HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide © 2006-2007 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved. February 2007. NETGEAR, Inc.
Trademarks NETGEAR is a trademark of Netgear, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. Statement of Conditions In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes to the products described in this document without notice.
Product and Publication Details Model Number: HDX101 Publication Date: February 2007 Product Family: Powerline HD Ethernet adapter Product Name: HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter Home or Business Product: Home Language: English iii v1.
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Contents HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Audience, Scope, Conventions, and Formats ..................................................................vii How to Use This Manual .................................................................................................viii How to Print this Manual ..................................................................................................viii Revision History ........................................................................
To Add a New Device from a Locally Connected Computer ..................................2-22 To Add a New Device from a Remotely Connected Computer ..............................2-22 How to Prioritize Traffic on the Powerline Network .......................................................2-23 How to Prioritize Traffic by General Application Type ............................................2-23 Advanced QoS Options ..........................................................................................
About This Manual This guide describes how to install, configure and troubleshoot the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter.The information is this manual is intended for readers with intermediate computer and Internet skills. Audience, Scope, Conventions, and Formats This reference manual assumes that the reader has basic to intermediate computer and Internet skills.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Danger: This is a safety warning. Failure to take heed of this notice may result in personal injury or death. • Scope. This manual is written for the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter according to these specifications: Product Version HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter Manual Publication Date February 2007 Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. Web site at http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/HDX101.asp.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide • Printing a Chapter. Use the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left of any page. — Click the PDF of This Chapter link at the top right of any page in the chapter you want to print. The PDF version of the chapter you were viewing opens in a browser window. — Your computer must have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed in order to view and print PDF files. The Acrobat reader is available on the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com.
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Chapter 1 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter. The Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter lets you completely network your home by simply plugging into your existing electrical wiring, so your network connection is as close as the nearest power outlet. Now your high-speed cable/DSL connection can be available in every room. And you can also extend an existing Ethernet network to PCs in other rooms without any additional wiring.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Easy Installation and Management You can install, configure, and operate the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter within minutes after connecting it to the network. The following features simplify installation and management tasks: • Browser-based management The setup utility allows you to easily configure your Powerline HD Ethernet adapter from almost any personal computer running Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Connectors, Ports, and Label Information Each unit has various status indicators and a label with important information. Familiarize yourself with these features of your product. The Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter The front panel of the HDX101 contains the status lights described below. Figure 1-1 You can use the status lights to verify connections. Viewed from top to bottom, the table below describes the lights on the front panel. Table 1-1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide The Label on the Rear Panel of the HDX101 The label on the rear panel of the HDX101 contains the items listed below. • MAC address • Model number • Serial number 1-4 Introduction v1.
Chapter 2 Installing the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter This chapter describes how to set up the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter on your local area network (LAN) and connect to the Internet. How the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter Fits in Your Network HDX101 devices allow you to implement or extend an Ethernet local area network anywhere in your house using your existing electrical power line in place of a dedicated LAN wiring infrastructure.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Prepare to Install Your Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter Check that these minimum requirements are met. • Your Ethernet network is set up and an Ethernet port is available on your router. • Your Internet connection is working. • Each computer and peripheral device to be used on your network has an Ethernet port.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide NO FFO 1. First, connect a Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter to a LAN port on the router so that the Powerline network can gain access to the internet. WARNING! Figure 2-3 Do not connect the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter to a power strip, extension cord, or surge protector as this may prevent them from working properly or degrade the network performance. a.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide c. Make sure that the internet port of your router is connected to your modem, and your computer is connected to a LAN port on the router. Figure 2-4 Connect other Powerline HD Ethernet Adapters 1. Plug your other HDX101 devices into power outlets in your home near to the other computers and peripherals to be included in your Powerline local area network. 2.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Install the HDX101 Configuration Utility (Highly Recommended) The utility provides you with the option of setting your own unique encryption Powerline network ID and prioritizing traffic passing through the Powerline network. Important encryption features: • The Network ID is case sensitive. • Each device must be set to exactly the same Network ID—if they are to communicate on the same network.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide If the CD does not start automatically: • Go to My Computer on the Windows Start menu, and double-click the drive that represents the location of the HDX101 Resource CD or • Select the CD-ROM drive and click on the Autorun.exe executable file. 2. Click the topmost button, labelled Install Software. A Welcome screen should appear. Figure 2-6 1. All devices on a Powerline network can be managed from one computer.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 3. Click Next to display a window that allows you to choose the installation location. Figure 2-7 4. Either click Browse to change the location where files will be saved on your hard drive, or click Install to accept the default location. 