Dissappointing speed with HomePlug AV200 adapters

[#1]

I have recently had Plusnet Fibre installed.
Previously when I had ADSL I could get a download speed of about 8 Mb/s.
After Fibre was installed this only went up to about 14 Mb/s over my HomePlug AV200 connection to the router.
My son got similar speeds from his computer upstairs which is also connected via HomePlug AV200 adapters.
When I did a speed test from my wife's laptop which connects to the router via WiFi I got a reasonable 40 Mb/s.
When I connected my computer to the router via Cat6 cable I got a very respectable 68 Mb/s which was faster than the download speed estimated by Plusnet.
My conclusion is that the HomePlug AV200 adapters are not very good.
What speed should I reasonably expect with them?

[#2]

Quote from: ToeKnee60

What speed should I reasonably expect with them?

Much faster than you are getting!
I suggest you try a test with a pair of homeplugs plugged in side by side; that should mean you get the optimal speed. If that is a lot faster it points to an issue with your home wiring or perhaps a piece of equipment putting out noise that is interfering with them.

[#3]

Do you have either of them plugged into a surge adapter or surge protected trailing socket ? I've heard of issues when this has been the case.

[#4]

make sure none of the AV200's are plugged into any extension leads/adapters and plugged directly into the mains socket ..

[#5]

Quote from: picbits

Do you have either of them plugged into a surge adapter or surge protected trailing socket ? I've heard of issues when this has been the case.

beat me to it!!

[#6]

I've had them plugged in to trailing sockets without issues - but not surge protected ones.

[#7]

All HomePlug adapters are plugged directly into a wall socket.
For my computer I will stick with a direct connection now that I have routed Cat6 cable along the skirting board, through the wall and over the door. My wife wasn't happy with the unsightly look of the cable but the HomePlug alternative is entirely unsatisfactory.
I installed HomePlug adapters upstairs for my son's computer and Xbox 360 because wireless reception wasn't very good, so I would like to improve that if possible.
If I can't fix it then maybe I will have to get an 802.11n adapter for his computer now that I have an 802.11n router. I previously tried an 802.11g adapter when I had my previous 802.11g router and reception was very poor.
Unfortunately the Xbox 360 only has an 802.11g adapter or an ethernet port. 802.11n adapters for the Xbox 360 are a lot more expensive than for the PC.

[#8]

Which model homeplugs are you using ?

[#9]

As you have now routed CAT6 cable to your PC, is that any closer to your kids stuff ?
You could potentially put a switch at the end of the CAT6 cable and a wireless access point to extend the range of your connection.

[#10]

The HomePlug adapter connected to the router is a Billion Bipac 2071.
The HomePlug adapter that was connected to my computer is a TP-Link TL-PA211.

[#11]

Both the router and my computer are downstairs (in different rooms).
My son's computer and Xbox 360 are in his bedroom upstairs so routing a Cat6 cable there would be difficult and probably get me in more trouble with my wife.
I tried her laptop in my son's bedroom next to his desktop computer and I got about 40 Mb/s down. Maybe if I get him a decent 802.11n adapter then that will prove satisfactory.
The TP-Link WL822N is only £15.30 on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN822N-300MBPS-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B00416Q5KI and claims to be high gain so it may produce decent results.

[#12]

Quote from: ToeKnee60

The HomePlug adapter connected to the router is a Billion Bipac 2071. The HomePlug adapter that was connected to my computer is a TP-Link TL-PA211.

This is a bit different to the Homeplug AV200 in the title?
There can be incompatibility between devices from the same manufacturer if you mix between the product ranges and need the higher speeds.  Try a pair from the same manufacturer / range.

[#13]

Quote from: MauriceC

There can be incompatibility between devices from the same manufacturer if you mix between the product ranges and need the higher speeds.  Try a pair from the same manufacturer / range.

The adapter connected to my son's desktop computer is also a Billion Bipac 2071 which is the same as the adapter connected to the router. He get's similar poor download speeds (about 11 to 14 MB/s).
All adapters are of the HomePlug AV200 standard so theoretically should be compatible.
Now that I have disconnected the HomePlug adapter connected to my computer, there are 4 other HomePlug adapters on the house's ring main : one connected to my son's PC, one connected to his Xbox 360, one connected to my Sky+ HD box and one connected to the router.

[#14]

In their FAQ Solwise reckon

Quote

Going back to the HomePlug standards, a good rule of thumb would be to expect a maximum throughput between a single pair of devices to be about one third of the headline PHY rate. For example you may find that a pair of HomePlug 200AV devices in a particular setup exchange data at about 60Mbps. Another pair could quite possibly achieve a similar rate at the same time as the first pair, and more capacity is still available on the backbone for extra devices.

more useful stuff here:
http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline-real-world-performance.htm

[#15]

I guess that the complexity of the house wiring may be partly responsible.
Both my son's room and my room are in the new extension part of the house and the router is in the old part of the house. I'm fairly certain that we are on different circuit breakers in the consumer unit.