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PLA Series User’s Guide

IMPORTANT!

READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USE.

KEEP THIS GUIDE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Note: This guide is a reference for a series of products. Therefore some features or

options in this guide may not be available in your product.

Screenshots and graphics in this book may differ slightly from your product due to differences in
your product firmware or your computer operating system. Every effort has been made to ensure
that the information in this manual is accurate.

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.

Summary of Contents for PLA series

Page 1: ...A Series Powerline Ethernet Adapters PLA4101 PLA4111 PLA4201 PLA4201 v2 PLA5205 PLA5215 PLA5206 PLA5405 Utility Version 7 0 1 Edition 1 05 2014 Default Network Name HomePlugAV Copyright 2014 ZyXEL Communications Corporation User s Guide ...

Page 2: ... your product Screenshots and graphics in this book may differ slightly from your product due to differences in your product firmware or your computer operating system Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate Related Documentation Quick Start Guide The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away It contains information on maki...

Page 3: ...er 2 The RESET ENCRYPT Button 14 2 1 RESET ENCRYPT Button Overview 14 2 2 Adding Devices to a Powerline Network 14 2 3 Removing a Device from a Powerline Network 16 2 4 Multiple Separate Powerline Networks 17 2 5 PLAs With One Combination RESET ENCRYPT Button 17 2 6 PLAs with Separate RESET and ENCRYPT Buttons 18 2 6 1 ENCRYPT Button Behavior 18 2 6 2 RESET Button Behavior 19 Part II Technical Ref...

Page 4: ...ed Screen 37 4 6 About Screen 40 Chapter 5 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 41 5 1 Overview 41 5 2 Important Terms 41 5 3 Accessing Your Powerline Adapter 42 5 4 Adding a Powerline Adapter 42 5 5 Setting Up a New Network with a New Adapter 44 5 6 Splitting a Network into Two Networks 46 5 7 Troubleshooting 48 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting 49 6 1 Power and Light Problems 49 6 2 Configuration Utility Pr...

Page 5: ...5 PART I User s Guide ...

Page 6: ...6 ...

Page 7: ...ommunicate using standard electrical wiring This User s Guide covers the following models Table 1 PLA Comparison Table 1 PORT FEATURE PLA4101 PLA4111 PLA4201 PLA4201 V2 PLA5205 PLA5215 One 10 100 Base T Ethernet port One Gigabit Ethernet port AC Pass Through Reset Encrypt Button Reset Button Encrypt Button Maximum PHY Rate over Powerline 200 Mbps 200 Mbps 500 Mbps 500 Mbps 600 Mbps 600 Mbps Table ...

Page 8: ...ug varies depending on your region 1 2 LEDs The following sections describes the lights on the PLA The following figure is the front panel of the PLA Use the lights to determine if the PLA is behaving normally or if there are some problems on your powerline network Figure 1 PLA Lights The following table describes the behavior of the lights on the PLA Table 3 LEDs 200 Mbps Models LIGHTS ICON COLOR...

Page 9: ... also indicates a successful connection using the RESET ENCRYPT button Blinking It indicates the PLA is trying to connect with another device using the ENCRYPT function The Power LED blinks when it is in standby mode Refer to Section 1 3 on page 10 for details on this feature Off The PLA is not receiving power HomePlug Green On The PLA detects another powerline adapter The data transfer rate is gr...

Page 10: ...e the RESET ENCRYPT button To enable the RESET ENCRYPT button again you have to connect the PLA s Ethernet cable to a computer notebook or modem router first The PLA wakes up from standby mode and you can start using the RESET ENCRYPT button 1 4 Ways to Manage the PLA Use the RESET ENCRYPT button to add powerline devices to your powerline network if they have this button See Chapter 2 on page 14 f...

Page 11: ...wer outlet in your home Plug a second PLA into another power outlet and connect a computer to the PLA for Internet access Your network can be further expanded by plugging additional PLAs 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 6 Security Since your powerline...

