Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product PLA-407 ZyXEL Communications
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www.zyxel.com www.zyxel.com PLA-407 Powerline Pass-Thru Ethernet Adapter Copyright © 2009 ZyXEL Communications Corporation Firmware Version 4.0.1 Edition 1, 8/2009.
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About This User's Guide PLA-407 User’s Guide 3 About This User's Guide Intended Audience This manual is intended for people wh o want to configure the PLA- 407 using the web configurator.
About This User's Guide PLA-407 User’s Guide 4 Documentation Feedback Send your comments, questions or su ggest ions to: techwriters@zyxel.com. tw Thank you! The Technical Writing Team, ZyXEL Communications Corp., 6 Innovation Road II, Science-Based Industrial Park, Hsinchu, 30099, Taiwan.
About This User's Guide PLA-407 User’s Guide 5 Customer Support Should problems arise that cannot be solved by the methods listed above, you should contact your ve ndor. If you canno t contact your vendor, then contact a ZyXEL office for the region i n which you bought the device.
Document Conventions PLA-407 User’s Guide 6 Document Conventions Warnings and Notes These are how warnings and notes ar e shown in this User’s Guide.
Document Conventions PLA-407 User’s Guide 7 Icons Used in Figures Figures in this User’s Guide may use the following generic icons. The PLA-407 icons used may not be an exact representation of your device.
Safety Warnings PLA-407 User’s Guide 8 Safety Warnings • Do NOT use this product near water, for exam ple, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool. • Do NOT expose your device to dampness, du st or corrosive liquids. • Do NOT store things on the device.
Table of Contents PLA-402 v3 User’s Guide 9 Table of Contents About This User's Guide ........................................... .......................................... ................... .. 3 Document Conventions..........................
Table of Contents PLA-402 v3 User ’s Guide 10 Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button .......................................................... ................................................... 31 4.1 ENCRYPT Button Ov erview ......................... .....
Table of Contents PLA-402 v3 User’s Guide 11 7.0.5 Setting Up a New Networ k with a New Adapter ............ ................ ............. ................ 65 7.0.6 Splitting a N etwork into Two Netw orks ............. ................ ............
Table of Contents PLA-402 v3 User ’s Guide 12.
13 P ART I Introduction Introducing the PLA-407 (15) Installing the Utility (23).
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PLA-407 User’s Guide 15 C HAPTER 1 Introducing the PLA-407 1.1 Overview This chapter introduces the main applications and feat ures of the PLA-407 HomePlug AV compliant Powerline adapter. In this User’s Guide the electrical wiring network is referred to as th e “Powerline network”.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 16 1.1.1 Data Transfer The PLA-407 securely communicates with each other at high data transfer rates of up to 200 Mbps. The theoretical maxi mum channel data rate is 200 Mb ps on the physical layer.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 17 interference from the electrical devices so that it does not affect the Powerline network. This is shown in the following fi gure. Figure 2 Noise Filter on PLA-407 This setup maximizes the PLA-407’s perfor mance and ensures that the Powerline network is stable.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 18 1.1.5 Low Power Mode Your PLA-407 is a certified green product . It goes into Low Power mode when there is no Ethernet connection. When you plug the PLA-407 into an electr ic socket, i t waits for an Ethernet connection.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 19 Your network can be further expanded by plugg ing additional PLA-407s i nto other power outlets in your home and connecti ng other computers or network devices (for example, a printer) to them.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 20 1.4.1 Passwords You use two types of passwords in th e HomePlug AV Powerl ine network. The following table describes t he differences between the password s. 1.4.2 Setting Up Security The ENCRYPT feature au tomatically sets up security on your Powerline network.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 21 3 You may need to change the Network Name to create m ultiple Pow erline networks. S ee the next section for more i n formation on how to set up a multi ple network. 1.5 Multiple Networks Multiple powerline networks can coexist on a s ingle powerline circuit.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 PLA-407 User’s Guide 22.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 23 C HAPTER 2 Installing the Utility 2.1 Overview This chapter guides you through the installation of the configuration utility for your PLA-407. The installation of the confi guration utility does the following: 1 Checks for and installs Microsoft’s .
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 24 1 Insert the included CD-ROM into your co m puter’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.
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 25 3 The Setup utility runs automatically. Cli c k Yes or Next to cont inue through the initial screen.
