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daedalus
29th Nov 2005, 15:11
I have bought a "Devolo" system for transmitting the internet around the house through the mains electricity system.

It may have other names in other countries but it comprises a blue device which plugs into the mains socket. There are two sockets in the blue device, one USB and one "Ethernet".

The internet source lead comes into a standard ethernet modem. The modem is then plugged by an ethernet lead into the blue device which itself is plugged into a nearby mains socket.

Plugging in another blue Devolo device anywhere in the house where there is a mains socket, you can plug your computer into it using either USB or Ethernet lead and surf the net.

First some info for those who don't know the system. IT WORKS!
It is particularly good for houses like ours which are more vertical than horizontal with many floors and which are sturdily built with reinforced concrete. Such houses are a sod to wire and are no good for wireless either.
Just for info. I was told that the Devolo system won't work if you have a 3-phase incoming supply. This is not true if you have only one electricity meter, because the phases are all connected through the meter. If you have more than one meter, it means that the Devolo device will work within one phase (usually each phase serves a part of the house).

Now the question. Does anyone who knows these devices know whether more than one person can use the internet at the same time with different computers?

Logic would seem to indicate that it would be possible, since the internet connection travels around in, as it were, the mains circuit.
However, some people tell me that I need to replace my simple modem with a modem/router or add a router to the existing modem. Why? and How?

As I understand it, a router allows you to split up the signal from the modem and have say 4 leads from the router to different computers. If the modem and router are combined, there are simply 4 exit ports on the back of the modem instead of one.

But with a mains system, if you have a router, do you then just connect one of the 4 exit ports to the Devolo device?

Anyone got any experience with this?

Thanks in advance.:confused: