The wife and I were visiting friends in Florida this winter and he had a couple of his IP cams using powerline adapters (PAs) to communicate with the NVR. They seemed to be working just fine for him and, since I'm getting ready to set up (or try to set up) a system using Hikvision NVR and cams, I thought I'd look into using a similar set up to make the install easier. I probably should mention that he's in a fairly new condominium with, I guess, fairly modern wiring circuits, while I've got a 100+ year-old farmhouse with not-so-new wiring. If I'm going to use only one or two (out of a total of three or four) cams on this powerline adapter set up, will I get good image quality? What kind of technical specs should I look for on the PAs and what brand would you guys recommend? I'd ask him about this but he had his system installed by a pro and doesn't know squat about these things. Sorta like me in that regard!
Powerline Adapters: Do they work and what kind do I need?
- Thread starter Jellyfish
- Start date
I've had two different types of PAs...
TRENDnet TPL-406E2K, and LINKSYS PLEK500-CA. The TRENDnet experienced too many drop outs for me to be happy with it, and I ended up using WiFi instead for several months. When I got one of the TOP-201 cameras, wifi wasn't an option, so I decided I'd give a different brand of PA a try. I caught the Linksys adapters on sale at newegg for $44, and bought them. Initially I put one PA by my router in the kitchen, and the other in the upstairs bedroom, and the Linksys software was showing the adapters connected at ~170Mbps. I remembered that I had an unused Ethernet connection in another upstairs bedroom, so I moved the "base" PA to that bedroom, and the connection speed went to ~270Mbps. In 3 weeks time I haven't seen a single drop out on the Linksys adapters, so I'm pretty pleased.
TRENDnet TPL-406E2K, and LINKSYS PLEK500-CA. The TRENDnet experienced too many drop outs for me to be happy with it, and I ended up using WiFi instead for several months. When I got one of the TOP-201 cameras, wifi wasn't an option, so I decided I'd give a different brand of PA a try. I caught the Linksys adapters on sale at newegg for $44, and bought them. Initially I put one PA by my router in the kitchen, and the other in the upstairs bedroom, and the Linksys software was showing the adapters connected at ~170Mbps. I remembered that I had an unused Ethernet connection in another upstairs bedroom, so I moved the "base" PA to that bedroom, and the connection speed went to ~270Mbps. In 3 weeks time I haven't seen a single drop out on the Linksys adapters, so I'm pretty pleased.
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
Powerline can work well depending on the wiring...however, consider that you can have someone professionally run the cables for you for about double the cost of powerline...you will have a solid connection and be able to use poe...its worth the cost..
Edit: also keep in mind that you cannot use surge protection with powerline adapters...
Edit: also keep in mind that you cannot use surge protection with powerline adapters...
I actually don't have a clue on how much running cable costs. Can you give me an idea?
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
It will vary by location, whether or not you supply the cable (always make sure its solid copper cable, not junk CCA) and the difficulty level of the runs..for example a drop ceiling vs all sheetrock, long vs short, type of structure etc...
Expect to pay 100-150 per drop..generally around 100 for the average home possibly less....the key is finding someone who is skilled at running cable..neat and with minimal damage....look for phone system and alarm installers (the real alarm guys, not the folks who use wireless sensors and "install" them with double sided tape)..they are generally very good at pulling cable. These guys can do really impressive work and basically bring cable to any point in the structure.
Good to know. My detached garage is not an issue for me, but my 1930s house with an attic that is blows full of insulation is another story.
I was looking at C2G cables. They are highly rated. Are those OK?
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
yes. c2g, cable matters, monoprice are all good choices...You should be buying solid cable (not stranded)...
Hmm. The ones I'm looking at (the highest rated ones) are "4-pair UTP 24 AWG stranded copper". So you're saying to *not* buy those?
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
Correct...you dont want stranded for long runs...
Does it matter if it's only for 25 feet?
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
are you buying premade cable?
If its only 25 feet it wont mater...
Yes, premade cable. At which lengths does the solid copper become important?
fenderman
Staff member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 36,905
- Reaction score
- 21,279
You will not find premade cable that is solid (well i think ive seen one offered at some crazy price)...
There is no set maximum and if you tested it, you can probably get away with pretty long distances of stranded......but I personally wouldnt use it for more than 100f...
Good cable is relatively cheap and bad cable can cause all sorts of problems..but if you are using prefabricated quality cable you will be fine..