so successful in the UK and although it may work OK if you’re the only one coming off the transformer then great but how long will that be true?
We do not design house wiring to transmit telemetry signals and if the system can’t work with extension leads then neither will it work with spurs so I would use Wifi like everyone else in this country. Only where living in metal building would I consider using your system. I have found that some insulating plaster board has foil in it but in that case I have used CAT 5 can't afford to install a system likely to fail.
Eric

GoNz0
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by GoNz0 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:54 pm

you should still get a good signal even if you have to use an adapter, the main issue with them is they have to be on the same ring main, so you may find it doesnt work if your running it downstairs to upstairs if your on seperate rings.

buy online then if its fails you can send them back minus the postage under the 7 day distance selling law

turning the socket round is fine though.

Chippychap
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by Chippychap » Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:06 am

Bless you both for that.
I've tried wireless but it is quite a long way from A to B and the signal was very poor.
That also puts the mockers on a hard wired phone extenrion (nearly 50 foot of cable)
Thanks guys

Ken

GoNz0
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by GoNz0 » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:38 pm

you could use a high quality network cable thats shielded to run the 50 foot as a telpephone line. considering it can run up to 7km from the exchange you shouldnt lose much signal, even better would be having the router at the main phone point and using network cable as it can run 100m without issue, shielded is a bonus if your running near live electric cables to prevent contamination of the signal.

Chippychap
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by Chippychap » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:40 am

Thanks GoNzO.
The main phone socket arrives just over the top of the leccy meter cupboard.
When I fist set it up the HomeHub was there on the same windowsill as the phone socket and we went wireless.
It is an old house with hoofing thick walls and the service was poor and intermittant.
I had an extension wired into the phone socket which ran up two flights of stairs to the PC.
Bearing in mind my Homehub is 15 months old now and BT have updated the new one.
Perhaps a super-duper router is the way to go, but I don't know whether it would just be a plug 'n' play jobby.

ericmark

by ericmark » Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:28 am

I have two routers as talktalk gave me a new one free of charge when I was having problems.
I noted with old one it could be configured as a wireless switch and I did consider this.
Attempt one did not work and I was going to have another go when my son-in-law was free he go his CCNA I only did part of the course.
But then found the new one from talktalk was working OK anyway so gave up the idea.
Maybe it would work for you? depends how good you are with networks!
Eric

GoNz0
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by GoNz0 » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:32 pm

a netgear router is simple to setup, all you need is your ISP's username and password, it auto detects the rest of the settings. and your pc will be setup by default to work with it :)

you dont need any software on your pc to setup a router, you connect to a web page for the initial setup

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