Internet Network extenders through boat electrics

[kevski]

Hi,

 

Sorry if this has already been discussed. I need to get a hard wired network connection down from one end of the boat to the other. I have purchased some TP-Link power line adapters which plug into the boats 240v ring main. They don't seem to see one another. Is this not an option on boat ring mains?

[Dave Payne]

Sure your boat is a ring main?

 

Do they work.if it's not?

 

Can you not just run a cat5 cable somewhere down the boat?

Also, at the plugs at each end on different fuses in the panel?

[Chewbacka]

Would a cheap router and network cable not be a better method?

 

However that was not you question.

Boat 230V electrics are often not wired as a ring main but as radial circuits, ie each socket or set of sockets have their own supply from the consumer unit.

That said I would have thought it would work if all the breakers are on.

 

If you are on an inverter.

There is another 'idea' and that is that if you are using an inverter, especially a modified sine or quasi sine wave then it is not a sine wave, more a collection of square waves. This is electrically very noisy and I would not be at all surprised that the signal from the 'power line adaptors' that is superimposed onto the 230V AC supply is swamped by the inverter noise. Even a pure sine wave inverter may not be that pure - depends on who designed it, and how liberal they are with calling it pure sine wave, so again could be electrically noisy.

 

If you are on shore power

Ignore the above, but if you have a big battery charger that may also inject noise onto the mains (switch mode power supply type) so try turning of everything else off to see if you can get them working, then switch stuff back on to see what kills it.

[widebeamboy]

if you do opt to run network cable there is a marine version that is not solid strand which you should ideally use. It is a little more fiddly to put the connectors on however it comes with practice.

[cuthound]

Would a cheap router and network cable not be a better method?

 

However that was not you question.

Boat 230V electrics are often not wired as a ring main but as radial circuits, ie each socket or set of sockets have their own supply from the consumer unit.

That said I would have thought it would work if all the breakers are on.

 

If you are on an inverter.

There is another 'idea' and that is that if you are using an inverter, especially a modified sine or quasi sine wave then it is not a sine wave, more a collection of square waves. This is electrically very noisy and I would not be at all surprised that the signal from the 'power line adaptors' that is superimposed onto the 230V AC supply is swamped by the inverter noise. Even a pure sine wave inverter may not be that pure - depends on who designed it, and how liberal they are with calling it pure sine wave, so again could be electrically noisy

Almost certainly this if it on an inverter.

[dor]

if you do opt to run network cable there is a marine version that is not solid strand which you should ideally use. It is a little more fiddly to put the connectors on however it comes with practice.

I would have thought the easiest thing would be to run a CAT5E/6 readymade cable between the two devices, using an unmanaged switch to connect if more than two devices (although this will still need a decent supply profile, but probably not as fussy as the powerline links.

[Machpoint005]

Reminds me of a printer sharing network we had in the early days of my firm. One printer, connected to a box with a big bakelite knob on it, connected to two PCs, Turn knob to '1' to print from PC no.1, '2' to print from PC no.2!

[john6767]

As others have said in a boat the best would be to run CAT 5 cable rather than using power line extenders.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Sorry if this has already been discussed. I need to get a hard wired network connection down from one end of the boat to the other. I have purchased some TP-Link power line adapters which plug into the boats 240v ring main. They don't seem to see one another. Is this not an option on boat ring mains?

Normally these work brilliantly if the wiring comes together at some point. We have two at home to get data to a Smart TV, one upstairs where the virgin router is and the other next to the smart tv downstairs. Both on different circuits but they are not separated by their own separate consumer unit like you would get in an outbuilding, this is what normally causes a problem.

 

Afaik the wiring and connections won't be the issue here, so either they are faulty or it will be something else such as what as been suggested eg the possible interference from the inverter.

[ditchcrawler]

Have you tried it on shore supply, you may even be able to share it with the boat next door