ZyXEL Communications PLA4231 User Manual Download

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Quick Start Guide

www.zyxel.com

PLA4231

500 Mbps Powerline Wireless N Extender

Version 1.00

Edition 1, 12/2012

User’s Guide

Default Login Details

LAN IP Address

http://192.168.1.2

Password

1234

Summary of Contents for PLA4231

Page 1: ...ww zyxel com PLA4231 500 Mbps Powerline Wireless N Extender Version 1 00 Edition 1 12 2012 Copyright 2012 ZyXEL Communications Corporation User s Guide Default Login Details LAN IP Address http 192 16...

Page 2: ...ok 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 accur...

Page 3: ...Security 11 1 6 Multiple Networks 12 1 7 Resetting the PLA4231 12 1 7 1 Procedure to Use the Reset Button 12 Chapter 2 The WPS Button 13 2 1 WPS Overview 13 2 2 How to Use the WPS Button 13 Chapter 3...

Page 4: ...7 6 1 Overview 37 6 2 Important Terms 37 6 3 Accessing Your Powerline Adapter 38 6 4 Adding a Powerline Adapter 39 6 5 Setting Up a New Network with a New Adapter 40 6 6 Splitting a Network into Two N...

Page 5: ...1 No Security 67 10 5 2 WEP Encryption 68 10 5 3 WPA PSK WPA2 PSK 70 10 6 MAC Filter 71 10 7 Wireless LAN Advanced Screen 73 10 8 Quality of Service QoS Screen 73 10 9 WPS Screen 74 10 10 WPS Station...

Page 6: ...8 Restart Screen 93 13 9 Language Screen 93 Chapter 14 LEDs and Troubleshooting 95 14 1 LEDs 95 14 2 Power and Light Problems 96 14 3 Configuration Utility Problems 98 14 4 Powerline Problems 98 14 5...

Page 7: ...7 PART I Introduction...

Page 8: ...8...

Page 9: ...existing Ethernet LAN network to any other electrical outlet in any room of a house all without the need for any new cabling Devices can securely communicate with each other at high data transfer rate...

Page 10: ...Section 7 2 on page 49 for instructions on accessing the Web Configurator WPS Wi Fi Protected Setup button You can use the WPS button or the WPS section of the Web Configurator to set up a wireless n...

Page 11: ...ame electrical circuit In some cases a circuit can be shared by more than one household To prevent compromising your network security you can create a private network A private network uses a secret p...

Page 12: ...ork 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 no...

Page 13: ...Then the two devices connect and set up a secure network by themselves 2 2 How to Use the WPS Button You can use the WPS button on the side panel of the PLA4231 to activate WPS 1 Make sure the power...

Page 14: ...Chapter 2 The WPS Button PLA4231 User s Guide 14...

Page 15: ...ug AV Network with ENCRYPT You can connect a number of devices on a powerline network but you can use the RESET ENCRYPT button on only two devices at a time Place a powerline device close to another p...

Page 16: ...while the devices are connecting Several times all lights blink simultaneously and the HomePlug light also shows red Wait for about one minute while your powerline devices connect If the power light d...

Page 17: ...both devices Figure 3 Adding More Powerline Adapters to Your Network 6 If you disconnected your computer or modem or any other networking product connected to your powerline device in step of this sec...

Page 18: ...owerline Network 1 Click the RESET ENCRYPT button on A for 5 to 8 seconds and then release it This disconnects A from B 2 Click the RESET ENCRYPT button on A and C for 0 5 to 3 seconds and within two...

Page 19: ...NCRYPT Button is Pressed and Action TIME ACTION POWER LIGHT BEHAVIOR HOMEPLUG LIGHT BEHAVIOR 0 5 to 3 seconds The device joins a network It shares the same network name as other devices on the network...

Page 20: ...Chapter 3 The RESET ENCRYPT Button PLA4231 User s Guide 20...

Page 21: ...21 PART II Configuration Utility...

Page 22: ...22...

Page 23: ...operating systems Users with Windows XP 64 Bit version operating systems can go to Microsoft s website to upgrade their systems to NET Framework version 2 0 so it can work with the utility To check fo...

Page 24: ...ompt appears asking you to install the NET Framework version 2 0 Review Microsoft s License Agreement select Accept to proceed Figure 6 NET Framework Installation Prompt 2 The next screen allows you t...

