Home Plugs

[Leif]

Sorry - I didn't reply before because I simply have nothing to add. I am afraid it is all beyond my experience.

[viking33]

You guys must be talking about some device unique to the UK and not to the USA?
I can't even picture what you are describing, Dave?
Homeplugs with lights, pair buttons......? Maybe just different terminology.

[Leif]

You guys must be talking about some device unique to the UK and not to the USA?
I can't even picture what you are describing, Dave?
Homeplugs with lights, pair buttons......? Maybe just different terminology.

The term is quite foreign to me too, but a quick Google on the product referred to in the original post leads to:
AV200 Mini Multi-Streaming Powerline Adapter Starter Kit TL-PA211KIT - Welcome to TP-LINK

Mind you, this thread is so long that we may be talking about something completely different now...

[viking33]

You guys must be talking about some device unique to the UK and not to the USA?
I can't even picture what you are describing, Dave?
Homeplugs with lights, pair buttons......? Maybe just different terminology.

The term is quite foreign to me too, but a quick Google on the product referred to in the original post leads to:
AV200 Mini Multi-Streaming Powerline Adapter Starter Kit TL-PA211KIT - Welcome to TP-LINK

Mind you, this thread is so long that we may be talking about something completely different now...

OK, that seems to make some sense now. I think.
You're right, it's so long the pair button is now a "triplex button."

[Dave Davison]

cont........spoke to the shop owner today and he tells me he has managed to pair the said plugs using the mini cd that comes with the set. (seeing he has the identical set TL-PA211KIT) though I can't ever remember seeing such a cd in my set. Hope to pick them up tomorrow so keeping my fingers crossed. Cheers Dave.

[Dave Davison]

.......the saga continues.........received the pair of plugs back from the shop owner who managed to pair them somehow and coupling them to the modem and tv, the three green lights on both plugs remain on permanently. So far so good so I hit the Menu button on the remote and checked the connection which showed all boxes had a tick in them BUT after hitting the Viera Link button on the remote I get the same message "Feature not available". Next I phoned the Panasonic tv help center who suggested I reset the tv to factory settings after which all the boxes had a tick in them again but the same message appears. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of this message so You Tube is accessible please ? Regards Dave.

[Rudi]

A shot in the dark...
According to this reply here:

What is Viera Link? Viera Link allows the control of other Panasonic home AV devices via the television remote control.

By pressing the Viera Link button on the television remote, it is possible to turn on and navigate the menus of other Viera Link equipment. Please note, Viera Link requires an HDMI connection between the television and the external source.

More control functions have been added with each new generation of Viera Link compatible products. However, it is important to note that the newer functions only work if both products are from the same year of manufacture. Therefore, if an older source is used with a newer year of television, only the older functions common to both years will work.

I'm not sure if you are connecting anything to the TV as you are simply wanting to watch YouTube on the box, but if there is cables involved, apparently it must be HDMI?

Here is another webpage to guide you through setup on: How to Get YouTube on a Panasonic VIERA. Maybe you can pickup something from this page that you have overlooked?

[Dave Davison]

Many thanks Rudi.........the issue at this very moment.......Had an email from the Homeplug help line which explains how to ascertain whether the fault lies with the plugs or the tv set and -seeing the six green lights are on and all the boxes have tick in them on the "test" menu screen proves they are working as designes so it's back to Panasonioc to see if they can pin point and rectify the fault. Thanks for the link I will certainly digest what it says before contacting them again...Kind regards Dave.

[Dave Davison]

Panasonic help line talked me through the procedure of reverting the tv back to Factory Settings and somewhere along the way some setting must have been corrected resulting in the two plugs conecting the modem to the tv and thankfully all systems are go, as the saying goes when NASA has a perfect lift off. Thanks for responses Dave.

[HansV]

Wow - what a saga! It's almost a year since you started this thread. Glad it's finally been solved.

[Rudi]

Saga indeed....(BTW, its been almost 2 years - 29 Jan 2013)
Enjoy YouTube on the big screen Dave.

PS: Maybe you can browse the lounge on the big screen too.

[Dave Davison]

Original plugs now over five years in use and wonder if they are prone to fatigue like me @ 80+ as of late - when viewing you tube videos - the screen defaults back to a the last TV station being viewed. Just wondered if any other lounger had experience this slight inconvenience? Cheers Dave.

[John Gray]

Homeplugs are but a transfer mechanism for Ethernet over Power (and not the more usual vice versa).

They would not and could not affect the content of the data which is being transmitted. Think of homeplugs as a rather more complicated version of an ethernet patch cable.

You will have to look elsewhere for the cause of the problem.

[Dave Davison]

My post on 9th Sep only related to a fault that started to happen a couple of weeks ago and has nothing to do with the original thread. They have worked just fine for years. I only thought it convenient to tag the current anomaly to it as I thought the defaulting back to the TV program might have something to with the plugs.
Thanks again Dave

[Dave Davison]

Please allow me to pick up this thread again, having used the TP-Link plugs for some eight years without any issue I thought the issue of the screen defaulting back to the home page whilst watching something on You Tube might perchance be the plugs failing so I purchased a pair of new ones but the fault persisted so I made a quick phone call to the Panasonic help line and was informed that the TV is no longer able of handling quote; "the changes made over recent years to the You Tube app", so it was suggested I purchase a "Smart Stick" such gadgets are new to me so any advice would be appreciated. I looked on Amazon and saw a "Homeseer smartstick" for £39.95 & a Nortek for £35.29 but need to be sure either one will be compatible for our particular TV set. Regards Dave.

[StuartR]

If you want something specifically to watch YouTube then you should check out Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV

If your TV has an HDMI socket then these devices should work for you

[Dave Davison]

Thanks Stuart, just looked at the instruction manual that came with the TV and it seems to show no less than four HDMl inputs so it looks like the old TV will still be good for a few more years. Does the inserting of one of these Smart Sticks act as a receiver from the wireless modem thus making the TP-Link plugs obsolete? Regards Dave.

[StuartR]

These sticks include WiFi receivers. If you have a strong WiFi signal near the TV then you don't also need a wired Ethernet connection.

[Dave Davison]

Thanks again Stuart.....am I right in assuming the said Smart Sticks derive the signal from my router / modem and therefore means that the latter must be switched on to watch You Tube on the TV. [Edited to remove my comment about 5G which I never intended to be commented on, only mentioned it as I thought it had some bearing on a health issue in my home.] Dave.

[StuartR]

Dave,

These smart sticks use WiFi to connect to the Internet. I won't debate your comments on 5G and LED street lighting as it is not appropriate for this lounge.