Page 12: ...ate network A private network uses a secret password Network Name to make sure that only permitted powerline adapters can communicate in your network See Section 4 4 on page 36 for information on setting up a private network 3 You may need to change the Network Name to create multiple powerline networks See the next section for more information on how to set up a multiple network 1 7 Multiple Netw...

Page 13: ...ning them Password1 This completes the configuration of your first powerline network 2 Connect another powerline adapter to a router or switch on the second Ethernet network and assign a different Network Name for example Password2 to this powerline adapter Again add additional powerline adapters and assign them Password2 You now have two private networks on your powerline circuit Information is n...

Page 14: ...connect You can use the RESET ENCRYPT button to set up a new powerline network separate an existing powerline network into multiple networks reset the PLA to the factory defaults 2 2 Adding Devices to a Powerline Network You can connect a number of PLAs on a powerline network but you can use the RESET ENCRYPT button on only two PLAs at a time Place a powerline device close to another powerline dev...

Page 15: ... ENCRYPT you have probably pressed the RESET ENCRYPT button for too long Try again pressing the RESET ENCRYPT button for 0 5 to 3 seconds If the HomePlug lights on both powerline devices do not light up the powerline devices are not connected Repeat step 1 in this section If that doesn t work see the Troubleshooting in Section 6 4 on page 51 for suggestions 2 To add more powerline devices to your ...

Page 16: ...ts up your powerline network between your powerline devices 2 3 Removing a Device from a Powerline Network Suppose you want to remove PLAs C and D from the following powerline network Figure 5 Removing Devices From an Existing Powerline Network 1 Press the RESET ENCRYPT button on powerline device C for 5 to 8 seconds and then release it This disconnects C from the current network 2 Press the RESET...

Page 17: ...ENCRYPT button on powerline devices G and H for 0 5 to 3 seconds and within two minutes of each other 4 Wait for about one minute while powerline devices G and H connect 5 When the power and HomePlug lights shine steadily the devices are connected Figure 6 Two Separate Powerline Networks If the HomePlug lights on both powerline devices do not light up the powerline devices are not connected Repeat...

Page 18: ...to 8 seconds Remove the device from any network it is associated with and its network name assumes a random value The power light blinks and then shines steadily The HomePlug light turns off when it disconnects from the powerline network 10 to 15 seconds Clear all user entered configuration information and return the device to its factory defaults The power light blinks and then shines steadily Th...

Page 19: ...hapter 6 on page 51 for suggestions on problems with the RESET ENCRYPT button and the lights Table 8 RESET Button TIME ACTION POWER LIGHT BEHAVIOR HOMEPLUG LIGHT BEHAVIOR 1 to 3 seconds Clear all user entered configuration information and return the device to its factory defaults The power light blinks and then shines steadily The HomePlug light turns off when it disconnects from the powerline net...

Page 20: ...20 PART II Technical Reference ...

Page 21: ...21 ...

Page 22: ...t version Windows 7 32 bit version Windows 7 64 bit version Windows 8 32 bit version Windows 8 64 bit version Note To check for your Windows operating system version right click on My Computer Properties You should see this information in the General tab Microsoft s NET Framework version 4 and WinPcap 4 1 3 software are necessary for the installation of the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility T...

Page 23: ...ically Alternatively this can also be done manually by double clicking the setup exe file on the CD If WinPcap 4 1 3 is already installed on your computer the following screen appears Click Cancel and go to step 5 Otherwise the WinPcap setup wizard runs automatically Click Next to continue 2 Review the license agreement and click I Agree to proceed ...

Page 24: ...rt WinPcap automatically when the computer boots Click Install to install WinPcap 4 Select I want to manually reboot later and click Finish to exit the wizard 5 A prompt appears asking you to install the NET Framework version 4 Review Microsoft s License Agreement select I have read and accept the license terms and click Intall to proceed ...

Page 25: ...alling the Utility PLA Series User s Guide 25 Note If you already have NET Framework version 4 installed on your computer this step can be skipped 6 The next screen allows you to see the progress of the installation ...

