ZyXEL Communications ZyXEL PLA-401 v3, User Manual, Page: 52 / 90

Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility
PLA-401 v3 User’s Guide
52
6.1.8 Link Information
Use the Link Info screen to find out more information on the connection between
two powerline adapters on your powerline network. The link information screen
shows the MAC addresses of connected powerline adapters and statistics on the
links.
Figure 26 Link Information
Table 12 Link Information
LABEL DESCRIPTION
Link Characteristics
Source Address
This is the MAC address of the local powerline adapter. The local
powerline adapter is the one connected directly to your
computer. A MAC address is a number that uniquely identifies a
device in a network.
Destination Address This is the MAC address of a remote powerline adapter. A
remote powerline adapter is in the same powerline network as
the local powerline adapter but is not connected directly to your
computer.
Show Statistics Click this button to show detailed link information between the
local and remote power adapters..
Statistics
Avg. Pre-FEC Bit Error
Rate
In powerline networks data is sent in physical blocks (PB). This
field shows the average percentage of errors in the physical
blocks received by the destination device from your source
device before the errors are corrected using FEC (Forward Error
Correction). Forward Error Correction (FEC) is a system where
the sender adds redundant data to its transmissions. It allows
the receiver to correct errors without the need of asking the
sender to resend the data.
A high error rate may not necessarily result in a poor connection
as PBs with errors are discarded and the powerline device
adjusts the signal to a frequency level where fewer errors occur.