Ethernet/HomePNA bridge - Any recommendations?

[rw120555]

My home network has a little bit of everything now -- Ethernet for 2 PCs, HomePNA for 3 others, and wireless for a laptop. One thing I don't like is that the Wireless access point has to be near the router, which is probably the worst location in the house for it (2nd floor, front of the house). I'd like to get it in a better location, but I don't want to run cable for it (if I did, I wouldn't have all this homepna stuff).

I think one solution is to get an Ethernet/HomePNA bridge. With one of these devices, you can turn any phone jack into the equivalent of an ethernet jack. With the bridge, I could place the WAP in a nice central location.

However, these bridges seem ridiculously expensive. Netgear has the PE 102, which I can get for $113 at buy.com. There is also something called the Compex TH102 that is only around $72, but I've never heard of the company and can't find any reviews of the product. The wireless seems to work ok inside the house (even in the basement) and also on the front porch, and it seems just a tad extravagant to spend $100+ just so I can use it in the back yard.

Anyway, I am wondering if anybody has experience with such a setup, and if so whether they have recommendations for a specific bridge to buy. Thanks. RW

 

[rw120555]

No takers on this? I know, techies sort of sniff their noses at anybody who doesn't run wire all through their house, but maybe somebody has had some experience with this ? I think the "bridge" issue for non-PC ethernet devices is one of the problems with HPNA, although I suppose similar problems can come up with wireless. Thanks! RW

 

[cipher00]

Haven't tried it myself, but folks I know who've tried it haven't been too impressed or happy with the results. I assume you've checked out the HomePNA booster site as well as Practically Networked for tips (like security?)?

I seem to recall that you could put a wireless AP to act as a booster, but I can't quite recall the details. Better receptors might works as well, fwiw.

 

[Workin']

I've used the Linksys HPB200 router/switch/bridge many times, and it works perfectly every time. However it costs over $150 and is probably way overkill for your purposes.

I have many clients who have stately old homes and don't want to rip them up installing ethernet, especially since they already have phone jacks in the right place, so I do lots of HPNA work. Haven't done wireless yet, all my clients are (rightly or wrongly) too paranoid about security.

 

[rw120555]

Thanks Cipher and Workin. I see where Linksys has a new ethernet/hpna bridge for $80, but it appears to be much slower than the other options I've looked at. Workin, have you ever hooked up (via phoneline) anything besides a PC to the HPB200, e.g. a print server or some other ethernet device? That is similar to what I'd be doing, in my case hooking up a WAP to the ethernet/hpna bridge which then plugs into a phone jack. In theory, I suppose you could hook up all sorts of things to the bridge, e.g. a switch, a WAP, a print server, and it would work fine. But, it would be nice to know if anybody has done it in practice.

Incidentally, my router is the Netgear rp334. I believe it does the same things as the HPB200. It was $100 more expensive, but I picked it because it had better reviews. Might have been better to buy the Linksys instead, but the rp334 does work very well. RW

 

[Workin']

I've hooked up print servers on the ethernet side of that Linksys PNA bridge and it worked fine with the PNA-connected PC's.

 

[rw120555]

Thanks Workin. That has been my experience as well, that all the components of the network (ethernet, hpna, wireless) work together fine. I guess the situation I am wondering about is a little more esoteric than that, and would only come up if you happen to have two hpna/ethernet routers/bridges. I've got the hpna/ethernet router upstairs, and want to put a hpna/ethernet bridge on another floor so I can plug my WAP into it, since the current location is sub-optimal.

As a sidelight, while it might be an exagerration to call my house a "stately old home", it is pretty old and big, and based on my experience so far I'm glad I didn't try for an all wireless network. I wouldn't trust its speed or reliability. I was also warned that wireless tends to work less well in older houses (something about the use of plaster). I don't know if that is true or not, but I'm definitely not getting the spectacular reception that some people claim, although it is adequate for internet, which is what I mostly want with the laptop. RW