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[Edinburgh_lad]

Hello

Since my 150mbps fttp install I noticed that whenever I'm wirelessly connected to my Devolo Magic 1 WiFi adapter, my speed, using Ookla speed checked, shows as max 80Mbps, whereas when I do a speed check while being connected to my Fritzbox, it's 150Mbps. All using WiFi.

Not sure why that is, especially that Devolo adapters are quite simple I terms of traffic management: so, there wouldn't be any ways of 'shaping' the traffic. I've checked all functions.

Similar observations, anyone?

[Alex Atkin UK]

I never trust those power brick based units for WiFi, as they are literally broadcasting in the worst possible location unless your sockets are half way up the wall.  Powerline itself is susceptible to interference from other appliances on the circuit too, the PSU is closer to the WiFi antennas, I just don't think they're a great design.

The fact they don't tell you detailed specifications on the website and want me to signup to their newsletter to download the spec sheet (fortunately it does it anyway if you cancel, not made clear) also doesn't give me much faith in the company either.

That said, how fast can you get wired into the Devolo box?  How fast can it talk to devices plugged into the main router?
Urgh, 100Mbit ports, that shows much faith they have in what real-world speed you're going to get.

[tubaman]

How are the powerline adapters connected to the Fritzbox, as if wired and the ports are 10/100 then you'll never get more than about 94Mbps no matter what the wifi side connects at.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Right, I completely glossed over the fact its going to be the same speed at the main adapter as its likely wired.   What a junk product this is.

[Edinburgh_lad]

You're right Alex with your observations, but you could argue the same about the position of your router: it's usually near the sockets, too, though probably not as close. Yes, they do have limitations, but in situations when you can't run an ethernet cable, they provide a good solution to WiFi issues.

So, the speed between adapters themselves is around 600mbps, which is what I'd expect. The one with the giga port is connected to the router, and from there the internet 'flows' along powerlines to the second adapter, which is a WiFi one. So, the 100mbps ethernet port is never used, but indeed, it's a huge limitation.

It looks as if QoS was on Fritzbox or some kind of throttling. Looking at the specs of these, they should be capable of higher speeds, but maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing or misinterpreting something. The usual like changing channels, method of encryption, the number of networks etc doesn't seem to have an effect. And literary, these are very simple in the way setup works, so there isn't anything there in terms of traffic management.

[Alex Atkin UK]

So the LAN unit has a gigabit port?  That's hilarious as I can't find any mention of this in the manual or the data sheet.

The data sheet link only covers the WiFi unit for some bizarre reason.  Though it also claims it only supports 867Mbit link rate over WiFi.

My goodness the Starter Kit flyer is awful.  What idiot thought it a good idea to have every step in every language, rather than bundling the instructions for each language together like, you know, how people ACTUALLY read?

[Edinburgh_lad]

Yes, they have a lot of shortcomings, but the hardware and software are both pretty good. When I had VDSL, it worked well as it mitigated the impact of powerline frequencies on the VDSL signal: both teh powerline and Fritzbox exchanged data on SNR and powerline adapters either reduced or increased power output, depending on the outcome.

So, it is what it is, but I suppose it's better than other manufacturers.

I agree with you, though, that it should be clearer in the datasheet etc. that the only gigabit port is on the LAN adapter, whereas the WiFi ones have 100Mbps ports. It doesn't bother me, as I don't connect anything to the ports on the WiFi units, but clarity is what would be best here.

I've used Devolo powerline adapters for nearly two decades and they're really a good piece of kit. It's my personal opinion, though. However, the latest Magic 2 and Mesh WiFi get very hot and freeze, plus when I tried Magic 2, it caused a lot of errors on the VDSL line. Now that I have FTTP, it doesn't matter, but because of the issues prior to that, I'd had to get Magic 1.

What I'd like to find out is whether someone with these could confirm their download speed, while being connected to Devolo, if their connection is over 80Mbps. This would either confirm or not whether it's my set up or a general issue.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I think everyone on this forum were very anti Powerline due to the VDSL issue, you could try the Linus Tech Tips Networking forum although they're pretty anti powerline too.

Pretty much any tech nerd avoids them like the plague which is problematic as they are the only ones really replying to posts on forums rather than starting threads for help.

[Edinburgh_lad]

OMG, Alex, you've basically killed the conversation