Should I upgrade homeplugs from 85 to 200mbps? My ethernet is only 10/100 (HD Video)?

Question

I want to sort out my media storage / playback situation and there are so many options I can't decide what to do.

Essentialy it comes down to a choice between getting a media player with built in storage or a cheaper media player with no storage and using NAS. And this is where I get confused by network speeds.

I have a homeplug near my TV but it is only 85mbps.
My Internet modem / router (not near my TV) only has 10/100 ethernet (not gigabit).

Obviously, if the media player has built in storage there will never be an issue with network speed affecting playback. I can use the 85mbps homeplug connection to add new videos to the media player hard drive and it doesn't matter how long it takes.

I would like to get a NAS drive though. This would be connected to my router but remember it has only got 10/100 switch built in. I would probably buy a NAS enclosure with 10/100 ethernet and add my own hard drive as this is a cheap option.

This is the question.... Is there any point in upgrading my homeplugs to 200mbps?
If my router /switch (which the homeplug would be connected to) is only 10/100 then it's a maximum 100mbps right? My 85mbps homeplugs are 'almost' there. In theory getting faster homeplugs would give me a possible extra 15mbps?

Am I thinking about this all wrong?

Answer 1

I use a NAS which is hard wired into my Linksys EA2700 router which has gigabit ports. My tv is also hard wired into the router. Streaming runs pretty smooth even though there is a bit of a delay at time (usually when I'm doing a bunch of stuff to it at once.



Point of explaining this is that you want a reliable connection to your NAS or whatever device that stores you media. I find that the homeplugs can be very unreliable in the fact that it uses you power cables to send signals and electronic interference is networking's enemy. Plus those things are waaaay overpriced.



So basically think about what device or devices u r planning to watch them on & if your tv is close enough to the router run an Ethernet cable to it instead. Or if u want to go a step further, run cables thought your home (purchase shielded twisted pair & the maximum length allowed is 90 meters). If u do this method all u would have to worry about is upgrading your router.



Your modem plays no part of this b/c the packets are not leaving your network.



So, my recommendation is that you run physical cable to the locations where you would stream heavy HD data ( be sure to check the bandwidth on the cabling), since your router is the center point of your network be sure that it can handle multiple tasks at once in case there are multiple people using the network. Your NAS I recommend a network drive like the MyBook Live which I use. cNet gave it a moderate review & the drive is ok but if u come across a better one get that. This particular NAS is made for movie streaming & has gigabit Ethernet port. USB won't provide u with enough bandwidth & can be a pain in the *** to setup with other devices that require an IP address instead of a URL link.



Hope that's enough to get u pointed in the right direction. And yes if u have an area of your network that is slower than the rest, the whole connection will run at that speed. A bottleneck more or less. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes, going from 85mbps homeplug to 200mbps will make a difference in network speeds. That 85mbps is the "signalling rate", not user data rate. Most 85mbps adapters have a user throughput in the 12 to 28mbps range, never 85. You are nowhere close to getting 100mbps with a 85mbps wall homeplug. Going to a 200mbps will get you a lot closer to the actual 100mbps you have on your router/network.



Your 100mbps ethernet adapters/router are a true 100mbps user data rate. Wifi and homeplugs are "radio signal rates", never user data rates.

Answer 3

Sounds like overkill.



Think of HD Netflix which can stream HD video over the Internet smoothly at 5 - 10 Mbps.



Even if your throughput is 50 Mbps you should have no problem streaming smooth video from a NAS.



I personally use three different brands of NAS devices, two are configured in a raid one configuration for redundancy, you can even have the device email you when a drive is failing, and swap in a replacement without loosing a bit of data.



If you're in the market for a NAS, I would highly recommend the Synology line. http://www.synology.com/products/product.php?product_name=DS212j&lang=us By far the best user interface and features. It runs Linux and is highly configurable. I am running YAMJ on the NAS for my DVD Popcorn Hour media center. It includes a download server, media server, by user security, and too many other features to list. I have two 4 TB drives in the Synology in a raid 1 configuration.



A note about USB. I have no problem playing DVD or even BluRay images from USB 2.0 drives connected to my Popcorn Hour media player or NAS. I have several Terabytes of HD video on USB external drives.



I have a few Gigabit connected devices but most are Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) and some are on wireless n connections.



No problem streaming smooth HD video.



Good Luck...

Answer 4

possibility is you have already got Cat5e cable which will handle the 1000. the difficulty incredibly lies contained in something of the community. Your community can in elementary terms run as quickly as your slowest gadget. in the journey that your pc which you utilize to connect with this smokin quickly server is in elementary terms a 10/a hundred then this is as quickly as you bypass. not in elementary terms might you're able to enhance your swap yet you will possibly could improve the NICs (community Interface Card) on each pc on the community for complete reward.

Answer 5

don't know for sure but would like to check this out, have a machine which gives me oxygen, have a laptop, and the normal house apps, would like to know so it might up my service to my computer and my light bill.