Since adding a laptop I've been looking at wireless routers. Now I see
something called a Powerline LAN. That is the signal gets broadcast
over your existing electric wires. Sounds like a good option. Anyone
with experience using one? with Linux?

No one I know is using this setup. I don't know of any place in the US that
this is being marketed to on a consumer scale. It is generally thought to
be a dead subject. The reviews I have read in PC Magazine, PC World and
Computer Shopper Magazine are not supportive.

"Jim" <chief_jim@go.com> wrote in message
news:rsOMe.35224$Kx6.15792@fe12.lga...

Kevin wrote:
I don't recall those reviews. But in all fairness may have skipped over
them at the time as it wasn't on my horizon yet.

"Jim" <chief_jim@go.com> wrote in message
news:rsOMe.35224$Kx6.15792@fe12.lga...
No experience with using on Linux I'm afraid. But I am testing out the
Devolo Microlink Starter kit for a client who is having problems getting a
decent wireless connection here in the UK. It comes with drivers etc... for
Windows certainly, but not sure about Linux. It works well enough for
broadband to be successfully shared. This kit is relatively expensive, but
there are other brands/models that do a similar job about a third off the
price of the Devolo system. The Devolo system was conveniently available at
a local store which is why I got it. There is a USB version too.

NickM wrote:

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/XE102.php

"Jim" wrote in message

Yeah, the concept of using home electrical wiring for networking isn't
really new. Its been around for two decades, going back to the X10 stuff
that Radio Shack sold in the 80's that automated appliances. There is
another scheme that has been around for a while, (Homepower?), that is also
used for computer traffic.

Well, the signal will broadcast over your existing electrical wires that are
_on the same circuit_. :-)

Its just an ethernet drop, as far as any OS is concerned. The OS only need
to talk to network card in the computer. It could care less where the
traffic, going to the card, is coming from.

Looking at specs for that product, I'd concerned about the 14 Mbs
(theoretical) bandwidth. Real world use will be less than 14 Mbs. If all
you plan to use them (you'll need two) for is internet traffic, it should be
sufficient but if you plan on using them to transfer local traffic (i.e.,
files) then you will find it to be very slow.

It might be worth considering if:

- The only thing you have a need to network is your laptop and another
source (i.e., desktop, router, modem, ect)

- You only need it for internet traffic

- The location(s) you plan on using your laptop at has outlets on the same
electrical circuit as the source (i.e., same fuse/relay on same circuit
breaker).

- Two of these animals cost less than purchasing the least amount of
wireless hardware neccessary to do the same thing. (i.e., wireless router/AP
and laptop card or just two wireless client hardwares if you want to do the
messy ad-hoc thing.)

Cheers,
-Erm