[mythtv-users] Power Line Network Connections and Myth ?

[Brian Wood]

On Sunday, October 03, 2010 07:05:36 pm sean darcy wrote:

> 
> I don't have a line of sight. Lots of trees. And yes, the distance is
> a problem, though some say it'll still work. An answer is running
> fiber. But I'm cheap. If electric cable doesn't work, maybe coax will.
> It has a longer spec. And it's more protected from the elements. I
> assume I just hook up a cable modem at each end.
> 

No, cable modems won't talk to each other, they are designed to communicate with  equipment at the cable headend (or an 
intermediate active device), not with each other.

It's more or less like the old "56K" modems, putting a pair of those back to back will NOT result in a 56K connection 
(actually you could never get a real 56K link), they are designed to talk directly to a central office type unit. You can 
get a slow link with 2 56K modems, but with cable modems you would get nothing. You would need the equivalent of an RF 
"null modem crossover", but I'm not aware of such a thing even being available. Commercial RF modems would work, but would 
cost way more than the PVC and CAT5.

You're probably best off going the CAT5 route, with an active repeater of some sort (a cheap POE switch would do it) if the 
distance is a problem, but I'd bet it won't be.

I agree running PVC (or ABS, depending on where you live) conduit. Make sure to leave a pull line in the pipe, so you can 
pull additional things into it should the need arise, and it almost certainly will.