Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Tech Forums > Maintenance and Repair
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-03-2022, 11:06 PM   #1
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
Ethernet Adapter and RV wiring

I purchased a TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapter from Amazon. The device has two components, one that plugs into the 110 outlet with a Cat5 cabe that plugs into the router.

On the other end some other location in the house is an adapter that plugs into an 110 out. It allows a Cat 5 cable to connect to a laptop. What this device does is to transfer Ethernet protocol over the home wiring, primarily it uses the neutral wire for this.

Now the fun part:
I have an RV plugged into the shore power at this house. However, the two devices will not sync. But. If I use the 110 outlet next to the 30 amp plug it works fine. As a second test, there is another motorhome plugged into the house power. The adapters will not Sync in the second motorhome.

Now the question is, what happens to the house power when it gets into the RV?
Is the neutral line somehow blocked by the RV electronics?

__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2022, 12:03 AM   #2
Site Team
 
16ACE27's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,117
THOR #7035
Quote:
Originally Posted by makitso View Post
I purchased a TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapter from Amazon. The device has two components, one that plugs into the 110 outlet with a Cat5 cabe that plugs into the router.

On the other end some other location in the house is an adapter that plugs into an 110 out. It allows a Cat 5 cable to connect to a laptop. What this device does is to transfer Ethernet protocol over the home wiring, primarily it uses the neutral wire for this.

Now the fun part:
I have an RV plugged into the shore power at this house. However, the two devices will not sync. But. If I use the 110 outlet next to the 30 amp plug it works fine. As a second test, there is another motorhome plugged into the house power. The adapters will not Sync in the second motorhome.

Now the question is, what happens to the house power when it gets into the RV?
Is the neutral line somehow blocked by the RV electronics?
Well, the powerline adapters use more than the neutral line; they also use the hot lead.

The problem you may be experiencing is probably related to low frequency noise caused by the converter. Open your converter breaker to test that theory.

Any reason you didn't just go with a wireless router? They usually work very well in the small space of an RV.
__________________
Ted & Melinda
2016 ACE 27.1
2016 Chevy Sonic Toad - Selling
2020 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Runner Toad
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS - Soon 2B TOAD
16ACE27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2022, 01:15 AM   #3
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
Angry

Quote:
Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
The problem you may be experiencing is probably related to low frequency noise caused by the converter. Open your converter breaker to test that theory.

Any reason you didn't just go with a wireless router? They usually work very well in the small space of an RV.
Will test the breaker tomorrow.

I had intended to get a wifi solution but screwed up and ordered the wrong unit. However, it was good to do testing. If I can get the unit to work in the RV I will reorder the correct product
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2022, 02:55 PM   #4
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
I tried flipping off breakers. With everything turned off, except the outlets it synced and worked but poor performance. After playing around with different combinations of breakers I am inclined to believe it's power and amps related.
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2022, 05:26 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
macdaddy1111's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 35m
State: North Carolina
Posts: 861
THOR #13505
Do you have a winegard installed on your rig?


Quote:
Originally Posted by makitso View Post
I purchased a TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapter from Amazon. The device has two components, one that plugs into the 110 outlet with a Cat5 cabe that plugs into the router.

On the other end some other location in the house is an adapter that plugs into an 110 out. It allows a Cat 5 cable to connect to a laptop. What this device does is to transfer Ethernet protocol over the home wiring, primarily it uses the neutral wire for this.

Now the fun part:
I have an RV plugged into the shore power at this house. However, the two devices will not sync. But. If I use the 110 outlet next to the 30 amp plug it works fine. As a second test, there is another motorhome plugged into the house power. The adapters will not Sync in the second motorhome.

Now the question is, what happens to the house power when it gets into the RV?
Is the neutral line somehow blocked by the RV electronics?
__________________
Retired Squid who has a Retired Squid that drives him around in a RV!
macdaddy1111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2022, 05:35 PM   #6
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
> Do you have a winegard installed on your rig?

Yes I do and that works fine. But, this is not about Winegard, it's about testing the Ethernet adapter, to see if it will work in an RV.
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2022, 04:17 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 24F
State: Ohio
Posts: 4,087
THOR #16721
When you say "doesn't work", do you mean slow data throughput? If you connect to the router via WiFi, is the data also very slow? Just trying to determine if the bottleneck is before or after your router... If you're in very close proximity to your router, you should get comparable data speeds using either power line ethernet or WiFi... unless there's some massive interference.
__________________
Be creative, and have a fun life...
...and don't be an @**hole! -Ken Block
Chateau_Nomad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2022, 01:04 PM   #8
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad View Post
When you say "doesn't work", do you mean slow data throughput? If you connect to the router via WiFi, is the data also very slow? Just trying to determine if the bottleneck is before or after your router... If you're in very close proximity to your router, you should get comparable data speeds using either power line ethernet or WiFi... unless there's some massive interference.
This experiment was a test to see if the above named adapter would successfully transmit Ethernet into the RV via 110 outlet. It is not an attempt to get Wifi into the RV.

