200mbps broadband = 70mpbs connection speed

Big Frank

Big Frank

Big Frank

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213
Hey Everyone!

I recently upgraded to virgin m200 the only problem is one of my devices that uses a TP-LINK TL-PA411KIT AV500 500 Mbps Nano Powerline Adapter only gets 70-90Mbps.

I tested by plugging directly into the router, I can achieve 200+Mbps but through this powerline adapter I only get 70-90mbps.

The powerline adapter isn't using wireless it is plugged into the wall then connected directly to the router with a cat6 cable and the other end is connected at the wall and plugged into my computer with a cat6 cable.

I thought it may have been my mainboard (asus prime z370-p) slowing it down but it looks like it isn't.

I am thinking two things.

1. Powerline adapters are rated higher than they really are.
2. There is maybe some interference causing the signal degradation. (I have always achieved the advertised speed up until now so not sure about this one).

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
  1. They are, sort of. The rates quoted are the maximum possible PHY rates. By the time you've taken all of the overheads into account, the actual throughput is much lower. It isn't a lie (any more than the rates quoted for wireless are), but it isn't helpful for consumer expectations.

  2. Quite possible, but the speeds you're seeing for AV500 adapters are about what you'd expect.
Dump the adapters and run cables, or buy faster adapters. If you're prepared to do a bit of DIY running cables it the better option.

For the device in question, what is only having a 90 Mbit/sec Internet connection stopping you doing? If that was mine I'd probably just live with it.
 
Big Frank said:
Hey Everyone!

I recently upgraded to virgin m200 the only problem is one of my devices that uses a TP-LINK TL-PA411KIT AV500 500 Mbps Nano Powerline Adapter only gets 70-90Mbps.

I tested by plugging directly into the router, I can achieve 200+Mbps but through this powerline adapter I only get 70-90mbps.

The powerline adapter isn't using wireless it is plugged into the wall then connected directly to the router with a cat6 cable and the other end is connected at the wall and plugged into my computer with a cat6 cable.

I thought it may have been my mainboard (asus prime z370-p) slowing it down but it looks like it isn't.

I am thinking two things.

1. Powerline adapters are rated higher than they really are.
2. There is maybe some interference causing the signal degradation. (I have always achieved the advertised speed up until now so not sure about this one).

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

In answer to your first question, you’ll never see more than 100Mbps on those adapters simply because they only have a 100Mbps network port.

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/powerline/tl-pa411kit/#specifications

So, yes, when the manufacturers advertise speeds of 500Mbps they’re talking about the theoretical maximum of the chipset under lab conditions.

And they are half-duplex devices so 500Mbps advertised theoretical maximum is really 250Mbps when you start passing data and then there can be line noise and distance issues that drop it down so 70Mbps is probably about right.

If you want a guaranteed 200Mbps then your best bet is go for a cable but if you like powerline then I can recommend Mikrotik Powerline Plus Pro which are rated at 600Mbps but unlike most Powerline kits they actually will pass 500Mbps up to 450Mbps under real world conditions. So you should get your full 200Mbps.
 
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Are you referring to the MikroTik Powerline Pro?

If so, it’s true that they aren’t overselling them as much in the literature but they still don’t get anyway near their rated speed.

They’re AV1300 adapters (QCA7550 chipset). AV1300 adapters from any manufacturer are capable of a pretty decent throughput under the right circumstances.

They aren’t AV600 adapters that they managed to squeeze 500 Mbit/sec through as the technology just doesn’t allow it.
 
Thanks for your replies that pretty much puts this to bed.

Can't believe they would design a 500mbps powerline adapter with a 100mbps ethernet port.

It was bad enough when I realized they shipped the thing with cat5 cables lol.

Having 90 Mbps isn't stopping me from doing anything I just want to know I am getting what I am paying for really.

Appreciate the replies, its actually eye opening to find out the limitations of these devices despite advertised speeds.
 
They ship with 100 Mbit/sec ports because it makes no difference. An AV500 Powerline adapter is never going to do more than 100 Mbit/sec at a useful distance. With Powerline, you can basically divide the rated speed by three to get a realistic idea of how fast they'll be on a good day.

Cat5 cables will usually handle Gigabit even if they aren't rated for it. In this case, it's only ever going to be a 100 Mbit/sec connection anyway.
 
bremen1874 said:
Are you referring to the MikroTik Powerline Pro?