Page 26: ...ity PLA Series User s Guide 26 7 Click Finish to close the window 8 The utility installation wizard runs automatically Click Yes or Next to continue through the initial screen Click Cancel only if you want to abort the installation ...

Page 27: ...Utility PLA Series User s Guide 27 9 Click Install to install the utility to the default folder Figure 7 Install Destination Folder 10 The screen shows you the progress of the installation Figure 8 Utility Installation Process ...

Page 28: ...a restart of your computer 3 2 Macintosh Mac This section uses the Mac OS X 10 8 screens as an example to show you how to install the Mac vesion of the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility 3 2 1 Supported OSs At the time of writing the following Mac operating systems support the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility Mac OS X 10 6 Mac OS X 10 7 Mac OS X 10 8 3 2 2 Installing the Utility Follow t...

Page 29: ...click the PLA Utility 1 0 0 mpkg file on the CD to run the installation program When it opens follow the on screen instructions 3 Click Install to install the utility to the default folder or click Change Install Location to specify a different location on your computer ...

Page 30: ... appears to confirm the PLA Series Configuration Utility has been successfully installed to your computer Click Close 5 After installing the utility you can find the utility icon in your Applications folder If you are running Mac OS X 10 7 or later you can also see the utility icon in the Launchpad screen ...

Page 31: ...10 Example Network Setup All HomePlug AV compliant powerline adapters within range can join your network The range varies depending on the quality of your home s wiring See Section 4 1 1 on page 31 for more information on enhancing your powerline network security Note It is recomended to use the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration with PLA5206 independently 4 1 1 Powerline Network Security When the PLA...

Page 32: ...ice Access Key password This password is printed on the powerline adapter itself You don t need to enter the DAK password for the powerline adapter directly connected to the computer running the utility local powerline adapter you only have to add the remote powerline adapters passwords those in your powerline network but not directly connected to your computer 4 2 Starting the Configuration Utili...

Page 33: ...Screen Icon The connection status icon or indicates the current data rate of the powerline adapter and is equivalent to the HomePlug LED See Chapter 1 on page 8 for more information In this mode you can click a device s Info button to open a screen where you can change the device s descriptive name that displays in this screen and view it s MAC address and firmware version The Info screen also sho...

Page 34: ...ty PLA Series User s Guide 34 powerline adapter connected to the computer running the configuration utility to all the Remote powerline adapters Figure 14 Network Info Screen Icon Info 4 3 2 List View Figure 15 Network Info Screen List ...

Page 35: ...will display the rates of transmission from the powerline adapter connected to the computer running the configuration utility to all the Remote powerline adapters Site This field displays Local if it is the PLA directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility Remote if it is a PLA in your powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the configuration uti...

Page 36: ...s described below are used to identify the powerline adapters recognized on the powerline network The configuration utility automatically updates this information every 10 seconds Note Only devices which share the same network name are displayed in this table Site This field displays Local if it is identifying the powerline adapter directly connected to the computer running the configuration utili...

Page 37: ...the MAC address which corresponds to it in the MAC Address column Enter the DAK Password value and click Save Note You must enter the DAK Password value exactly as it is printed on the label all caps and with dashes Network Name NMK The default network name sometimes called a network password or network membership key NMK of the PLA is HomePlugAV HomePlug compatible devices use the same network na...

Page 38: ...ce C a home computer which connects to the Internet can receive a normal priority setting as it usually sends simple requests for data For example when you surf the Internet your computer sends requests to open web pages Device D is a modem attached to the Internet It should receive a high priority setting if you want faster downloading through your network Although device E receives audio or movi...

Page 39: ...priority setting from the drop down box for traffic FROM your selected device The options in order of importance are High Medium Normal and Low Site This field displays Local if it is the PLA directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility Remote if it is a powerline adapter in your powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility ...

Page 40: ...on in the top right corner of the utility to view the About screen Figure 19 About Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen Table 13 About Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Utility version This field displays the software version of the configuration utility Released This field displays the date when the utility was released Close Click the button in upper right corner to close the Ab...

