Anybody Use Wall Plugged Ethernet ?

[Soopafresh]

You know - using your electrical outlets to connect a lan. How well does it work ? I'm guessing you set the main device/hub to only accept connections from mac layer addresses that you define ?

[zdamons]

I use two DLINK devices to connect my router/switch on one end of the house down stairs to another unit upstairs all the way on the other side of the house. I did not want to run the cables between floors or around the house. I also did not beblieve wireless would have worked for me. Anyway, they work faily well. It is not lightning speed but it is enough for the kids to play games and surf the internet. The DLINK units can get really hot. I paid about $90 for the two and it worked right away.

[Capmaster]

The ones that use the electrical outlets only work when the two outlets you want to talk between are on the same phase of the house.

The power comes into the house as 240v - a center neutral and two 120v legs out of phase by 180 degrees. Half the house wiring goes on one leg and half on the other leg. If you look at your circuit breaker panel you'll see two rows of them. Each row is on the same leg. You can identify if your two outlets are on the same leg by identifying which breaker turns it off - either from a label inside the panel door, or trying it to see.

The two phases are not connected electrically, so if you happen to get two outlets on the two different "legs" you're out of luck :P

[edDV]

Another alternative. I have a distant end of the house connected with Ethernet over phone line. I've never pushed it for speed. Everywhere else, I've run cable.

http://www.answers.com/topic/homepna

[Bjs]

As capmaster pointed out : The ones that use the electrical outlets only work when the two outlets you want to talk between are on the same phase of the house.

It's "shared distribution line" as dictated by the installed fuse panel on the building ...

You can also get an adapter that allow's you to use these device's through your light's as well .

[Danno100]

I have used Ethernet over power and it works quite well. More reliable than wireless. Long ago I purchased ($25) a device that plugs into a 240v dryer plug that couples the two phases of 120V. I purchased it for my x10 home automation. Seems to have worked.

[Soopafresh]

Interesting info. Phase is key...