A question for you electrical engineers

[amazingtrade]

I have a customer who I supplied a mains ethernet kit to and fitted it this has worked fine for three years. Now the internet has gone down on this PC and its having trouble getting any sort of connection.

It is network related. I instantly assumed it was the a faulty humeplug adaptor but just tried them at my house they work perfectly. Basicaly it allows you to transmit ethernet data via mains cables for those that don't know what it is.

I am guessing there is a fault in the customers mains what would suddenly cause this? I am going to bring my mini laptop to their house tomorrow to test on that just in cases its the ethernet port/drivers on their motherboard that is faulty.

 

[Tenson]

You might be right with the second guess, I have had a number of onbaord network ports go down. I use a PCI network card in my own machine for this very reason.

 

[penance]

What mains conductor does it use, live, neg or earth?

 

[amazingtrade]

OK did some tests this morning and found it all works fine apart from two sockets. I am guessing the two sockets are on a branch of the downstairs ringmain circuit.

I have no idea what sort of system it uses but its a modern 16th Edition style consumer edit with RCD protection on the ringmain.

My guess is there is some kind of contintunity problem on the branch which provides power to these sockets and have suggested they should get an electrician in just be 100% certain the earth to those sockets are safe.