ZyXEL PL100 User manual

www.zyxel.com

PL100

PowerLine 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter

User’s Guide

Version 1.00

4/2008

Edition 1

About This User's Guide

PL100 User’s Guide

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About This User's Guide

Intended Audience

This manual is intended for people who want to configure the PL100 using the PL100

Configuration Utility. You should have your basic Internet access or home network already set

up.

Related Documentation

• Quick Start Guide

The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains

information on making your hardware connections.

• Supporting Disk

Refer to the included CD for support documents.

• ZyXEL Web Site

Please refer to www.zyxel.com

for additional support documentation and product

certifications.

User Guide Feedback

Help us help you. Send all User Guide-related comments, questions or suggestions for

improvement to the following address, or use e-mail instead. Thank you!

The Technical Writing Team,

ZyXEL Communications Corp.,

6 Innovation Road II,

Science-Based Industrial Park,

Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan.

E-mail: [email protected]

Document Conventions

PL100 User’s Guide

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Document Conventions

Warnings and Notes

These are how warnings and notes are shown in this User’s Guide.

1 Warnings tell you about things that could harm you or your device.

" Notes tell you other important information (for example, other things you may

need to configure or helpful tips) or recommendations.

Syntax Conventions

• The ZyXEL device may be referred to as the “PL100”, the “device” or the “ethernet

adapter” in this User’s Guide.

• Product labels, screen names, field labels and field choices are all in bold font.

• A key stroke is denoted by square brackets and uppercase text, for example, [ENTER]

means the “enter” or “return” key on your keyboard.

• “Enter” means for you to type one or more characters and then press the [ENTER] key.

“Select” or “choose” means for you to use one of the predefined choices.

• A right angle bracket ( > ) within a screen name denotes a mouse click. For example,

Maintenance > Log > Log Setting means you first click Maintenance in the navigation

panel, then the Log sub menu and finally the Log Setting tab to get to that screen.

• Units of measurement may denote the “metric” value or the “scientific” value. For

example, “k” for kilo may denote “1000” or “1024”, “M” for mega may denote “1000000”

or “1048576” and so on.

• “e.g.,” is a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” means “that is” or “in other words”.

Icons Used in Figures

Figures in this User’s Guide may use the following generic icons. The PL100 icon is not an

exact representation of your device.

PL100 Computer Notebook computer

Safety Warnings

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Safety Warnings

1 For your safety, be sure to read and follow all warning notices and instructions.

• Do NOT use this product near water, for example, in a wet basement or near a swimming

pool.

• Do NOT expose your device to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids.

• Do NOT store things on the device.

• Do NOT install, use, or service this device during a thunderstorm. There is a remote risk

of electric shock from lightning.

• Connect ONLY suitable accessories to the device.

• Do NOT open the device or unit. Opening or removing covers can expose you to

dangerous high voltage points or other risks. ONLY qualified service personnel should

service or disassemble this device. Please contact your vendor for further

information.Make sure to connect the cables to the correct ports.

• Place connecting cables carefully so that no one will step on them or stumble over them.

• Always disconnect all cables from this device before servicing or disassembling.

• Use ONLY an appropriate power adapter or cord for your device.

• Connect the power adapter or cord to the right supply voltage (for example, 110V AC in

North America or 230V AC in Europe).

• Do NOT allow anything to rest on the power adapter or cord and do NOT place the

product where anyone can walk on the power adapter or cord.

• Do NOT use the device if the power adapter or cord is damaged as it might cause

electrocution.

• If the power adapter or cord is damaged, remove it from the power outlet.

• Do NOT attempt to repair the power adapter or cord. Contact your local vendor to order a

new one.

• Do not use the device outside, and make sure all the connections are indoors. There is a

remote risk of electric shock from lightning.

• Do NOT obstruct the device ventilation slots, as insufficient airflow may harm your

device.

• If you wall mount your device, make sure that no electrical lines, gas or water pipes will

be damaged.

Safety Warnings

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This product is recyclable. Dispose of it properly.

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

About This User's Guide .......................................................................................................... 3

Document Conventions............................................................................................................4

Safety Warnings........................................................................................................................ 5

Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... 7

List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 9

List of Tables........................................................................................................................... 11

Chapter 1

Introducing the PL100 ............................................................................................................ 13

1.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 13

1.1.1 Expand Your Network with the PL100 ........................................................................ 13

1.2 Managing the PL100 ........................................................................................................... 13

1.2.1 Passwords in the Power Line Network ....................................................................... 14

Chapter 2

Installing the Configuration Utility ........................................................................................ 15

2.1 Overview of the Installation Process .................................................................................... 15

2.2 Installing the PL100 Configuration Utility ............................................................................. 15

Chapter 3

Managing Your PL100.............................................................................................................21

