D-Link Powerline extender system playing up

dunroving

Just today noticed my D-Link Powerline AV-500 set up is playing up.

Normally, I have my laptop plugged into a D-Link extender. Today I noticed interWeb was slow, and that my laptop was using wi-fi. When I shut off wi-fi on laptop, no connection with interWeb. Troubleshooter said an ethernet cable was not plugged in - but have checked and everything that should be plugged in is plugged in. Nothing has been changed about the set-up.

Set-up is that I have Powerlink base station and two extenders (one in living room and one in my home office, that laptop is connected to).

The PowerLine LED on the base station is RED. The PowerLine LED on the extender in the living room is RED. Oddly, the PowerLine LED on the extender in the home office is GREEN. All lights are solid.

Manual for the AV-500 says the following about the Powerline LED (the middle light; looks like a Home icon):

Solid. The device is connected to a PowerLine network.
• Blinking. The device is transmitting data.
• Off. The device has not found any other compatible PowerLine devices using the
same encryption key.
The color indicates the PowerLine link rate:
• Green. The PowerLine link rate is faster than 80 Mbps.
• Amber. The PowerLine link rate is between 50 Mbps and 80 Mbps.
• Red. The PowerLine link rate is less than 50 Mbps.

I'm stumped. I'd really rather not re-install the set-up as nothing has been changed.

Any helpful advice before I spend a whole day farting around, feeling totally incompetent?

TrickyDicky101

When I used them I sometimes found simply switching the power socket off and on again (after say a 30s break) worked. I did find they had a limited life (although that was measured in years).

dunroving

Thanks. Tried that, turned everything on and off but it didn't help. Maybe just sleep on it and turn off overnight.

that

broken nic cable. I go through about 2-3 year, and the laptop continually sits nest to the bed and only moves a few feet.

the often become intermittent first

dunroving

NIC cable is Etherley cable? Interesting going idea. I've never broken one in 20 years, but the one going from router to D-Link Base is a bit crimped, and stuffed behind furniture I have been moving recently. I'll give it a whirl and report back!

dunroving

That should say Ethernet. Predict text changes real word to crazy word. Etherley? Sounds like a character in a Jane Austen novel!

dunroving

dunroving wrote: »

NIC cable is Ethernet cable? Interesting going idea. I've never broken one in 20 years, but the one going from router to D-Link Base is a bit crimped, and stuffed behind furniture I have been moving recently. I'll give it a whirl and report back!

Turning off an leaving overnight seems to have worked. I only turned on the base unit and the extender feeding my laptop. If it continues to work OK, will turn on the extender downstairs (feeds the Fire Stick) to see if that works OK.

that

dunroving wrote: »

NIC cable is Etherley cable? Interesting going idea. I've never broken one in 20 years, but the one going from router to D-Link Base is a bit crimped, and stuffed behind furniture I have been moving recently. I'll give it a whirl and report back!

Mine on the wall has been there for years possibly over a decade, but the one on my bed that gets moved is another story.

My setup has been so reliable, am at the point where if something network goes wrong, I first reboot laptop, then reboot the router (both can be done from my bed in cold evenings), then it is network cable.

The bed cable does not get yanked either.

System

TrickyDicky101 wrote: »

When I used them I sometimes found simply switching the power socket off and on again (after say a 30s break) worked. I did find they had a limited life (although that was measured in years).

Everything I've ever had D-Link has usually failed within 2 years, I no longer buy that brand.

stator

Have you changed the default network ID ? It's possible one of your neighbours has started using Homeplug and that it's interfering with yours. It shouldn't be too bad if you're using different Network IDs

dunroving

Tarambor wrote: »

Everything I've ever had D-Link has usually failed within 2 years, I no longer buy that brand.

These are 5 years old and still doing fine (other than the recent hiccup, now seemingly resolved), so I guess I am living on borrowed time. ;-)

What brand would you recommend if and when my D-Link gives up the ghost?