The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Networking Through Your Electrical Wiring Barry Martin barrymar@melbpc.org.au |
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We have heard much about networking computers without the need to install data
cabling by using wireless technologies. In the latest development, systems that
allow the networking of computers through the electrical power circuits of your
home or office have begun to appear in the market.
Recently, a relative of one of my clients who is a principal of Vcomm Pty Ltd
contacted me. This company has just begun importing and distributing the latest
in this technology. They offered me the opportunity of testing two of their
DPL-100 Data Power Link units.
The Data Power Link Units
Each unit is a plain blue painted metal box 100 x 80 x 25 mm. At the rear is a
two pin power socket (a power cable is provided). On the front face is a power
LED at the left, three LEDs in the middle (for network indication - Collision,
Link, Activity), a network connection socket (RJ-45 Ethernet for the DPL-100 or
a USB cable socket for the DPL-100U); at the far right is a switch which allows
you to select whether you are directly connecting two PCs or a PC to a network
hub.
The DPL-100 units require an Ethernet card in each PC and a Category 5 UTP
network fly lead (neither are supplied). The carton contains the DPL-100 unit, a
power cord, a one-page Quick Start Guide, and a CD-ROM with driver software and
detailed manual (in PDF format). The operating systems required to support the
technology are Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP.
The Test Location
For the test, I chose to network a Pentium III 800 MHz PC with all SCSI
peripherals and running Windows 98SE, and an Athlon XP2000 PC running Windows
2000 Professional. Both PCs were fitted with entry-level PCI 10/100 Ethernet
cards with the Realtek 3129D chip sets (these cards sell for less than $30.00
each). They both had the TCP/IP protocol installed and bound to the cards and
had individual IP addresses assigned (192.168.0.1 on the Windows 98SE PC named
BM-HOME, 192.168.0.10 on the Windows 2000 PC named DEFAULT). Both were set up in
a work- group named WORKGROUP and the Windows 98SE PC had its three hard drives
and Zip drive shared. The two PCs were located at opposite ends of the house on
different power circuits.
Installation
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Installation was done by following the Quick Start Guide and was straightforward
(Figure 1). I could ping the other PC to see if there is a network and, yes, we
had contact! I was now keen to see if I had normal Windows networking functionality. So, from the Windows 2000 PC, using the My Network Places/Search for Computers facility, I tried to find the Windows 98SE PC (named BM-HOME) and its shared resources. Eureka! At this stage, I was very impressed. The speed was good (14 Mbit/s is claimed) and timing the copying of an 11 MB file across the network confirmed this (this was an RTF file with all the raw Windows 2000 screen captures for this article). |
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As a further test, Internet Connection Sharing was enabled on the Windows 98SE
PC. Starting Internet Explorer on the Windows 2000 machine initiated the dial-up
connection for the Melb PC Internet Service on the Windows 98SE PC and, before I
knew it, I was looking at the award-winning Melbourne PC User Group home page.
The DPL-100 unit attached to the Windows 98SE PC was then powered from a
6-outlet power board drawing its power from a surge protected outlet of a Sola
Model 305-600 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). When powered up, the network
was still in place.
Security Issues
While network security is not a burning issue in the home environment, it can be
a different matter in an office environment.
Imagine an office building with several tenants on one floor drawing power from
a common distribution board. With this technology, all circuits on the one
electrical power phase can potentially be part of the network, so, preventing
unauthorised access is important.
During loading of the DPL-100 driver software, a Powerline Network Configuration
Utility is installed and a shortcut placed on the desktop. This utility enables
password access control for the DPL-100 unit so that only other DPL-100s with
the same password can communicate with each other to form a secure network.
The manual on the CD-ROM states that you can have multiple networks on the one
phase by assigning different passwords for each network group.
How Much?
Both the Ethernet and USB versions cost $220.00 each including GST but excluding
delivery. At this time, they are only available directly from the importer:
Vcomm Pty Ltd
P.O. Box 2072
Camberwell West VIC 3124
Phone (03) 9809 4411
Fax (03) 9809 1841
E-Mail: admin@vcomm.com.au
Overall
A very good alternative where wireless network technology or network cabling is
not possible and certainly more secure than many of the similarly priced
wireless network solutions. It is great for rented premises where landlords do
not allow additional cabling to be installed. It is easy to install and easy to
relocate to other premises.
About the Author
Barry Martin, barrymar@melbpc.org.au conducts his own computer services business
in Melbourne. He is a member of the Committee of Melbourne PC User Group, Inc
and conducts the Random Access sessions at the Monthly General Meetings.
Reprinted from the April 2003 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
