Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?

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Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?
Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?
2020-04-19 19:03:03
Model: TL-PA9020 KIT  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

After being stable for several weeks, my Powerline link failed again.  No IP cameras.  Tivo not able to stream videos. Disaster!

After failing miserably to reset and repair the four adapters (multiple times), I just did a reset on all four. No attempt to pair.  Now, the network is back.

 

This certainly is less effort than what I was failing to accomplish.  So, the question is, "Not in theory, but in real world practicality, is there a significant risk to leaving my Powerline PA9020's "unpaired"?  If someone in my neighborhood also has a Powerline adapter, are they likely to connect to mine, passing through two sets of electrical panels, perhaps the high voltage transformer, etc.?

 

I am also wondering how I will detect failure the next time.  With the pairing LED off on all four units, will the pairing light turn Red like it used to?  It would be just "ever so nice" if the LED on only one Powerline box would turn Red and I had only to reset that one box.

 

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Re:Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?
2020-04-20 23:04:53 - last edited 2020-04-22 17:00:27

@UnWired 

 

The red LED means the powerline connection is below 50 Mbps, this could be due to distance or the electrical noise over the line. The powerline network only works while on the same electrial panel, another house can not tap into it even accidently.

 

The powerline light will need to be on in order for it to be able to transfer data, if the LED is off, neither red or green then it is not connected to anything.

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Re:Link Failed (Again). Do I Need to "Pair"?
2020-04-20 23:43:17

@Tony 

 

Thanks.  Appears that there is no "added value" from pairing, especially when I seem to have so much trouble doing it.  "Red" in my particular case, seems to mean more than simply "Under 50mb".  When my adapters "Go Red", there is no network connection between ANY of them.  And, waiting doesn't make it come back.  In contrast, the tpPLC utility program will show a link drop below 50mb occasionally, and then a few seconds later it is higher.

 

What I have done (in desperation) is set up a "Ping Monitor" on my desktop computer that pings a couple of IP cameras across the PowerLine link. When two pings in a row get no response, it sends me an email and I go look at the lights.  This last time, I rebooted my desktop after a Microsoft update and forgot to restart the Ping Monitor. Was blissfully ignorant until the wife said, "How come I can't see who's at the front door on that security app?"

 

In a different forum, someone commented that the Broadcom Home Plug AV2 chips have a flaw that has not been corrected for years.  He claimed that Home Plug AV2 with the Atheros chip is actually "faster" then the supposedly higher performing Broadcom chip.

 

 

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