Managing multiple PLC networks

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Managing multiple PLC networks

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Managing multiple PLC networks
Managing multiple PLC networks
2018-05-25 05:28:53
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I have 4 AV1200 PLCs (TL-PA8010P) that I'm using to extend the wired ethernet (cat5e) in the house. The problem is that if I put them all on one network, then I get very different speeds for different parts of the network. For example, call them A, B, C, D: I can get 271MB between A-B and between C-D, but only 81MB between A-D and 34MB B-D.

I understand that this likely because they are connected to different electrical circuits.

What I would like to do is separate them into two different PLC networks, and put A-B on one network and C-D on another and then connect A and C to the Cat5e ethernet. So basically I have two extension legs of the cat5e network that are PLC links, but the two legs do not talk directly over the power wiring.

The problem I'm having is that the tpPLC utility for MacOS does not seem to handle this well. I was able to change the network name for the A-B pair by unplugging C&D and using the "Change network name" function. And I believe the two legs have paired up successfully. But I can't easily monitor the status of the links of the two networks. tpPLC seems to only display one network at a time. It will occasionally randomly select the other network so I have confirmed that the two are working independently (with 271MB throughput for each) but it's not really a very good operational model.

Is that any way that I can:
A. monitor two networks simultaneously and independently using tpPLC? or
B. Select which network I want to monitor with tpPLC even if I can only monitor one at a time? or
C. Use a web interface to manage to TL-PA8010P units so I can bypass the tpPLC utility altogether?
As far as I can tell (from the IP address assignments in my DHCP server) the TL-PA8010P units do not have IP addresses.

Thanks for any help with this

Dan
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Re:Managing multiple PLC networks
2018-05-30 15:18:30
The tpPLC can only monitor the same network devices and we can't swtich to another directly.
Unless we reconnect another wifi or ethernet, we can monitor it.
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Re:Managing multiple PLC networks
2018-05-30 18:50:59
Yes ... you can only see the PLC network that is connected to the nearest PLC point from the computer. By the way, the whole point of the exercise may be moot anyway: Yes you do expect a higher throughput going the "fast" A-B and then C-D stretch than if you were going A-D in a single PLC network. However, even if you have two PLC segments, it'll still be one single shared media (your power wiring). So actual throughput on the A-D path will not improve, and, if anything, even get worse because the two PLC segments collide on their common use of frequency bands. If you want to do this properly, you need PLC gear (and software) from a vendor that lets you restrict "channel" (frequency band) usage on individual segments, such that they don't step on each other's toes.
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Re:Managing multiple PLC networks
2018-05-31 03:46:50

Peter M wrote

Yes ... you can only see the PLC network that is connected to the nearest PLC point from the computer. By the way, the whole point of the exercise may be moot anyway: Yes you do expect a higher throughput going the "fast" A-B and then C-D stretch than if you were going A-D in a single PLC network. However, even if you have two PLC segments, it'll still be one single shared media (your power wiring). So actual throughput on the A-D path will not improve, and, if anything, even get worse because the two PLC segments collide on their common use of frequency bands. If you want to do this properly, you need PLC gear (and software) from a vendor that lets you restrict "channel" (frequency band) usage on individual segments, such that they don't step on each other's toes.
FWIW: note that in my case there is no traffic directly from A (or B) to D. The two PLC links are stubs and only talk to servers on the central, wired, ethernet. So actual traffic is X-A-B and X-C-D. My hope is that since there are clearly frequencies which are filtered between A/B and C/D (otherwise throughput would be better) that the two legs can make use of those frequencies w/o conflict.
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