[Sussex] Home Automation and Ethernet over powerline

[John Crowhurst]

On Fri, November 10, 2006 15:41, Matthew Macdonald-Wallace wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I know that there's a few of you on this list who play around with HA,
> so I thought I ask for some advice.
>
> I'm setting up a HA system using plutohome (http://www.plutohome.com)
> - a debian-based linux home-automation system that uses PXEbooting for
> the clients in each room.
>
> I don't own my house, so drilling holes in walls is out of the
> question, however I'm thinking about using Ethernet Over Powerline
> tech to move my data from room to room.  My questions are:
>
> 0) Has anyone played with EOPL?

No, but I know of friends who have.

> 1) Is it fast enough for media to be streamed over it (DVDs/Movies/Music
> etc)?

There are three different speeds available:
14Mbps, 84Mbps turbo and 200Mbps AV.

> 2) Are there any Gotchas that I chould be aware of?

Yes, distance is limited to 1,000 feet ( based on physical cable distance)
and a maximum of 16 devices on the network.

They also need their own power point (not on a power strip) as surge
protectors and transformers will kill the signal.

The signal degrades when devices that draw current are used in the same
property, such as fridges, freezers, washing machines and vacuum cleaners.
The signal is also degraded by spikes, surges and brownouts.

Security can only be controlled by the Windows software.

> 3) Can you use X10 hardware on the same mains ring?

X10 devices ignore Homeplug and Homeplug ignores X10. My guess is that
they are on vastly different carrier frequencies.

> 4) Can I plug EOPL devices into surge-protected power splitters, or do
> I need to plug them straight into the mains?

Straight into the ring main, without using a power strip.

--
John