Page 25: ...Note You can also click Disk Cost to know how much available disk space you have in the hard drives found in your computer 5 When the installation is finished a screen appears to confirm the InstallS...

Page 26: ...Chapter 4 Installing the Powerline Configuration Utility PLA4231 User s Guide 26...

Page 27: ...pters within range can join your network The range varies depending on the quality of your home s wiring Note See Section 5 1 1 on page 27 for more information on enhancing your powerline network secu...

Page 28: ...iguration Utility This password is called the DAK Device 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...

Page 29: ...However if your computer has two network cards and both are connected to a powerline adapter then you have two powerline networks The fields described below are used to identify the powerline adapter...

Page 30: ...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 net...

Page 31: ...rect model firmware as uploading the wrong model firmware may damage your device Figure 14 Firmware Screen 5 5 Network Info Screen Use the Network Info screen to see the rates at which a specific PLA4...

Page 32: ...listed in this table are all the powerline adapters in your powerline network except the powerline adapter selected in the Configuration page of the configuration utility In other words if the Local...

Page 33: ...et Device A is a printer and does not handle traffic with high importance so the powerline adapter connected to it can be set to low priority Device B is a file server delivering audio or movie files...

Page 34: ...nd both are connected to a powerline adapter then you have two powerline networks Site This field displays Local if it is the PLA4231 directly connected to the computer running the configuration utili...

Page 35: ...this screen Table 7 About Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Utility version This field displays the software version of the configuration utility Firmware version This field displays the firmware version of t...

Page 36: ...Chapter 5 Using the Powerline Configuration Utility PLA4231 User s Guide 36...

Page 37: ...erline adapter If you haven t already installed the utility see Chapter 4 on page 23 for instructions If you do not have the CD with the utility the utility software is also available for download at...

Page 38: ...computer Figure 20 Connect Your Powerline Adapter to a Computer 4 Open the PLA42xx Series Configuration Utility on your computer Go to Start All Programs ZyXEL PLA42xx Series Configuration PLA42xx Se...

Page 39: ...o Your Powerline Network Note You do not need to know 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...

Page 40: ...ce 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 pro...

Page 41: ...26 Add New Adapters to Make a Second Network 1 Connect your new powerline adapter and open the configuration utility as shown in Section 6 5 on page 40 The screen shown below appears 2 Type a Network...

Page 42: ...you need to give them a new network name 1 Connect a powerline adapter to your computer and open the PLA42xx Series Configuration Utility see Section 6 3 on page 38 2 The utility should open to the c...

Page 43: ...n Adapter to Your New Network 4 Click Save If you do not type the DAK password or type it incorrectly either of the following pop ups appear Click OK and type the DAK Password correctly in the DAK Pas...

Page 44: ...of adapters on your network These adapters are now part of your new network Figure 33 Adapters on a New Powerline Network If you want to access any of your new powerline networks using the PLA42xx Se...

Page 45: ...ork Setup Tutorial PLA4231 User s Guide 45 Check you have entered the correct network name for your network Check your powerline adapter is connected to the same electrical circuit as other powerline...

Page 46: ...Chapter 6 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA4231 User s Guide 46...

Page 47: ...47 PART III Web Configurator...

Page 48: ...48...

Page 49: ...ns enabled by default Refer to the Troubleshooting chapter Chapter 14 on page 95 to see how to make sure these functions are allowed in Internet Explorer 7 2 Accessing the Web Configurator 1 Connect y...

Page 50: ...er Table 8 Login screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Language Select the language you want to use to configure the Web Configurator Click Login Password Type 1234 default as the password This is just an example...

Page 51: ...3 5 on page 88 7 2 2 Password Screen You should see a screen asking you to change your password highly recommended as shown next Figure 37 Change Password Screen Table 9 Change Weather LABEL DESCRIPTI...

Page 52: ...is displayed See Chapter 4 on page 81 for more information about the Dashboard screen 7 3 Navigating the Web Configurator The following summarizes how to navigate the web configurator from the Dashboa...

Page 53: ...ss LAN General Use this screen to configure general wireless LAN and wireless security settings MAC Filter Use the MAC filter screen to configure the PLA4231 to block access to devices or block the de...

