[RndTbl] Networking over home power lines

[Gilles Detillieux]

I imagine as well (though haven't tested or read definitively about it) 
that the signal can't go from one leg (one "hot") to the other.  A 240V 
service has 2 legs, 2 hots, with a common neutral which is the center 
tap from the transformer, so each hot is 120V relative to neutral. A 
breaker panel usually has alternating groups of two breakers on each 
leg, e.g. 1 & 2 on the red, 3 & 4 on the black, and so on.  I don't 
think the signal would go from an outlet on breaker 1 or 2 to one on 3 
or 4.  Similarly, when going from one building to another on the same 
transformer, you may need to experiment to find outlets on the same leg 
of the transformer in both buildings.

I too am interested in how this works out.

On 14/02/2012 12:34 PM, Robert Keizer wrote:
> My understanding is that a transformer will block that frequency. I
> had looked into it for a while and I read some people making block
> wide networks, but the at least in their situation the transformer at
> the end of the block was filtering.
>
> Keep the list updated, this is interesting stuff. :)
>
> Rob
>
> On Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 11:48 AM, John Lange<john at johnlange.ca>  wrote:
>>  From the bit of reading I've done, it appears that a standard for
>> networking over power lines was ratified in September 2010.
>>
>> Linksys has a device (plek400) for about $100. What I can't seem to
>> find out is what the maximum theoretical distance the signal can
>> travel?
>>
>> I have a situation where I'd like to get a network drop into a
>> building that is 400m away. I've toyed with the idea of a home-brew
>> Wifi point-to-point system but it's still relatively expensive to buy
>> two Buffalo radios plus external antennas etc. and even then it would
>> be on the outside of the range for that type of solution.
>>
>> The building is defiantly on the same power "system" so can the
>> network-over-power devices reach 400m ?
>>
>> John

-- 
Gilles R. Detillieux              E-mail:<grdetil at scrc.umanitoba.ca>
Spinal Cord Research Centre       WWW:    http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/
Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba  Winnipeg, MB  R3E 0J9  (Canada)