DiamondMM Homefree HPNA 10M PCI Cards @ Microcenter (2pk - $10)

[clarkmo]

HomePNA How To

Great deal!!

 

[Waco10]

This is a great deal! Thank You!

My advise is to jump on this deal. It's only $10 and it is very easy to setup. These are quality NICs.

I have a PNA network already setup and needed to add my daughter's PC to the network (home from college). So this was a timely sale. In fact I'm using it now. I was going to buy another wireless USB NIC but this is definitely the best inexpensive alternative out there. I never understood why the HomePNA wasn't more popular.

Kraeji, I have the 2Wire 100W also. It's great! I picked it up at Staples for $50 on the clearance rack about four months ago. I never heard of it before but I took a chance. I currently use it as a router but I absolutely Love it as a bridge. Currently I have it bridging ethernet, Wireless, HomePNA, and USB. I had some initial problems running VPN over it, but eventually got it all worked out.

If anyone ever sees the 100W on clearence do yourself a favor and grab it.

 

[Savarak]

I've used a phoneline network since it was available a while back and still use it now... Great for DSL since the max b/w for DSL is lower than 1mps(at least for us non-rich people). I haven't even upgraded to the 10M versions since our old 1M version is working 100% great!

 

[mrEvil]

Just want to add in that this is not a sale. What they have in the store is all they are going to have. These have not been made in well over a year. SonicBlue purchased Diamondmm and the latest drivers on the web are for W2k. There is no "official" support for these any more. Of course, I also found an Intel Any Point USB HPNA 10m adapter for $20 there also....same situation, except Intel will support these until March 2005 (I believe that's the date).

 

[JonTheBaller]

Originally posted by: Csium
Do HPNA cards require you to have the four wires in your phone jack hooked up???

Have an older house where it is wired with only two... Thought I read somewhere that HPNA wouldn't work in this config.

Does anyone know the answer to this?

 

[Tokar]

i really cant understand the question...

Ive networked countless houses with HPNA cards.

Ive done it successfully with Linksys cards, Diamond HomeFree cards, and the discontinued line of 3com cards.
I RECOMMEND HPNA TO EVERYONE.

HPNA requires that all computers be on the same PHONELINE. So if you have 2 phonlines in the house all computers you wish to network have to be on one or the other. Hell you can have multiple networks in the house if you have more than one phoneline.

Ive also networked someones house whose house has REALLY old phone wiring. Like there are 2 lines thru one connection. There are two splitter types, one that splits a connection into two, allowing for the connection of a fax, HPNA, a phone, etc all on the same line. Then there is a splitter which will split a single connection carrying 2 or more lines into the amount there are. That is what this guy had, which required the purchase of these specific line splitting connectors. In the end i got it working.

As i already said, as long as the computer can be on the SAME phoneline itll work.

As far as there being 2 holes on the back of the cards, it allows you to daisy chain computers, up to 30 of them, or connect a phone (or fax) that was previously connected to the wall. The phone will still work flawlessly (and even a FAX machine will still work flawlessly). From what i know, it doesnt allow you to connect to multiple phone lines.

I highly recommend HPNA. And the diamond homefree cards are detected flawlessly in windows XP.

 

[jimmyhaha]

like Tokar said, JUMP on this deal

don't buy bunch, NO resale value thought.

Pros: no ugly Cat 5 cable running around your home, most home have phone outlet in every room.
Cons: slow transfer speed ~ 7-8 Mb instead of 10M, need a always on PC act as gateway, sharing broadband & light file transfer = absolutely NO PROBLEM

much better performance than wireless.

I once use HPNA but switch to router solution as I transfer a lot of files between pcs..

 

[Kwad Guy]

HPNA 2.0 is great and I don't really know why more firewalls/routers don't
support it...The only two I know of are the Panasonic Concourse (now
discontinued I believe) and the 2wire 100 or 100W...

Kwad

 

[RBC]

Well I just got my confimation that my order has shipped. Pretty quick, tracking number and all.

 

[clarkmo]

Originally posted by: RBC
Well I just got my confimation that my order has shipped. Pretty quick, tracking number and all.

Ditto

 

[mrEvil]

jimmyhaha - hate to disagree with you, but if you get an ethernet-to-hpna bridge, you do not need a computer on. Planning on getting one after the holiday season is over so that I can avoid that. The Netgear PE102 works nice from what I've read....in the mean time though, I will have to leave one on.

 

[Piblokto]

Just picked up 2 of these kits (4 HPNA PCI cards). Excellent find -- there were still a ton (at least 25 kits) at the Cincinnati (Sharonville) MicroCenter.

 

[QueHuong]

don't buy bunch, NO resale value thought.

He's right - I just checked on eBay - no one's even buying it for $15. Bahh. I only bought two though.

Just picked up 2 of these kits (4 HPNA PCI cards). Excellent find -- there were still a ton (at least 25 kits) at the Cincinnati (Sharonville) MicroCenter.

That's where I got mine too

 

[dman]

Anybody seen a PCMCIA version of these adapters? Just went through a whole process getting a client connected with 2wire's PNA stuff. She has a Thinkpad 380d which does NOT have a usb port. So, I bought a PCCard USB Adapter, but, the thinkpad only had 16bit PCMCIA support so card doesn't even fit, nevermind work.

So, in the end I had to purchase a docking station (was cheap on ebay ~$20) which had support for PCCARD 32bit which took the USB 2.0 card ($45) which plugged into the USB -> PNA adapter that she got from the telco to connect to her 2wire home portal for USB.

Would have been nicer and simpler if there was a PCMCIA adapter but I imagine demand is pretty low for those so I don't expect there is one.

Wireless would have been the way to go for her, but, I didn't get to make that recommendation, just got paid to hook her 3 systems up to the DSL w/ the supplied parts.

PS. I read they are coming out with 100Mbit PNA stuff shortly (if not already).

 

[10102BORG]

Linksys made a phoneline/ethernet combo card. They were on the high end pricewise when it came out several years ago. They are still expensive compared to the PCI kit, about $80.

Linksys PCM100H1 Homelink Phoneline & 10/100 Network PC Card

 

[Kwad Guy]

Incidentally, if your local Staples still has any in stock, the 2Wire USB HPNA 2.0 adaptors
will ring up for $10. I got a few from the local Staples for this price around a month ago.

Only 1 for $10 instead of 2, but more convenient (for some) USB...

Kwad