Page 54: ...de Use this screen to upload firmware to your PLA4231 Backup Restore Use this screen to backup and restore the configuration or reset your PLA4231 to the factory defaults Restart System Restart This s...

Page 55: ...current status of the device system resources and interfaces The Dashboard screens also provide detailed information about system statistics associated wireless clients and logs 8 1 The Dashboard Scr...

Page 56: ...ing over the wireless LAN Security This shows the level of wireless security the PLA4231 is using 802 11 Mode This shows the wireless standard WPS Status This displays Configured when the WPS has been...

Page 57: ...For the WLAN it displays Up when the WLAN is enabled or Down when the WLAN is disabled Rate For the LAN ports this displays the port speed or N A when the line is disconnected For the WLAN it displays...

Page 58: ...Chapter 8 Dashboard PLA4231 User s Guide 58...

Page 59: ...on page 59 to view the logs for the categories such as system maintenance system errors and so on use the Packet Statistics screen Section 9 4 on page 60 to view port status packet specific statistics...

Page 60: ...Read only information here includes port status packet specific statistics and the system up time The Poll Interval s field is configurable and is used for refreshing the screen Figure 42 Monitor Pack...

Page 61: ...when the WLAN is enabled and Down when the WLAN is disabled TxPkts This is the number of transmitted packets on this port RxPkts This is the number of received packets on this port Collisions This is...

Page 62: ...Chapter 9 Monitor PLA4231 User s Guide 62...

Page 63: ...this wireless network devices A and B are called wireless clients The wireless clients use the access point AP to interact with other devices such as the printer or with the Internet Your PLA4231 is t...

Page 64: ...eless client in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network It can also protect the information that is sent...

Page 65: ...lients Device A only supports WEP and device B supports WEP and WPA Therefore you should set up Static WEP in the wireless network Note It is recommended that wireless networks use WPA PSK or stronger...

Page 66: ...DESCRIPTION Wireless Setup Wireless LAN Select to enable or disable the wireless LAN This is turned on by default Name SSID The SSID Service Set IDentity identifies the Service Set with which a wirele...

Page 67: ...ice IEEE 802 11b compliant WLAN devices can associate with the PLA4231 only when they use the short preamble type 802 11bg allows either IEEE 802 11b or IEEE 802 11g compliant WLAN devices to associat...

Page 68: ...points to keep network communications private It encrypts unicast and multicast communications in a network Both the wireless stations and the access points must use the same WEP key Your PLA4231 all...

Page 69: ...is referred to as the key This key is requested from all devices wishing to connect to a wireless network WEP Encryption Select 64 bits or 128 bits This dictates the length of the security key that t...

Page 70: ...th the PLA4231 and the wireless stations must use the same WEP key for data transmission If you chose 64 bit WEP then enter any 5 ASCII characters or 10 hexadecimal characters 0 9 A F If you chose 128...

Page 71: ...AN MAC Filter The screen appears as shown Table 21 Network Wireless LAN Security WPA PSK WPA2 PSK LABEL DESCRIPTION Security Mode Select WPA PSK or WPA2 PSK to enable data encryption WPA PSK Compatibl...

Page 72: ...in the MAC Filter Summary table Select Allow to permit access to the PLA4231 MAC addresses not listed will be denied access to the PLA4231 Select Deny to block access to the PLA4231 MAC addresses not...

Page 73: ...boundary for directed messages It is the maximum data fragment size that can be sent Note If you select 802 11n 802 11gn or 802 11bgn in the Wireless LAN General screen this field is not configurable...

Page 74: ...reless LAN QoS LABEL DESCRIPTION WMM QoS Select Enable to have the PLA4231 automatically give a service a priority level according to the ToS value in the IP header of packets it sends WMM QoS Wifi Mu...

Page 75: ...using WPS or when Enable WPS is selected and wireless or wireless security settings have been changed The current wireless and wireless security settings also appear in the screen This displays Uncon...

Page 76: ...s LAN is turned on and off Wireless LAN scheduling is disabled by default The wireless LAN can be scheduled to turn on or off on certain days and at certain times To open this screen click Network Wir...

Page 77: ...he Wireless LAN on or off If you select Everyday you can not select any specific days This field works in conjunction with the For the following times field For the following times 24 Hour Format Sele...