3.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 21

3.1.1 Power Line Network Security ..................................................................................... 22

3.2 Starting the Configuration Utility .......................................................................................... 22

3.3 The Main Screen ................................................................................................................ 23

3.4 The Privacy Screen ............................................................................................................. 26

3.5 The Diagnostics Screen ...................................................................................................... 28

3.6 The About Screen ................................................................................................................ 30

Chapter 4

LEDs and Troubleshooting ....................................................................................................31

4.1 LEDs .................................................................................................................................... 31

4.2 Power and LED Problems ................................................................................................... 31

4.3 Configuration Utility Problems .............................................................................................32

Appendix A Product Specifications......................................................................................... 35

Table of Contents

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Appendix B Setting up Your Computer’s IP Address.............................................................. 39

Appendix C Legal Information ................................................................................................ 57

Appendix D Customer Support............................................................................................... 61

Index......................................................................................................................................... 65

List of Figures

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List of Figures

Figure 1 InstallShield Wizard Start Screen ............................................................................................. 16

Figure 2 Customer Information Input ...................................................................................................... 17

Figure 3 Install Destination Folder .......................................................................................................... 17

Figure 4 Install Destination Folder .......................................................................................................... 18

Figure 5 Install Begin Screen ................................................................................................................. 18

Figure 6 Install Process Screen .............................................................................................................. 19

Figure 7 Example Network Setup ........................................................................................................... 21

Figure 8 Navigating the Utility ................................................................................................................. 22

Figure 9 Main Screen ............................................................................................................................. 23

Figure 10 Privacy Screen ....................................................................................................................... 27

Figure 11 Diagnostics Screen ................................................................................................................. 28

Figure 12 Diagnostics Screen ................................................................................................................ 30

Figure 13 Wall-mounting Example .......................................................................................................... 37

Figure 14 WIndows 95/98/Me: Network: Configuration .......................................................................... 40

Figure 15 Windows 95/98/Me: TCP/IP Properties: IP Address .............................................................. 41

Figure 16 Windows 95/98/Me: TCP/IP Properties: DNS Configuration .................................................. 42

Figure 17 Windows XP: Start Menu ........................................................................................................ 43

Figure 18 Windows XP: Control Panel ................................................................................................... 43

Figure 19 Windows XP: Control Panel: Network Connections: Properties ............................................. 44

Figure 20 Windows XP: Local Area Connection Properties ................................................................... 44

Figure 21 Windows XP: Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties .............................................................. 45

Figure 22 Windows XP: Advanced TCP/IP Properties ........................................................................... 46

Figure 23 Windows XP: Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties .............................................................. 47

Figure 24 Windows Vista: Start Menu ..................................................................................................... 48

Figure 25 Windows Vista: Control Panel ................................................................................................ 48

Figure 26 Windows Vista: Network And Internet .................................................................................... 48

Figure 27 Windows Vista: Network and Sharing Center ......................................................................... 48

Figure 28 Windows Vista: Network and Sharing Center ......................................................................... 49

Figure 29 Windows Vista: Local Area Connection Properties ................................................................ 49

Figure 30 Windows Vista: Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties ....................................... 50

Figure 31 Windows Vista: Advanced TCP/IP Properties ........................................................................ 51

Figure 32 Windows Vista: Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties ....................................... 52

Figure 33 Macintosh OS 8/9: Apple Menu .............................................................................................. 53

Figure 34 Macintosh OS 8/9: TCP/IP ..................................................................................................... 54

Figure 35 Macintosh OS X: Apple Menu ................................................................................................ 54

Figure 36 Macintosh OS X: Network ...................................................................................................... 55

List of Figures

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List of Tables

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List of Tables

Table 1 Password Summary .................................................................................................................. 14

Table 2 Configuration Screen ................................................................................................................ 24

Table 3 Privacy Screen .......................................................................................................................... 27

Table 4 Diagnostics Screen ................................................................................................................... 29

Table 5 Diagnostics Screen ................................................................................................................... 30

Table 6 LEDs ......................................................................................................................................... 31

Table 7 Specifications ............................................................................................................................ 35

Table 8 RJ-45 Connector Pin Assignments ........................................................................................... 36

List of Tables

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PL100 User’s Guide

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CHAPTER 1

Introducing the PL100

This chapter introduces the main applications and features of the PL100 power line Ethernet

adapter. It also introduces how to manage the PL100.

1.1 Overview

The PL100 is a HomePlug 1.0.1 compliant power line Ethernet adapter. The HomePlug 1.0.1

standard specifies how network devices communicate using standard electrical wiring. The

following section shows you a typical application for your PL100. See Appendix A on page 35

for detailed product specifications.

1.1.1 Expand Your Network with the PL100

The PL100 connects to an ordinary outlet to easily extend a cable or DSL broadband

connection or existing Ethernet (LAN) network to any other electrical outlet in any room of a

house, all without the need for any new cabling.