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 26 5 When the installation is finished, a screen appears to confirm that the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility has been successfully inst alled on your computer. Click Close to exit the wizard.
27 P ART II Managing the PLA- 407 Firmware Tool (29) The ENCRYPT Bu tton (31) The Configuration Utility (37) Powerline Network Setup Tutorial (61) PLA Compatibility (71).
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PLA-407 User’s Guide 29 C HAPTER 3 Firmware Tool 3.1 Overview Use the Firmware Upgrade Tool t o e n s u r e y o u h a v e t h e l a t e s t f i r m w a r e ( v e r s i o n 4.
Chapter 3 Firmwar e Tool PLA-407 User’s Guide 30.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 31 C HAPTER 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4.1 ENCRYPT Button Overview The ENCRYPT button allows you to set up a secure Powerline connection wi th other HomePlug AV compliant Powerlin e devices which also support the ENCRYPT feature. No other setting changes are required t o connect.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button PLA-407 User’s Guide 32 4 Press the ENCRYPT button on yo ur second Pow erline dev ice for 1~2 seconds . The power ( ) light will blink as the PLA-407 tries to set up a connection. Figure 10 ENCRYPT Connection Procedure Note: The ENCRYPT button’s lo cation va ries for ea ch Powerli ne devic e.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button PLA-407 User’s Guide 33 4.2.1 Expanding the Network with ENCRYPT If you want to add more Powerline device s to your net work after th e initial set up (refer to Section 4.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button PLA-407 User’s Guide 34 For example, you have already set up a Powerline network in y our home ( A ) which accesses a printer ( B ). Now you want a separate Powerline network connection from your laptop ( C ) to your printer.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button PLA-407 User’s Guide 35 4 Check the LEDs on both ( A ) and ( C ). When the power ( ) and HomePlug ( ) lights stop blinking and the power ( ) light shines steadily, t he devices are connected. Figure 13 Two Separate Po werline Networks Congratula tions.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button PLA-407 User’s Guide 36 4.4 ENCRYPT Button Behavior The following table su mma rizes the ac tions th at occur when the ENCRYPT button is pressed for specifi c lengths of time. See Troubleshooting in Chapter 9 on page 82 for suggestions on problems with the ENCRYPT button and the lights.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 37 C HAPTER 5 The Configuration Utility 5.1 Overview This chapter shows you how to use the Conf iguration Utility (or Ut ility) to secure, manage and set up Quality of Servic e (QoS) on your Powerline network. The PLA-407 is designed as a pl ug-and-play network expanding solution.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 38 By default the PLA-407s are all co nfigured with the network name HomePlugAV , this allows you to simpl y plug the devices in and not worry about setting up security.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 39 5.3 Configuration Screen Use the Configura tion screen to see which devices are recognized by your Powerline network, to configure your PL A-407 and to set up a secure Powerline network by changing the Powerline net wor k name.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 40 Site This field displays • Local - This shows if PLA-407 is id entifying the Powerline adapter directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 41 5.4 Firmware Screen Firmware is the software which is em bedded in the PLA-407. This software contains processing instructions f or how the PLA-407 sends and receives informat ion in a s ecure wa y.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 42 Click Network Info to display the following screen. Figure 18 Network Info Screen The following table describes t h e labels in this s creen. Table 4 Network Info Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Adapter This field identifies which Powerl ine network information is displayed.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 43 5.6 Advanced Screen Note: This feature is only available with the latest version utility. Go to the ZyXEL website to download the latest utility and firmware for your ZyXEL HomePlug AV adapter.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 44 The figure below shows an example Powe rline home network connected to the Internet. Figure 19 Priority Settings •D e v i c e A is a printer and does not handle t r affic wit h high importance, so the Powerline adapter connected to i t can be set to low priori ty.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 45 Use this screen to conf igure priority settings for t raffic from the Powerline adapters on your network. Figure 20 Advanced Screen The following table describes t h e labels in this s creen.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 46 5.7 About Screen Use the About screen to view information regarding the configuration utility and firmware version of the PLA-407 you are connected to. Click the icon in the top right corner of the utility to view the About screen.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 47 C HAPTER 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 6.1 Overview This chapter shows you how to use the configur ation utility on a Mac computer with the Leopard op erating sy stem. See the User’s Guide Chapter 5 on page 37 for background information on some Powerline features.