Internet plugs and security?

[Vicario]

I've just installed a Devolo network plug in a remote part of the house that hates wifi signals. This takes the internet signal from the router via a plug that goes into the mains. The signal is then picked up at another plug, also from the mains. I've just read the manual and it recommends setting a password on the network 'to avoid unauthorised access'. I'm not talking wifi here, but the dLan. It also states that 'the electricity meter does not provide a physical barrier to the network signal'. Does this mean that in theory a neighbour with some technical knowledge could use this signal over his mains too, or am I being paranoid?
These do work very well, by the way.

 

[Lectrician]

If someone else had a develo and used it locally to you in their house (on the same phase), their develo could use your network. You need to set a password using their downloadable config utility.

 

[Aragorn84]

http://www.ban-plt.co.uk/

 

[ericmark]

http://www.ban-plt.co.uk/

This system was recommended by open reach when fitting sky fibre broad band until I said I was a radio ham when they quickly backed off.

It is a cheap and very nasty system which likely will get banned some time in the future and I have been surprised when the new router was fitted to find the new router wireless range is far better than the old one and my lan cable has now been removed as redundant.

 

[bernardgreen]

PLT for high data rates needs to banned and the sooner they are banned the better.

Even with password protection the data being passed can be read by a third party. Only secure encryption will protect your sensitive data from being read by a third party.

There are some home automation / control systems with very low data rates less than 1000 bytes per second ) that use power line transmission with audio frequency carriers. These seldom interfere with other equipment but can be affected by high data rate PLT equipment on the same phase.

 

[mattylad]

Put a cable in, costs a heck of a lot less than the plugs and works a lot better.

 

[amjmfareham]

Looking through the posts, I agree with them all, especially the user mattyland!

But if you were to go through the cabled up option, what would the length of the run be?

Because a single length of Cat 5 UTP and Cat 6 UTP CANNOT run beyond 90m without a Repeater, or Hub, this is to regenerate the signal to avoid data corruption!

Also it is not advised to run UTP cable (Cat 5 and 6) round a building without using conduit, because it presents a lightning hazard.

Just thought this information would help!

Andrew

(This information is from Cisco Networking Academy)

 

[JohnW2]

Looking through the posts, I agree with them all, especially the user mattyland!

Me too.

But if you were to go through the cabled up option, what would the length of the run be? ... Because a single length of Cat 5 UTP and Cat 6 UTP CANNOT run beyond 90m without a Repeater, or Hub, this is to regenerate the signal to avoid data corruption!

The OP referred to a 'house'. Unless that's a euphemism for 'castle', I doubt he would have cable runs in excess of 90m!

Also it is not advised to run UTP cable (Cat 5 and 6) round a building without using conduit, because it presents a lightning hazard.

Could you perhaps expand on that a bit?

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

Also it is not advised to run UTP cable (Cat 5 and 6) round a building without using conduit, because it presents a lightning hazard.

Wow, that'd be some pretty enormous conduit in some of the call centers I've worked in!

 

[Iggifer]

that would be preferrable to some people I've seen who use a flexi conduit above a lay in ceiling for single run of Cat5. Why? Just use the data side of the cable basket fgs

 

[mattylad]

A 20m cat5 cable costs about £3 on amazon.

As for 90m - yes you CAN run them even longer - I have done so, however it WILL NOT happen in a house so is NOT part of THE discussion lol

And it's lad not land...

 

[plugwash]

Because a single length of Cat 5 UTP and Cat 6 UTP CANNOT run beyond 90m without a Repeater, or Hub, this is to regenerate the signal to avoid data corruption!

IIRC the official rule is 90M of installation cable plus 10m of patch cable. IIRC patch cable has slightly worse performance than installation so a continous 100m run of solid cable with no patch cables should be ok too.

I strongly suspect that powerline gear wont work very well over that kind of distance anyway.

 

[SimonH2]

Yes the specification is for a channel not exceeding 100m - and the spec subtracts a 5m allowance (each end) for patch cables to give 90m.

I have however (though necessity) run some outlets that ran to 180m The intention was that they've never be needed for more than just phones and serial terminals. But they did in fact work reliably for ethernet - but I strongly suspect there wasn't much headroom left.

Back to the OPs question ...
Aragorn84 saved me the bother of posting that link. View some of the videos there and you'll find that your power line transmitters will radiate your data for a substantial distance. People don't even need to be connected to the mains to pick up the horrible radio signals you'll be transmitting.

It is a cheap and very nasty system which likely will get banned some time in the future ...

We can only hope, however it looks more like the current approach to enforcement seem to be that if enough people with vested interests (ie the manufacturers/importers and the likes of BT who were giving these out to avoid people having to get a cable to their TV) is to just relax the rules until it becomes legal. That certainly seem the direction things are currently heading.
Sadly our own authorities seem to put more effort into finding reasons why they can dismiss it as "not their problem" than actually doing anything useful - but that's what happens when you allow people like BT to dictate OfCon policy.