My initial test of the adapter (2 of 2) in the RV failed, it would not sync up with the adapter (1 of 5) plugged into the router.
Subsequent tests, disable breakers, etc., found some combinations that would sync but the signal was very weak when tested with my laptop and speedtest.net
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2022, 02:30 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 24F
State: Ohio
Posts: 4,087
THOR #16721
Quote:
Originally Posted by makitso View Post
This experiment was a test to see if the above named adapter would successfully transmit Ethernet into the RV via 110 outlet. It is not an attempt to get Wifi into the RV.

My initial test of the adapter (2 of 2) in the RV failed, it would not sync up with the adapter (1 of 5) plugged into the router.
Subsequent tests, disable breakers, etc., found some combinations that would sync but the signal was very weak when tested with my laptop and speedtest.net
My intent was NOT to sway you to WiFi. . One thing to understand is that although you have a "signal" (which carries the data), you STILL may have a slow or non-existent data stream.

In simple terms, a modem receives the digital signal from your ISP, then hands it off to your router for distribution. Then your router generates the carrier and sends (routes) the data.

Electric transmission lines often are inherently "noisy", which causes data packets to be re-sent numerous times... giving you the "slow" data.

The reason I mentioned WiFi was merely as a test. You want to determine if it's a "noisy" carrier, OR inherently slow data originating from the modem. If WiFi is generally fast, but the power line ethernet is slow (originating from the same modem) you've found your answer.

When you've found combinations that "work", you're likely bypassing the noisy wiring. Where the noise is coming from is another can of worms... good luck! . And it sounds like you DO get acceptable data speeds in some scenarios, so that would probably rule out slow data from your modem via the ISP.

Bottom line... I've found power line ethernet to be hit or miss. I currently use it for a Linux box and home automation. But I wouldn't use it where I depended on consistent high speed data.
__________________
Chateau_Nomad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2022, 04:56 PM   #10
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad View Post
The reason I mentioned WiFi was merely as a test. You want to determine if it's a "noisy" carrier, OR inherently slow data originating from the modem. If WiFi is generally fast, but the power line ethernet is slow (originating from the same modem) you've found your answer.

When you've found combinations that "work", you're likely bypassing the noisy wiring. Where the noise is coming from is another can of worms... good luck! . And it sounds like you DO get acceptable data speeds in some scenarios, so that would probably rule out slow data from your modem via the ISP.

Bottom line... I've found power line ethernet to be hit or miss. I currently use it for a Linux box and home automation. But I wouldn't use it where I depended on consistent high speed data.
As I mentioned in my first post, there is a 110 outlet next to the 30 amp outlet that I plug my RV shore line into. When the second adapter is plugged into this 110 outlet the system syncs fine and gives a reliable 20MB download. So, based upon this, I assume the RV has the noisy wiring.

I would agree with you that powerline Ethernet is hit or miss -- and that is the purpose of my testing. So, I have ordered the more expensive Wifi version of this powerline Ethernet and will run it off the 110 outlet next to the 30 amp outlet. Physically, it's only 5 feet from my RV but needs to go through two walls.
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2022, 11:39 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 24F
State: Ohio
Posts: 4,087
THOR #16721
Quote:
Originally Posted by makitso View Post
As I mentioned in my first post, there is a 110 outlet next to the 30 amp outlet that I plug my RV shore line into. When the second adapter is plugged into this 110 outlet the system syncs fine and gives a reliable 20MB download. So, based upon this, I assume the RV has the noisy wiring.

I would agree with you that powerline Ethernet is hit or miss -- and that is the purpose of my testing. So, I have ordered the more expensive Wifi version of this powerline Ethernet and will run it off the 110 outlet next to the 30 amp outlet. Physically, it's only 5 feet from my RV but needs to go through two walls.
Since my deck at home is so far away from my router, I use a WiFi power line adapter as a WiFi extender. It's plugged into an outlet in the garage. The deck is behind the garage, and the signal goes through the wall okay... not screaming fast but respectable.

If your motorhome walls are fiberglass, it should work fine.
__________________
Chateau_Nomad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2022, 04:01 PM   #12
Member
 
makitso's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Minnesota
Posts: 83
THOR #20429
Testing done

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad View Post
If your motorhome walls are fiberglass, it should work fine.
I purchased the TP-Link Powerline WiFi Extender and installed it -- one connected to the router and one, with the Wifi, plugged in next to the 30amp outlet. Wifi inside the RV work great, 25MB down and 10 up.
FWIW, the wifi adapter is not on the same 110 circuit as the base extendor.
__________________
makitso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2022, 04:12 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 24F
State: Ohio
Posts: 4,087
THOR #16721
Quote:
Originally Posted by makitso View Post
I purchased the TP-Link Powerline WiFi Extender and installed it -- one connected to the router and one, with the Wifi, plugged in next to the 30amp outlet. Wifi inside the RV work great, 25MB down and 10 up.
FWIW, the wifi adapter is not on the same 110 circuit as the base extendor.
They don't need to be on the same "branch circuit" (on the same breaker)... just so both are on the same entire "household circuit". As far as the device signal is concerned, your entire household wiring (behind the meter) is one large circuit path.

My devices are on completely opposite ends of my house... completely separate branch circuits on separate breakers. However, the signal passes from one to the other just fine.
__________________
Chateau_Nomad is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 02:35 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2