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 48 6.1.2 Start the Configuration Utility Drag the utility application from the CD (or download it from the ZyXEL download library) to the Applications folder on your comput er. Double-click it to open it.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 49 To enter the NMK for a Powerline adapter, se lect the device icon in the left panel of the main utility screen and then click Change Network Name (NMK) in the main utility screen. Figure 23 Change Network Name (NMK) The following table describes t h e labels in this s creen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 50 The following table shows some example pr iority settings based on application type.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 51 6.1.7 Set HomePlug Light Color Use this screen to define which color the HomePlug light shines at various speeds.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 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 Powerl ine network. The link information screen shows the MAC addresses of connected Powerline adapters and statistics on the links.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 53 Avg. Source PB CRC Error Rate This field displays the average CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) error rate of transmission from the source device (as shown in the screen) received by destination Powerline device.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 54 6.1.9 Download Firmware Use this screen to go t o the ZyXEL down load lib rary from where you can download firmware to your computer.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 55 use the same firmware version. Use the Firmware Upgrade Tool to upl oad new firmware.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 56 6.3 Firmware Upgrade Tool Use the firmware upgrade tool to upgr ade firmware to the Powerline device directly connected to your co mputer. To upgrade to the l atest firmware, use the firmware upgrade tool on the CD included with your PLA-407 .
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 57 3 Open the Firmware Upgrade Tool application. Click Next to begin the firmware upgrade process. Figure 30 Firmware Up grade Tool: Start 4 If you already have the latest version firmw are, you’ll see a warning screen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 58 5 Select the region where your Powerline ne twork is located in the following screen. Make sure you upload the correct firmware for your region as different regions have differnt firmware characteristics.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 59 7 If your firmware is successf ully upgraded, a successful screen appears. Click OK , then Finish to close the application.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility PLA-407 User’s Guide 60.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 61 C HAPTER 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 7.0.1 Overview Use this tutor ial to expand yo ur existing Powerline network. After setting up you r first home Powerline ne twork.
Chapter 7 P owerline Netw ork Setup T utorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 62 7.0.2 Important Terms 7.0.3 Accessing Your Powerline Adapter 1 Plug the Powerline adapter you wan t to add to your network into a Powerline socket. Figure 35 Plug Your Powerline Adapter into th e Powerline Socket 2 Connect the Powerline adapter to your computer.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 63 5 You are now ready to extend your Powerlin e network or set up a second network. • See Section 7.0.4 on page 63 to add a new Powerline adapter to your network. • See Section 7.0.
Chapter 7 P owerline Netw ork Setup T utorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 64 2 The utility should open to the config urat ion tab. On this screen in the Site column your new Powe rline ada pter should appear as Local ( A ). Check the Local adapter’s MAC address ( B ).
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 65 3 Select your adapter by selecting Local and type the network name for your existing network in the Network Name field ( C ). Figure 40 Adding a n Adapter to an Existing Ne twork Select Set NMK to this device and click Write .
Chapter 7 P owerline Netw ork Setup T utorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 66 the ZyXEL DMA-1100P you can use with your TV to watch movies and play games which are stored on a computer. Figure 42 Add Ne w Powerline Adapters to Make a Second Network 1 Connect your new Powerline adapt er and open the c onfiguration utili ty as shown in Section 7.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 67 2 After you have set up a new network, you are re ady to connect each Pow erline adapter on your new network to devices, for example, a computer or a games console.
Chapter 7 P owerline Netw ork Setup T utorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 68 • Then type the new network name in the Network Name fi eld ( B ). Figure 45 Adding an Adapte r 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.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 69 5 The settings for the adapter will now grey out and the adapter will disappear from the table afte r a few minutes.
Chapter 7 P owerline Netw ork Setup T utorial PLA-407 User’s Guide 70 7.1 Troubleshooting The HomePlug ( ) LED (light) should lig ht up on your adapter wh en it successfully connects to ot her adapters on your network. If it does not, try the following measures .