If so, it’s true that they aren’t overselling them as much in the literature but they still don’t get anyway near their rated speed.
Click to expand...

I've had them on the bench within the last 3 months and they're good for 450Mbps over 25m of continuous twin and earth. Which isn't real life but they're the best I've tested. MOst struggle to do anything like that.

bremen1874 said:
They’re AV1300 adapters (QCA7550 chipset). AV1300 adapters from any manufacturer are capable of a pretty decent throughput under the right circumstances.

They aren’t AV600 adapters that they managed to squeeze 500 Mbit/sec through as the technology just doesn’t allow it.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Thanks for clarifying that, my response could be read that way. And I think the fact that they're AV1300 and they're only claiming 'up to' 600Mbps is an indication of how Mikrotik are being more straightforward in their marketing claims.

As I'm sure you're aware I actively sell and promote domestic cable installs so for me to suggest any powerline product is cutting my own throat but for 200Mbps in a domestic environment these would be OK I think.
 
bremen1874 said:
Cat5 cables will usually handle Gigabit even if they aren't rated for it. In this case, it's only ever going to be a 100 Mbit/sec connection anyway.
Click to expand...

I don't understand how a cat5 cable can handle anything over 100 Mbps, isn't that logically impossible?

Avalon said:
Side note: Those cables are 5e and are potentially capable of 10Gb/s, they are more than adequate for the intended usage.
Click to expand...

The cables had 'cat5 UTP' printed on them, if they were cat5e wouldn't it say cat5e?
 
It's very common for people to use the Cat5 and Cat5e terms interchangeably. Cat5 was superseded by Cat5e so long ago that it isn't unreasonable to assume that the writer actually means Cat5e.

The only difference between Cat5 and Cat5e is the twist rate in the pairs. Much of the cable that was sold as Cat5 was already effectively Cat5e.

What a cable will support depends on the length. What will work at relatively short distances won't necessarily work at full cable length (100m).

I've worked in buildings that were wired in Cat5 which handled full Gigabit speeds with no problems.

I've recently installed a pair of 10GbE adapters in my own PCs and they're working as they should over Cat5e cables (in your world impossible). The total distance is only about 10m which will be helping a lot.
 
As above, it’s been nye on impossible to source 5 for that long it’s not even funny. If an OEM wants to save money, they use CCA rather than copper, not skimp on the certified standard. Even CCA will do gigabit, I haven’t personally tested CCA with 10Gb, but I also haven’t substituted sandpaper for toilet roll - sometimes you can just live without knowing if something works and over how short a distance ;)
 
Big Frank said:
I don't understand how a cat5 cable can handle anything over 100 Mbps, isn't that logically impossible?
Click to expand...

I think you might be confusing CAT5 with a 2-pair connected cable. On a full cable all four pairs are connected up but for some reason some vendors ship patch cables with only two pairs connected (only four wires visible in the connector) and in that case you are correct, you will never see more than 100Mbps across that cable. And I’ve got some here labelled CAT5 and CAT5e. If that’s what your powerlines were delivered with then you are correct. They were matched to the speed of the port on the Powerline adapter and they can’t pass more than 100Mbps.
 
It was only ever going to be a temporary thing. I shall be moving my PC into the spare room upstairs once the recycling centres reopen and I can clear that room of unwanted junk. I will probably just bite the bullet and route some cable once the PC's been resituated in the spare room. That could be weeks away though. So in the meantime, I just wanted to get my Quest 2/Virtual Desktop working better with with some cheapish powerlines to go with the WIFI 6 router I just bought myself. It's a gamble though because I wont know how well the powerlines work until I try them and if I buy cheap ones they're likely to be rubbish anyway. This is why I was looking at MikroTik powerlines because they seemed pretty reasonably priced and seem to have a good reputation in this sub-forum. From what I gather I'll need dual band though so I can ringfence the 5Ghz signal just for the VR.
 
Hey guys,

So to revive this thread I am looking to upgrade some home networking kit to get my as close to cabled connection as possible.

My desktop computer is up one floor but should realistically see the router through one partitioned wall due to where the stairs are located.

I was wanting your thoughts on whether to get a high quality power-line adapter or upgrade to a decent wi-fi extender with a gigabyte ethernet port and also some recommendations.

Your two pence would be appreciated!
 
Your Powerlines in the opening post were performing well for AV500 adapters. Many people only get 30-40 Mb/sec with that generation.

With that in mind I’d be trying faster more modern adapters.
 
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