Introduction In general, HomePlug networks
operate just fine when you plug them in; however, a measurable number
may experience performance limitations that are unique to the home where
they are installed (based on a number of characteristics of the
powerline circuits in that home). In many cases, these performance
limitations can be easily resolved. However, until now users haven't had
many practical tools to figure out what might be causing a problem with
the powerline network. Powerline network
performance can be adversely affected by interference and attenuation
from devices connected to the electrical wiring in a house. In
certain cases the performance of a powerline link may drop whenever an
electrical device is plugged in or turned on. When an installer experiences an under performing powerline link, he or she may commonly want to determine whether the issue is caused by a "noisy" device on the powerline. Until now, powerline network users have had very few diagnostic tools to analyze the network and identify potential sources of interference. Because of the number of outlets in a house and the number of devices that are plugged in, installers have often have difficulty identifying which specific devices in the home may be interfering with the powerline network signal. Plaster
Networks PLN3 powerline Ethernet adapters include a range of diagnostics
tools to view the real time throughput between any two adapters on the
powerline network, and to pinpoint sources of powerline interference.
These diagnostic tools can facilitate the process
of identifying specific devices that may be generating powerline noise.
And having identified the "noisy" devices, an installer can then
proscribe a powerline isolator that filters the noise from entering the
powerline circuits. (For more information on how isolators help to
improve powerline network performance, please see the white paper Plaster
Networks Powerline Isolators.) Plaster Networks Advanced Powerline Monitor (APM) provides a way to track changes in throughput performance across a powerline link over time. The tool gives you a real-time view of what's happening on the powerline network. Using the APM, installers can connect (and disconnect) devices to the powerline network and view the effect on the powerline performance. As a result, they can more easily identify devices that interfere with the powerline network signal, and they can then virtually eliminate this interference by installing a powerline isolator. Figure 1: Plaster Networks Advanced Powerline Monitor System Requirements
To access
Plaster Networks APM, you will need to connect a PC to the same network
as the powerline units (for instance, through a port on the powerline
units or through a router connected to the units). Plaster
Networks Advanced Powerline Monitor is based on SVG (Adobe scalable vector graphics) and currently requires that you
install the Opera browser, which
can be downloaded from www.opera.com. In addition, please be sure to configure the following Opera setting for proper performance: Tools -> Preferences -> Advanced -> History -> Check images -> Always Figure
2: Opera Preferences Settings Launching Plaster Networks Advanced Powerline Monitor Once you have launched the Opera browser, enter http://plnXXXXXX/apm.html where XXXXXX is the 6 digit PLN ID of the adapter.
Figure 3: Plaster Networks Advance Powerline Monitor The APM uses the concept of a "focal node". For a given focal node, the monitor displays the powerline throughput capacity between that adapter and any other adapter on the powerline network. To make the adapter a "focal node," simply click on that adapter's six-digit PLNID (as indicated above). The throughput capacity is represented as a solid line for network traffic from the focal node to the other node(s), and as a dotted line for data traffic from the other node(s) to the focal node. The network capacity is commonly different in each direction, based on the specific characteristics of the electrical circuits. The throughput measurements for an adapter can be removed and re-added to the plot by clicking on the adapter’s HFID on the left hand side of the graph (as shown above). Adapters that are not displayed have their HFIDs crossed out You may pause and continue the time
progression by selecting the Pause/Resume function
located on the upper left hand side of the monitor. When you select
"Pause," the monitor continues to collect throughput measurements in the
background. When you select "Resume," the monitor displays these
measurements and resumes updating the measurements regularly. You may also adjust the time scale of the graph by clicking on the Zoom In and Zoom Out controls located at the bottom of the powerline monitor. You may adjust the range anywhere from 60 seconds up to 24 hours. |
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Plaster Networks Advanced Powerline Monitor |