Page 78: ...Chapter 10 Wireless LAN PLA4231 User s Guide 78...

Page 79: ...figure the manage IP address and partition your physical network into logical networks Figure 55 LAN Example The LAN screens can help you manage IP addresses 11 2 What You Can Do Use the IP screen Sec...

Page 80: ...es and DNS servers to systems that support DHCP client capability 11 3 2 IP Alias IP alias allows you to partition a physical network into different logical networks over the same Ethernet interface T...

Page 81: ...k this if you want to specify the IP address of your PLA4231 Or if your ISP or network administrator gave you a static IP address to access the network or the Internet IP Address Type the IP address i...

Page 82: ...ION IP Alias Check this to enable IP alias IP Address Type the IP alias address of your PLA4231 in dotted decimal notation IP Subnet Mask The subnet mask specifies the network number portion of an IP...

Page 83: ...27 for more information about powerline network security 12 2 What You Can Do Use the HomePlug screen Section 12 3 on page 83 to secure manage and set up Quality of Service QoS on your powerline netwo...

Page 84: ...PLA4231 Select the remote powerline adapter you want to manage by clicking the MAC address which corresponds to it in the MAC Address column Enter the DAK Password value and click Save Note You must...

Page 85: ...s a PLA4231 in your powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the Web Configurator MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of your powerline adapter The MAC address...

Page 86: ...Chapter 12 HomePlug PLA4231 User s Guide 86...

Page 87: ...date Use the Firmware Upgrade screen Section 13 6 on page 90 to upload firmware to your PLA4231 Use the Backup Restore screen Section 13 8 on page 93 to view information related to factory defaults ba...

Page 88: ...session can be left idle before the session times out The default is 5 minutes After it times out you have to log in with your password again Very long idle timeouts may have security risks A value of...

Page 89: ...ame time the new time and date you entered has priority and the Time Zone and Daylight Saving settings do not affect it New Time hh mm ss This field displays the last updated time from the time server...

Page 90: ...lock field Daylight Saving Time starts in the European Union on the last Sunday of March All of the time zones in the European Union start using Daylight Saving Time at the same moment 1 A M GMT or UT...

Page 91: ...Dashboard screen Table 34 Maintenance Firmware Upgrade LABEL DESCRIPTION Firmware Upgrade File Path Type in the location of the file you want to upload in this field or click Browse to find it Browse...

Page 92: ...35 Maintenance Backup Restore LABEL DESCRIPTION Backup Click Backup to save the PLA4231 s current configuration to your computer File Path Type in the location of the file you want to upload in this f...

Page 93: ...ou to reboot the PLA4231 without turning the power off Click Maintenance Restart to open the following screen Figure 66 Maintenance Restart Click Restart to have the PLA4231 reboot This does not affec...

Page 94: ...Chapter 13 Maintenance PLA4231 User s Guide 94...

Page 95: ...some suggestions to solve problems you might encounter 14 1 LEDs The following sections describes the lights on the PLA4231 The following figure is the front panel of the PLA4231 Use the lights to de...

Page 96: ...s sending receiving data through the wireless LAN or WPS has failed Slow Blinking The PLA4231 is negotiating a WPS connection with a wireless device Off The wireless LAN is not ready or has failed Hom...

Page 97: ...ty to detect all other HomePlug devices on your powerline network Make sure that the network name sometimes called the network password is the same on all of your powerline adapters See Section 5 3 on...

Page 98: ...devices Inspect the LEDs on your PLA4231 and make sure that the ETHERNET and HomePlug LEDs are on or blinking See Section 14 1 on page 95 for troubleshooting LED related problems Check all ZyxEL Home...

Page 99: ...dy connected to another powerline device Press the RESET ENCRYPT button for 5 to 8 seconds to release the connection The POWER light does not blink when I press the RESET ENCRYPT button Check the devi...

Page 100: ...es for 5 to 8 seconds then try to reconnect pressing the RESET ENCRYPT button for 0 5 to 3 seconds on both devices I pressed the RESET ENCRYPT button for 5 to 8 seconds but the HomePlug light is still...

Page 101: ...that use the Internet especially peer to peer applications If the wireless client is sending or receiving a lot of information it may have too many programs open that use the Internet Position the ant...