Connect your PL100 to a modem, router or switch and connect the PL100’s power cord to an

ordinary power outlet in your home. Plug a second PL100 into another power outlet and

connect a computer to the PL100 for Internet access. Your network can be further expanded by

plugging additional PL100s into other outlets in your home and connecting other computers or

network devices (for example a printer) to them.

Refer to your Quick Start Guide for hardware connection information.

1.2 Managing the PL100

Use the PL100 Configuration Utility to manage and set up security on the PL100 or other

HomePlug 1.0 or 1.0.1 compliant power line adapters. Although the PL100 is a “plug-and-

play” network expanding solution there are situations when you might want to enable security

on the power line network in your home. The reasons include:

1 To ensure privacy of your communication. When you use the PL100 and other power

line adapters, the electrical wiring in your home becomes an extension of your Ethernet

network. Your network traffic flows freely within the electrical circuit of your home and

is bounded in most cases by a power meter.

Without security (encryption) your information is accessible to anyone using a power

line adapter on the same electrical circuit. In some cases, a circuit can be shared by more

than one household.

Chapter 1 Introducing the PL100

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To prevent compromising your network security, you can create a private network. A

private network uses a secret password to make sure that only permitted power line

adapters can communicate in your network. See Section 3.1.1 on page 22 for

information on setting up a private network.

2 To create multiple power line networks. Multiple power line networks can coexist on a

single power line circuit. You might want to implement multiple power line networks in

a small office environment where you have two separate Ethernet networks.

Connect one power line adapter to a router or switch on the first Ethernet network and

assign a password (for example “Password1”) to this power line adapter. Add additional

power line adapters to your network by plugging them into your power line outlets and

assigning them “Password1”. This completes the configuration of your first power line

network.

Connect another power line adapter to a router or switch on the second Ethernet network

and assign a different password (for example “Password2”) to this power line adapter.

Again, add additional power line adapters and assign them “Password2”.

You now have two private networks on your power line circuit. Information is not shared

between the two networks as only power line adapters with the same password can

communicate with each other.

1.2.1 Passwords in the Power Line Network

You use two types of passwords in the power line network. The following table describes the

differences between the passwords.

Table 1 Password Summary

PASSWORD DESCRIPTION

Private Network

Password

All power line adapters that follow the HomePlug 1.0 or 1.01

standard are shipped with the same power line network password

“HomePlug”. Change this password via the PL100 Configuration

Utility to create a private network. See Section 3.4 on page 26.

Power Line Adapter

Password

In order to manage the power line adapters on your power line

network you must enter the adapters’ password in the PL100

Configuration Utility. This password is printed on the power line

adapter itself.

You don’t need to add the password for the power line adapter

directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility

(local power line adapter), you only have to add the remote power

line adapters’ passwords (those on your circuit, but not directly

connected to your computer).

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CHAPTER 2

Installing the Configuration

Utility

This chapter guides you through the installation of the configuration utility for your PL100.

2.1 Overview of the Installation Process

Install ZyXEL’s PL100 Configuration Utility to manage the power line network password,

(See Section 3.1.1 on page 22 for more information), add new power line adapters to your

network or view logs of the power line adapters connected to your network.

" Make sure that no other HomePlug configuration utilities are already installed

before installing this software.

2.2 Installing the PL100 Configuration Utility

To install the PL100 Configuration Utility, please follow the steps below.

1 Insert the included CD-ROM into the computer’s CD-ROM drive. The setup utility runs

automatically. Alternatively this can also be done manually by double clicking the

setup.exe file on the CD. The CD will launch an installation utility similar to the one

shown in Figure 1 on page 16. Click Next to continue.

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Figure 1 InstallShield Wizard Start Screen

2 Fill in the User Name and Company Name fields (optional). If you want the utility to

be only available to the currently logged in user, select Only for me(user), where “user”

is the user account that is currently logged in to the computer. Otherwise, click Next to

continue and allow all users to use the configuration utility.

Chapter 2 Installing the Configuration Utility

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Figure 2 Customer Information Input

3 Click Next to install the utility to the default folder, or click Change to specify a

different location on your computer.

Figure 3 Install Destination Folder

4 Review the current installation details and click Install to begin the installation.

Chapter 2 Installing the Configuration Utility

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Figure 4 Install Destination Folder

5 The Status bar indicates the installation progress. The installation may take several

minutes. Click Cancel only if you want to abort the installation and exit the wizard.

Figure 5 Install Begin Screen

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6 When the installation is finished, a screen appears to confirm that the InstallShield

Wizard has successfully installed the PL100 Configuration Utility on your computer.

Click Finish to exit the wizard.

Figure 6 Install Process Screen

Chapter 2 Installing the Configuration Utility

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