Amazon.com review on adding units to the WD (this means the answer to
your second question is yes, if you get the WD):
"This is a terrific product. It does what it says that it will do. You
will get much faster speeds than wireless without all the dropouts. Each
box comes with two units. These units are identical. The one that you
plug into your router becomes the "home" unit. The second box becomes
the "remote" unit. If you're only planning on using these two boxes then
you're fine.
The problem becomes adding additional units (which is the beauty of
purchasing this system.) There are no decent instructions. Not on the WD
website, not included in paper form, and not set out in any clear
fashion the pdf "User Guide" on the included CD. If you want to add
addtional units around your house, then you will have to install the
utiliy on the CD. Next -- AND THIS IS CRITICAL -- your computer will
have to be attached by an ethernet cable to your "HOME" Live Wire
device. The setup won't work otherwise.
You will then:
1) Have to use the "ADD" button on the utility to add new devices.
2) You will have to locate the password for the additonal units, which
is marked P/W on the bottom of the device.
3) You will have to enter the passcode and name the additional device.
4) Then hit the "add device" button on the computerized utility.
5) Once you've done this, all the devices should reboot, and the within
60 seconds, the utility should scan and locate all the devices on your
system.
6) If the utility does not locate all the devices within 60 seconds, it
means that the devices did not properly reboot. (This is what happened
to me.) You will then have to unplug ALL the devices, and then replug
them into the wall, and then close and reopen the utility. It should now
work.
Whatever you do: Don't bother calling customer service. You'll get
someone too dumb to work at a McDonalds who won't have the slightest
clue what your problem is or why the devices don't work. You will spend
15 to 30 minutes on hold before they confess that they don't know
anything about the product.
I almost gave up and returned these devices four or five times before I
finally got them working. It's a shame Western Digital can't be bothered
to provide instructions for one of the most basic functions associated
with creating a powerline network. I guess they are selling to many of
these units and don't want the supply to dry up because customers are
adding third, fourth, and fifth boxes to their homes."
On 2/18/2013 2:03 PM, Thane Sherrington wrote:
I know we've discussed Powerline in the past, but I'm not very
familiar, so I have a few questions.
I was looking at this device:
http://ca.netgear.com/home/products/powerline-and-coax/high-performance/XAVB5004.aspx#
Am I right in assuming I can put the single port thingy in the room
with my router and plug it into a power socket and them put the 4 port
thingy in another room and attach 4 devices to it?
Can I get another 4 port thingy like this:
http://ca.netgear.com/home/products/powerline-and-coax/high-performance/XAV5004.aspx#
And expand my network that way?
IE:
Single port thingy ------------------> 4 port thingy ----> Devices
|
|
------------------------>4 port thingy---->Devices
Or do I need a single port thingy for each 4 port thingy?
T