Page 102: ...and Java enabled See Appendix A on page 105 4 Make sure your computer is in the same subnet as the PLA4231 If you know that there are routers between your computer and the PLA4231 skip this step If t...

Page 103: ...appen when you fail to log out properly from your last session Try logging in again after 5 minutes 3 Disconnect and re connect the power adaptor or cord to the PLA4231 4 If this does not work you hav...

Page 104: ...Chapter 14 LEDs and Troubleshooting PLA4231 User s Guide 104...

Page 105: ...p up blocking to log into your device Either disable pop up blocking enabled by default in Windows XP SP Service Pack 2 or allow pop up blocking and create an exception for your device s IP address Di...

Page 106: ...vacy 3 Click Apply to save this setting Enable Pop up Blockers with Exceptions Alternatively if you only want to allow pop up windows from your device see the following steps 1 In Internet Explorer se...

Page 107: ...e 107 Figure 71 Internet Options Privacy 3 Type the IP address of your device the web page that you do not want to have blocked with the prefix http For example http 192 168 167 1 4 Click Add to move...

Page 108: ...y properly in Internet Explorer check that JavaScript are allowed 1 In Internet Explorer click Tools Internet Options and then the Security tab Figure 73 Internet Options Security 2 Click the Custom L...

Page 109: ...4 Security Settings Java Scripting Java Permissions 1 From Internet Explorer click Tools Internet Options and then the Security tab 2 Click the Custom Level button 3 Scroll down to Microsoft VM 4 Unde...

Page 110: ...A4231 User s Guide 110 Figure 75 Security Settings Java JAVA Sun 1 From Internet Explorer click Tools Internet Options and then the Advanced tab 2 Make sure that Use Java 2 for applet under Java Sun i...

Page 111: ...s may vary slightly The steps below apply to Mozilla Firefox 3 0 as well You can enable Java Javascript and pop ups in one screen Click Tools then click Options in the screen that appears Figure 77 Mo...

Page 112: ...ightly Allowing Pop Ups From Opera click Tools then Preferences In the General tab go to Choose how you prefer to handle pop ups and select Open all pop ups Figure 79 Opera Allowing Pop Ups Enabling J...

Page 113: ...Java Permissions PLA4231 User s Guide 113 Figure 80 Opera Enabling Java To customize JavaScript behavior in the Opera browser click JavaScript Options Figure 81 Opera JavaScript Options Select the it...

Page 114: ...Appendix A Pop up Windows JavaScript and Java Permissions PLA4231 User s Guide 114...

Page 115: ...r installation If this device does cause harmful interference to radio television reception which can be determined by turning the device off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interf...

Page 116: ...eriod from the date of purchase The Warranty Period varies by region Check with your vendor and or the authorized ZyXEL local distributor for details about the Warranty Period of this product During t...

Page 117: ...tive 1999 5 EC Italian Con la presente ZyXEL dichiara che questo attrezzatura conforme ai requisiti essenziali ed alle altre disposizioni pertinenti stabilite dalla direttiva 1999 5 CE Latvian Ar o Zy...

Page 118: ...ibpt be pour de plus amples d tails Denmark In Denmark the band 5150 5350 MHz is also allowed for outdoor usage I Danmark m frekvensb ndet 5150 5350 ogs anvendes udend rs Italy This product meets the...

Page 119: ...daptor or cord Do NOT use the device if the power adaptor or cord is damaged as it might cause electrocution If the power adaptor or cord is damaged remove it from the power outlet Do NOT attempt to r...

Page 120: ...Appendix B Legal Information PLA4231 User s Guide 120...

Page 121: ...15 CPU usage 56 D DAK 27 29 DAK Data Access Password 11 Data Access Password see DAK 11 Daylight saving 90 disclaimer 115 documentation related 2 E electrical and cable wiring 27 electrical circuit bo...

Page 122: ...habits 10 using the web configurator See web configurator Media access control 71 Memory usage 56 multiple networks 12 N network example 27 network information 31 O Operating Channel 56 other documen...

Page 123: ...p 87 System restart 93 T Time setting 88 trademarks 115 transfer rates 9 transmit rate 31 troubleshooting 95 U utility launching 28 W warranty 116 note 116 Web Configurator how to access 49 Overview 4...

Page 124: ...PLA4231 User s Guide 124 Index...

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