Are pass through home plugs preferable?

[kamaran]

From a purely technical perspective.

If you have a large number of electrical devices connected to a power strip, would they benefit from going via a pass through homeplug? Would this in any way help filter noise? (This is the claim and recommendation in the instructions of the Netgear XAVB5601)

As opposed to the power strip being connected directly to the wall with an adjacent (non pass through) homeplug unit?

 

[kamaran]

So in SNB spirit I ran some testing of my own with Surprising results.

With 2 homeplugs both connected to a power strip (one with all my PC kit and the other with all my AV kit), I found that performance significantly deteriorated when using passthrough, in some cases as much as 50%!

Using LAN Speed Test from my NAS to my Streamer my results were:

76Mbps write, 45Mbps read

Using passthrough, performance dropped to:

30Mbps write, 33Mbps read

So much for filtering!

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for running the test and sharing the results.

But in true SNB spirit, can you provide more detail about the devices and how they were connected for both the before and after results?

 

[kamaran]

Sure. I was using a pair of Netgear XAVB5601

One was connected via cat6 directly to a LAN port on my D-Link Dir-655. This was based in my home office.

The second plug was located in my living room, same floor, about 15m away. This was connected via CAT6 to my POPCORN hour PCH-200 network steamer.

When I tested using pass through, the first homeplug had the power strip for my NAS, modem and router connected to it.

The second had the power strip for my plasma tv, AV Amp and streamer connected.

Let me know if you need any further details.

 

[thiggins]

So when you didn't plug the equipment strips into the homeplug outlet, did they plug into the other outlet in the wall outlet right next to it?

I'll be the biggest noise source was the plasma...

 

[stevech]

more important than noise is how much home theater gear and plug strips *attenuate* the signal. The IP on AC wiring devices need to have several feet of wire between them and these attenuating devices - like using a nearby outlet and an extension cord, or some such.

These home theater gear and plug strips, and the like, are "signal-suckers" in lay terms.

 

[kamaran]

So when you didn't plug the equipment strips into the homeplug outlet, did they plug into the other outlet in the wall outlet right next to it?

I'll be the biggest noise source was the plasma...

Yes exactly, when not passing through it was the power socket next to the one used by the power strip

 

[robgold]

more important than noise is how much home theater gear and plug strips *attenuate* the signal. The IP on AC wiring devices need to have several feet of wire between them and these attenuating devices - like using a nearby outlet and an extension cord, or some such.

These home theater gear and plug strips, and the like, are "signal-suckers" in lay terms.

Just for clarification, are you saying that using an extension cord to physically move a power strip further away from the Homeplug Adapter will help reduce attenuation? I am using a Homeplug adapter with my home theater setup and, by necessity, have a home theater power strip plugged into a two-plug outlet shared with the adapter. The power strip is plugged into a powerline filter. I may be able to move the power strip a couple of feet further away from the plug if that would help.

 

[thiggins]

Just for clarification, are you saying that using an extension cord to physically move a power strip further away from the Homeplug Adapter will help reduce attenuation? .

Yes
Slow HomePlug? Try A Powerline Filter