Page 41: ...ur powerline adapter If you haven t already installed the utility see Chapter 3 on page 22 for instructions If you do not have the CD with the utility the utility software is also available for download at www zyxel com Navigate to the powerline products section of the ZyXEL website to find this software Follow the instructions provided by the software to install it on your computer See the produc...

Page 42: ... of port on your computer Figure 21 Connect Your Powerline Adapter to a Computer 4 Open the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility on your computer See Section 4 2 on page 32 for how to launch the utility 5 You are now ready to extend your powerline network or set up a second network See Section 5 4 on page 42 to add a new powerline adapter to your network See Section 5 5 on page 44 to set up a se...

Page 43: ...now the network name of the new adapter to add it to your network 1 Connect your computer to the powerline adapter you want to add to your network and open the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility see Section 5 3 on page 42 2 Go to the Configuration screen On this screen in the Site column your new powerline adapter should appear as Local A Check the Local adapter s MAC address B It should match...

Page 44: ...evice you want to add to the network for example your Internet refrigerator in the kitchen 7 Plug the adapter s power cord into a power outlet and if required switch the power outlet on 8 Repeat this procedure for all additional powerline adapters that you want to add to your existing or new powerline network 5 5 Setting Up a New Network with a New Adapter This section shows you how to use your ne...

Page 45: ...apter and open the configuration utility as shown in Section 5 5 on page 44 The screen shown below appears 2 Type a Network Name that is different from the Network Name for your existing network Make sure you use the same new Network Name for all new adapters you want to add to your new network Figure 27 Making a New Network with the New Adapter 3 After you have set up a new network you are ready ...

Page 46: ... and open the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility see Section 5 3 on page 42 2 The utility should open to the configuration tab as shown below A list of powerline adapters on your network displays These adapters all have the same network name as the adapter you are connected to The adapter you are connected to will appear as Local in this table All others are listed as Remote Figure 28 Local Re...

Page 47: ... or type it incorrectly the following pop up appears Click OK and type the DAK Password correctly in the DAK Password field Figure 30 Incorrect DAK or No DAK If you have correctly entered the DAK Password click OK on the pop up Figure 31 Correct DAK 5 The adapter will disappear from the table of your existing network Figure 32 Adapters on Your Existing Network B A C ...

Page 48: ...ne networks using the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility change the Network Name on your local adapter to the network name for the network you want to access The adapters on that network will then display in the adapter table allowing you to select and configure each one 5 7 Troubleshooting The HomePlug LED light should light up on your adapter when it successfully connects to other adapters o...

Page 49: ...o replace any damaged cables 3 Check the Ethernet adapter on your computer and make sure it s enabled and working properly 4 If the PLA is connected to an Ethernet switch or router make sure the device is working correctly and that the LAN network is working and configured correctly as well The HomePlug light does not turn on 1 Use the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility to detect all other Hom...

Page 50: ...ssed the RESET ENCRYPT button for more than three seconds Try setting up a connection again this time pressing the RESET ENCRYPT buttons on both devices for less than three seconds 6 2 Configuration Utility Problems The ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility displays an error during installation Make sure your computer is using the supported operating system See Section 3 1 1 on page 22 and or Sec...

Page 51: ...g path 6 4 RESET ENCRYPT Button Problems This section applies only to PLAs with the RESET ENCRYPT button In this guide RESET ENCRYPT refers to the ENCRYPT button in PLAs that have separate RESET and ENCRYPT buttons Refer to Table 1 on page 7 to see which models have separate RESET and ENCRYPT buttons The HomePlug light is already on but I haven t pressed the RESET ENCRYPT button yet Your device ha...

Page 52: ... lights on both devices blink then many lights blink and the HomePlug light blinks red Do not worry the connection process is proceeding normally The POWER lights on both devices finished blinking but only one device s HomePlug light is on One device may have connected to a third powerline device To check device A is connected to device B and not another device disconnect device B from its power s...

Page 53: ...Chapter 6 Troubleshooting PLA Series User s Guide 53 ...

