homeplugs

closed

I know, the point was, it would be cheaper and simpler to put them all on an sd-card, and stick it into the back of the tv to view anytime you like, rather than cranking up a pc, and homenetwork plugs all year for a presumably occasional photo viewing session.

It also has the added advantage that it give you a backup in case the pc HD crashes.

Hammyman

Beware that many of these homeplug network things transmit interference which can affect amateur radio bands on shortwave for up to 500 yards to the point of making them completely unusable. They even have been known to interefere with wireless mice and keyboards. I've reported three instances near me, the closest was from a BT Vision installation 100 yards away with a row of houses inbetween me and them and they completely wiped out the HF bands.

This is what it sounds like if you're unlucky to have one of these abominations installed near you.

http://www.mikeandsniffy.co.uk/UKQRM/BThomeHub.mp3

If there is an amateur radio operator within that distance that you affect, he will most likely phone Ofcom as transmitting in those bands is an offence without a licence, even if you don't do it either knowingly or intentionally. Ofcom will then find out who it is, come round and issue a cease and desist notice.

The new Gigabit ones wipe out frequencies from 2-360MHz inc DAB radio.

http://www.ukqrm.org/

aliEnRIK

I wont testify to it, but I believe the solwise ones dont transmit like youve just posted

PROLIANT

Hammyman wrote: »

Beware that many of these homeplug network things transmit interference which can affect amateur radio bands on shortwave for up to 500 yards to the point of making them completely unusable. They even have been known to interefere with wireless mice and keyboards. I've reported three instances near me, the closest was from a BT Vision installation 100 yards away with a row of houses inbetween me and them and they completely wiped out the HF bands.

This is what it sounds like if you're unlucky to have one of these abominations installed near you.

http://www.mikeandsniffy.co.uk/UKQRM/BThomeHub.mp3

If there is an amateur radio operator within that distance that you affect, he will most likely phone Ofcom as transmitting in those bands is an offence without a licence, even if you don't do it either knowingly or intentionally. Ofcom will then find out who it is, come round and issue a cease and desist notice.

The new Gigabit ones wipe out frequencies from 2-360MHz inc DAB radio.

http://www.ukqrm.org/

The battle goes on; let’s get as much evidence against these spectrum polluters as possible!

The EMC Industry Association has announced a contest to identify the
interference range of Power Line Telecommunications - otherwise known as
PLC or BPL. Competitors may be individuals or groups. They must demonstrate
the presence of interference from a PLT installation - which might for
example, comprise Comtrend or BTVision or Belkin Power Line Adaptors - at
the greatest possible distance. Two prizes of VR120 wide-band hand-held
Scanner Receivers, kindly donated by Yaesu (UK) Ltd. are to be won.


http://www.emcia.org/news.aspx

Hammyman

aliEnRIK wrote: »

I wont testify to it, but I believe the solwise ones dont transmit like youve just posted

There are a few different "sounds" but they all transmit. They turn your mains ring into a big antenna. The ones that do comply fully have the bands used by other services (ham, commercial etc) "notched out" so they cause no interference on those bands.

Sadly the manufacturer of the most common ones, Commtrend, found out that in the real world the signal was too weak to provide anywhere near the performance they claimed so they increased the transmit power by an order of several times. The ones you buy aren't the same as the one they used to get certification. BT do have compliant ones but unfortunately BT have a big warehouse full of the old things.

I don't have anything against those who buy them - after all 99.99999% of purchasers are going to have no clue how they work or the side effects and would trust them to be legal. My problem is with companies like BT who know they break EMC Compliance laws yet still sell them.

CharlieBilly

People who buy these buy them in good faith if they cause nuisance then perhaps they shouldnt be sold

Ofcom can not make you not use them only ask.

Hammyman

CharlieBilly wrote: »

People who buy these buy them in good faith if they cause nuisance then perhaps they shouldnt be sold

Ofcom can not make you not use them only ask.

Actually they can as you are committing the offence of Spectrum Abuse by transmitting in bands requiring licences which you hold no licence for. You can end up in court just the same as a pirate radio broadcaster.

LillythePink

We have just put them in and they work a treat - to my parents pc in the wing to my DD pc in her room - didn't realise about the transmitting thing though

PROLIANT

LillythePink wrote: »

We have just put them in and they work a treat - to my parents pc in the wing to my DD pc in her room - didn't realise about the transmitting thing though

Most people don't, but I will bet you as soon as one of your neighbours puts up an Amateur radio antenna they will be blamed for everything, even if is not their fault.
When I moved in to my new house I put the aerials up and did not even have the radios set up or plugged in, yet it was all my fault when their telly was out of kilter and their lotto numbers did not come up that weekend.


Another menace is the Plasma screen TV, one of my neighbours has one and when they have it switched on I can't use the HF band (1.8-30MHz) because the TV generates over 9 +10dB of noise.


It is not the fault of the consumer but like I stated if it was me causing the problem OfCom would close me down at the drop of a hat!

aliEnRIK

Hammyman wrote: »

There are a few different "sounds" but they all transmit. They turn your mains ring into a big antenna. The ones that do comply fully have the bands used by other services (ham, commercial etc) "notched out" so they cause no interference on those bands.

Sadly the manufacturer of the most common ones, Commtrend, found out that in the real world the signal was too weak to provide anywhere near the performance they claimed so they increased the transmit power by an order of several times. The ones you buy aren't the same as the one they used to get certification. BT do have compliant ones but unfortunately BT have a big warehouse full of the old things.

I don't have anything against those who buy them - after all 99.99999% of purchasers are going to have no clue how they work or the side effects and would trust them to be legal. My problem is with companies like BT who know they break EMC Compliance laws yet still sell them.

What about when a mains conditioner is plugged into one (or more) of the sockets? Ive found homeplugs dont work at all through them (At least the ones ive tried), so does that mean its nullifying the RFI? Or will it not make any difference if the homeplugs are still working?