PLA-407 User’s Guide 71 C HAPTER 8 PLA Compatibility 8.1 Overview Your PLA-407 can work with different PLA mo dels that have a firmware version of at least 3.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility PLA-407 User’s Guide 72 • For PLA v1 models (for example, PL A-400, PLA-401, PLA-470, PLA-491 and so on) upgrade the firmware version from 1.4.5 to at least version 3.0. 5 . Refer to the PLA-4XX series User’s Guide for instruct ions on how to do this.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility PLA-407 User’s Guide 73 The diagram below shows a Powerline network where each PLA has the correct firmware. Use Configuration Utilit y v 3.3.4 to manag e the PLAs in thi s Powerline network. Figure 52 Correct Powerline Network 8.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility PLA-407 User’s Guide 74.
75 P ART III Appendices and Index LEDs and Troubleshooting (77 ) Product Specifications (85) Legal Information (89) Index (93).
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PLA-407 User’s Guide 77 C HAPTER 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting This chapter describes the b ehavior of t he LEDs (lights) and offers some suggestions to solve proble ms you might encounter. 9.1 LEDs The following sections describes the lights on the PLA-407.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubl eshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 78 The following table describes t he beha vior of the lights on the PLA-407. Table 15 PLA-407 Lights LIGHTS ICON COLOR STATU S DESCRIPTION POWER Green On The PLA-407 is on and receiving power.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 79 9.2 Power and Light Problems The PLA-407 does not turn on. None of the lights turn on. 1 Make sure you are using the power cord i ncluded with the PLA-407. 2 Make sure the power cord is connecte d to the PLA-407 and plugged in t o an appropriate power source.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubl eshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 80 2 Use the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility to detect all other HomePlug devices on your Powerline ne twork. Mak e sure that the netw ork name (sometim es called the network password) is the same on all of your Powerline adapters.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 81 9.3 Configuration Utility Problems The PLA-4xx Series Config uration Utility displays an error during installation. • Make sure your computer is us ing Windows XP or Windows Vista (32-bit) operating system.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubl eshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 82 3 Your Powerline adapters may be pl aced close to electrical devices such as electrical insect-killers wh ich produce radio waves. These may int erfere with the Powerline signals. Move the adapters furt her away f rom such electrical devices.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 83 • Wait for about a minute while th e devices set up a connection. • If that does not work, try again with both devices connected to a power strip next to each other. If they now connect, then the devices we re not on the same electrical circuit before.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubl eshooting PLA-407 User’s Guide 84.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 85 C HAPTER 10 Product Specifications The following tables summarize the PLA-407’s hardware and firmware features. Table 16 Hardware Specifications Dimensions (W x D x H) 141 mm (L) x 35 (H) mm x 66 (W) mm Weight 470g Power Input 100 - 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 0.
Chapter 10 Product Specifications PLA-407 User’s Guide 86 Table 17 Firmware Specifications FEATUR E DESCRIPTION Powerline Functionality The HomePlug AV standard specifies how network devices communicat e using standar d electrical wirin g. It is compliant with IEEE 802.
Chapter 10 Product Specifications PLA-407 User’s Guide 87 The following list, which is not exhaust ive , illustrates the standards s upported in the PLA-407.
Chapter 10 Product Specifications PLA-407 User’s Guide 88.
PLA-407 User’s Guide 89 A PPENDIX A Legal Information Copyright Copyright © 2009 by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any part or as a whol.
Appendix A Legal In formation PLA-407 User’s Guide 90 Trademarks ZyNOS (ZyXEL Network Operating System) is a registered trademark of ZyXEL Communications, Inc. Other trademarks ment ioned in this publication are used for identification purposes only and may b e properties of their respective owners.
Appendix A Legal Information PLA-407 User’s Guide 91 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. Viewing Certifications 1 Go to http://www.zyxel .com . 2 Select your product on the ZyXEL home page to go to that product's page.
Appendix A Legal In formation PLA-407 User’s Guide 92.
Index PLA-407 User’s Guide 93 Index Symbols .NET Framework 23 A about screen 46 Advanced Encryption Standard, see AES 15 AES 20 , 37 AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 15 applications 15 C cabling t.
Index PLA-407 User’s Guide 94 M MAC address 39 management multiple networks 21 overview 37 managing the device using the web configurator. See web configurator.
An important point after buying a device ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of ZyXEL Communications PLA-407, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime ZyXEL Communications PLA-407.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with ZyXEL Communications PLA-407. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device ZyXEL Communications PLA-407 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
