Power Line Communication (Ethernet over power)?

Jakc

Jakc

n3wb
Dec 15, 2021
23
6
Melbourne
  • New house. Need to get internet out to rear garage for cameras.
  • Rear Garage falls onto a public laneway and need 2x security cameras on the rear corners of garage.
  • I have explored and ruling out running a direct cable over there
  • I have power out there but no internet.
I wanted to hear opinons on using Power Line Communication (AKA, EoP, Internet over power). These usually get a bad rap, but could it be a good option for me? Anyone tried it for security cameras? This video inspired me.

I would assume on the garage side, power --> poe enabled switch --> 2 poe cameras

Other options I was considering:
Would really appreciate some guidance to help me narrow down my network design.
 
Wireless links. Not WiFi! Dedicated, encrypted point to point.


Ubiquity Nano Station Loco M5

TP Link Bridge
 
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That reminds me....LOL. i have a Powerline set running at the Gf's Apt.
Its hooked to a dead CenturyLink Router....hmmmm...
There were issues where some outlets had speed issues compared to others.
And some outlets didn't seem to make a connection.
But it worked good enough for 12Mbps DSL.
But my Loco nano's from ubquiti quietly carry a 2 camera load 350-400 feet from one building to another.
 
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Speechless. This was my first post here and these answers are above and beyond what I was expecting.

let me digest these and report back. I am yet to put in a hardware order for networking the entire house, still toying between TPLink or Ubiquiti. Is there a lean to one or the other in this forum? I guess I can mix it up between the two.
 
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Ubiquiti likes to lock you in to using only thier equipment with proprietary voltages, and "Only works with" Ubiquiti on the POE side. And some say you can't use other cams with the ubiquiti systems, so your locked in.
TP link will be more friendly to mixed/generic devices.
I do own 2 Ubiquiti Air link layer 2 devices, and the power for them couldn't be drawn from a standard POE switch. had to use their proprietary voltaged power bricks.
 
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Flintstone61 said:
And some say you can't use other cams with the ubiquiti systems, so your locked in
Click to expand...
And those 'some' would be wrong, unless you are talking about their Protect application, which I haven't used or tinkered with. I'm a UDM Pro, two Ubiquity switches guy and run Blue Iris and Dahua cameras, no issues whatsoever.

And welcome to the forum @Jakc
 
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Jakc said:
I went down a rabbit hole of looking at equipment to do p2p wifi links - too pricey hardware
Click to expand...

sebastiantombs said:
Ubiquity Nano Station Loco M5
Amazon.com
Click to expand...

Just using the price of the Nano station, it's $247 (Aussie dollars). I would look at it from the point of how much would it cost you to run a cable to your garage? Cable is cheap but the digging trenches and filling in afterwards would no doubt cost a fortune. So, in comparison, $247 for the Nano Station v $1,000+ to lay a cable suddenly is not that expensive (that's how I would explain it to my other half).
 
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[I'm a UDM Pro, two Ubiquity switches guy and run Blue Iris and Dahua cameras, no issues whatsoever.
[/QUOTE]

thanks. Your setup sounds similar to what I was hoping my mix might be. Will put together a shopping list for another post.
 
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Jakc said:
  • New house. Need to get internet out to rear garage for cameras.
  • Rear Garage falls onto a public laneway and need 2x security cameras on the rear corners of garage.
  • I have explored and ruling out running a direct cable over there
  • I have power out there but no internet.
I wanted to hear opinons on using Power Line Communication (AKA, EoP, Internet over power). These usually get a bad rap, but could it be a good option for me? Anyone tried it for security cameras? This video inspired me.

I would assume on the garage side, power --> poe enabled switch --> 2 poe cameras

Other options I was considering:
Would really appreciate some guidance to help me narrow down my network design.
Click to expand...
I use a power line on my hikvision auto tracking camera looking over my driveway. I have had no problems with quality of the image or any other issues.
 
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There is one limitation to running Powerline adapters, and that is the electrical circuits must be on the same phase. Meaning, the remote end and where you plug in the other adapater inside the house, both need to be on the same phase. If not, it won't work. If they are, this works really well and I have this setup running 4 cameras in and outside of my garage with zero problems. Total cost was under $60.00 and that included a small 5-port POE+ switch out in the garage.
 
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I've got Powerline adapters going from my garage to my shed out back. I run four cams out there (we're big into watching the critters here). I've had this setup for years now and it's been pretty glitch free.

The reason that some people have problems with them is that both adapters should be plugged into plugs that are on the same side of your house's power box (which my garage and shed are).
 
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weigle2 said:
There is one limitation to running Powerline adapters, and that is the electrical circuits must be on the same phase. Meaning, the remote end and where you plug in the other adapater inside the house, both need to be on the same phase. If not, it won't work.
Click to expand...
Ssayer said:
The reason that some people have problems with them is that both adapters should be plugged into plugs that are on the same side of your house's power box (which my garage and shed are).
Click to expand...

This is true...so just a heads up to anyone using PLA's that plug them in, find that they're running great and some time later they're not, it could be because they're NOT on the same leg of 120/240 (split-phase 3 wire ). The reason why they worked initially is because a 240 volt device or appliance (electric water heater, electric clothes dryer, HVAC) was operating and that coupled the 2 legs, usually capacitively and enough to establish reliable communication for the 2 PLA's...as soon as the 240VAC device switched off, the PLA's lost coupling between the 2 legs and no more communication. There are coupling devices available but they are hard to find, not cheap and just one more active component to fail, especially in areas with high lightning activity causing power line surges.

So if you go the PLA route (and I've used several reliably for years), as stated by @weigle , @Ssayer and others, insure they are plugged into receptacles fed by the same leg (same side of the breaker panel, left or right).

Regarding Ubiquiti and TP-LINK, I use both extensively...Ubiquiti radios for my P2P layer 2 transparent wireless links and ceiling AP's (UniFi) and TP-LINK for PLA's, wireless routers and ceiling AP's (Omada AC-1350)...just depends on the situation.

Wednesday I installed a Ubiquiti P2P wireless bridge between two metal-skinned and metal-roofed buildings 200 feet apart; building #1 has Internet and I sent it to building #2 and installed in that second building a TP-LINK wireless router operating in AP-mode for the occupants.

Client-P2P-bridge_031722.jpg
 
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Power line adapters can work. But they are hit or miss. You won’t know for sure unless you test.

Ive been using Ubiquity Nanobeams for years linking two locations. They are as rock solid as physical Ethernet. I’d never use anything else if I had to do it again.
 
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I'm a fan of the wireless link systems like Unbiquity and TPLink. They are very reliable, the Nano Station Loco I'm using will easily handle 8 or 10 cameras from what I can see and has had zero down time in over two years. I'm running Dahua cameras back to Blue Iris for the VMS. The only disadvantage to them, and it is a minor one, is that they do need their own power brick rather than being "normal" PoE. In terms of distance, they're advertised for over a kilometer which should cover most residential style installations. The biggest advantage is the total electrical isolation and not having to worry about what phase, which side of the 220 line, a power line adapter is on.

I tried a powerline adapter first and had very poor results.
 
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Pretty sure ethernet over power doesn't require both units being on the same side of the phase, though I think it helps to maximize throughput. Lots of things interfere with obtaining maximum speed, but for running a single camera one wouldn't need maximum speed.
 
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