Powerline adaptor questions

I have a few questions regarding power line adaptors.

1) Would they work with a 6 plug socket extension lead (surge protected)?

2) How easy is it to set up?

1. Not recommended.
2. Plug and play.

On 1, the not recommended is because they can run at slower speeds on surge strips.

The newer plugs have a built in 13A socket, you plug homeplug into the wall, and the surge strip into the homeplug

I am thinking of installing Homeplug AV networks for a floor of 10 apartments, with each apartment having their own network. The problem is that the internet feed comes into the power meters room ,i.e the most convenient place for the "master" adapters are at the meter room .
Due to space consideration, the adapters will have to be mounted/plugged in the same small mounting frame , next to each other . Question : Will there be a major problem of interference /cross signals between these "master" adapters ?. being so close together ?. Main worry here is not network security as such but degradation due to signal interferences between the 10 adapters.
Has any one successfully implemented similar networks ?.
Appreciate any assistance .
regards.

You don't need 10 adapters next to each other.

there were powerline based systems going into apartment blocks in the West Midlands a couple of years back, fed by wireless links IIRC and using the tower blocks to build out a fast wireless network.

You only have one device on the internet end feeding into the mains, and N devices in individual apartments picking up the signal.

Probably requires a Pro solution rather than buying 11 adaptors at PC World

As BatBoy says further down you can configure them to be isolated from each other, so in effect you would only need to have one feed device.... A sort of VPN for each plug.....

If you goggle PowerPacket Utility you can nab the software and have a play and see how you can configure them.. Most of the plugs are based on the same family of chip-sets and the utility is more often than not a re-branded version of the reference utility supplied by the chip-set vendor so they will all have a similar look and feel

Before you buy all of them though I would get a pair and try them in the extremities to check the link speed is acceptable, it can vary greatly....

From personal experience, a normal 4 way adaptor can knock HUGE chunk off of your link speed maybe 30 - 40%....

Thanks for the response . My problem is that each apartment has its own electricity meter located at the common space ( riser area) per floor i.e each aptmt power lines isolated from each other . Also need individual network for each aptmt as in future WISP might start charging per aptmt . Cabling into aptmt means drilling holes into aptmts which is a no-no.
regards

http://www.zdnet.com/council-flats-get-broadband-via...

No idea how it turned out. IIRC they use a shunt around the meter, you can control access by giving the end user a powerline gadget with a known MAC and then allowing it to connect.

I would give it a go regardless of the meter, I've read stories of them propagating several properties along a street....