Page 54: ... have the following information ready when you contact an office Required Information Product model and serial number Warranty Information Date that you received your device Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it Corporate Headquarters Worldwide Taiwan ZyXEL Communications Corporation http www zyxel com Asia China ZyXEL Communications Shanghai Corp ZyXEL Communications...

Page 55: ... com pk Philipines ZyXEL Philippines http www zyxel com ph Singapore ZyXEL Singapore Pte Ltd http www zyxel com sg Taiwan ZyXEL Communications Corporation http www zyxel com Thailand ZyXEL Thailand Co Ltd http www zyxel co th Vietnam ZyXEL Communications Corporation Vietnam Office http www zyxel com vn vi Europe Austria ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH http www zyxel de Belarus ZyXEL BY http www zyxel by ...

Page 56: ...mmunications Czech s r o http www zyxel cz Denmark ZyXEL Communications A S http www zyxel dk Estonia ZyXEL Estonia http www zyxel com ee et Finland ZyXEL Communications http www zyxel fi France ZyXEL France http www zyxel fr Germany ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH http www zyxel de Hungary ZyXEL Hungary SEE http www zyxel hu Latvia ZyXEL Latvia http www zyxel com lv lv homepage shtml ...

Page 57: ...EL Communications http www zyxel no Poland ZyXEL Communications Poland http www zyxel pl Romania ZyXEL Romania http www zyxel com ro ro Russia ZyXEL Russia http www zyxel ru Slovakia ZyXEL Communications Czech s r o organizacna zlozka http www zyxel sk Spain ZyXEL Spain http www zyxel es Sweden ZyXEL Communications http www zyxel se Switzerland Studerus AG http www zyxel ch ...

Page 58: ...Latin America Argentina ZyXEL Communication Corporation http www zyxel com ec es Ecuador ZyXEL Communication Corporation http www zyxel com ec es Middle East Egypt ZyXEL Communication Corporation http www zyxel com homepage shtml Middle East ZyXEL Communication Corporation http www zyxel com homepage shtml North America USA ZyXEL Communications Inc North America Headquarters http www us zyxel com ...

Page 59: ...Appendix A Customer Support PLA Series User s Guide 59 Oceania Australia ZyXEL Communications Corporation http www zyxel com au en Africa South Africa Nology Pty Ltd http www zyxel co za ...

Page 60: ... identification purposes only and may be properties of their respective owners Certifications Federal Communications Commission FCC Interference Statement The device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions This device may not cause harmful interference This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired o...

Page 61: ...îner des bruits parasites dans les zones d habitation le cas échéant l exploitant peut être tenu de prendre des mesures appropriées pour remédier au dérangement Conformità CE Questo prodotto soddisfa le richieste tecniche della direttiva 1999 5 EG R TTE ed è previsto per il funzionamento nella UE e in Svizzera Il prodotto è dispositivo della classe A Questo dispositivo può causare nel settore abit...

Page 62: ...ample 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 ...

Page 63: ...rked with this symbol which is known as the WEEE mark WEEE stands for Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment It means that used electrical and electronic products should not be mixed with general waste Used electrical and electronic equipment should be treated separately ...

Page 64: ...tion 54 copyright 60 customer support 54 D DAK 12 31 36 DAK Data Access Password 12 Data Access Key 12 Data Access Password see DAK 12 disclaimer 60 documentation related 2 E electrical and cable wiring 31 electrical circuit boundaries 31 ENCRYPT Button 18 Encrypt Button 7 encryption 10 31 F FCC interference statement 60 G Guide Quick Start 2 H HomePlug AV standard 7 I installation procedure 22 28...

Page 65: ...werline Network Adding Devices 14 Creating multiple networks 17 Removing Devices 16 priority settings 37 application type 38 priority levels 39 private network 12 problems and solutions 49 product registration 62 Q Quick Start Guide 2 R receive rate 32 registration product 62 related documentation 2 RESET Button 19 Reset Button 7 RESET ENCRYPT Button Combination 17 Manage 10 Separate 18 S security...

Page 66: ...Index PLA Series User s Guide 66 note 62 Z ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration 31 ...

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