5. If you choose to change the destination location for the files, the following popup window will be displayed: Figure 2-8 a. Select a folder or click Make New Folder to create a new folder, and then click OK. b.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 6. If your computer does not include a current version of WinPcap, the InstallShield Wizard will display a dialog box to indicate that it must install WinPcap. Figure 2-9 Click OK to install WinPCap and follow the on-screen instructions until the following window is displayed. Figure 2-10 Click the Finish button to continue the installation of the HDX101 Configuration Utility. 2-8 Installing the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter v1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 7. After WinPcap is installed, the InstallShield Wizard will indicate the HDX101 Configuration Utility has been installed. Figure 2-11 To launch the program, make sure the “Run NETGEAR HDX101 Configuration Utility” button is checked. Click the Finish button to close the InstallShield Wizard. Installing the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter v1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Running the HDX101 Configuration Utility When installation is complete, you can run the utility by clicking an icon on your desktop or from the Windows Program Menu. The utility will display its main page as shown below. 1 2 3 4 5 Figure 2-12 The screen is divided into 5 major areas: 1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide • The Quality column indicates the type of traffic that can be handled smoothly: HD Video, DVD Video, or Data. – HD Video means that the device can handle high-definition video traffic smoothly. This status will be shown if the transmit and receive link speed is greater than 80 Mbps. – DVD Video quality implies that the transmit and receive link speed is greater than 50 Mbps. – Data quality means that the device cannot handle video data smoothly.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide If the firmware in the local device is up-to-date, but the firmware on one or more remote devices is old, the software will display the following message box: Figure 2-14 Note: You can only perform an upgrade with the local device. If the firmware is out-ofdate on remote devices only, start the following procedure from step 4. To upgrade the firmware: 1. Click the OK button.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 2. On successful completion of the upgrade, the following message will be displayed: Figure 2-16 3. Click the Diagnostics tab, and check the last column, Firmware Version, in the Device History table. Figure 2-17 4. If a remote HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter does not have the same firmware version as the one installed on the local device, connect your PC to that adapter and repeat the upgrade process.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 1. Go to the HDX101 support page at http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/hdx101.asp. If you see a recent firmware image to download, follow the download instructions on the support site, and take note of where you save the downloaded file on your PC. If the file you downloaded is a .zip file, extract the encapsulated firmware file and note its name and location on your PC. 2.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide To reset all the devices in your network to the factory defaults, proceed as follows: 1. For each remote device in your network, click the device name to highlight it. Note: Because only one device in a system can be reset at a time, the checkboxes are not used to select devices for this type of operation. Select remote devices first Select device by highlighting the device name, not by setting a checkmark Figure 2-19 a. Click the Factory Reset button.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide b. Click the OK button to reset the device. The software will display a message to indicate whether or not the operation succeeded. Figure 2-21 c. Click the OK button to dismiss the message box and continue. 2. Once all remote devices have been reset, repeat step 1 for the local device. After the device is reset and the software finishes scanning, check that the device table lists all devices in the network again.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Allowing Your Powerline Network to Coexist with a HomePlug Network This section only applies if your AC power lines host an existing HomePlug network, comprising of devices such as NETGEAR XE102, WGX102, or XE104 adapters. By default, HDX101 devices will automatically detect HomePlug devices and, if present, will automatically switch the HDX101 network into a co-existence mode where the HDX101 devices will not interfere with the HomePlug devices.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide a. Click the radio button labelled “My power line network has not only HDX101, but also HomePlug devices such as XE102, WGX102 or XE104 adapters installed”. b. Click the Apply button. Note: HomePlug devices cannot communicate with HDX101 devices on a Powerline network directly. However, devices on a Powerline network can communicate with devices on a HomePlug network if both networks are connected to a router, router/ modem, or gateway device.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Set Your Network ID The fastest and most reliable way to set the network ID is to set the ID for all devices at once. 1. Make sure that all Powerline devices are plugged into AC power outlets. 2. If you have not already done so, start the HDX101 Configuration Utility and ensure that the Main tab is selected. 3. Wait for the utility to detect the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapters that you connected in step 1. Figure 2-25 4.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide c. Select the Security tab. Figure 2-26 d. Type a network ID in the Network ID text box. e. Click the Set Selected Devices button. The utility should display a pop-up window indicating that the operation was successful. 2-20 Installing the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter v1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide f. Select the Main tab again and click the Scan button. Check that the utility detects all the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapters in your Powerline network and that your Network ID is displayed above the device table as circled below. Figure 2-27 Installing the Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter v1.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Add a Device to an Existing Powerline Network If you are adding a device to a Powerline network where the network ID has been left at its default setting, all that is required is to plug the new device into a power outlet. If the network ID has been customized, then the HDX101 Configuration Utility needs to be run in order to add the new device to the established network.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 5. Click the Set All Devices button. 6. Select the Main tab and click the Scan button. Wait for the new Powerline HD Ethernet adapter to be listed. The new device can be identified from its MAC address and no check mark will be displayed in the Device Name column for that device.. 7. Click on the checkbox for the new device to display a check mark. 8. If desired, change the device name, by clicking the Rename button and typing a descriptive name. 9.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide To set the priority of data transfers by the type of protocol: 1. Start the HDX101 Configuration Utility from the PC and wait for the utility to detect the Powerline HD Ethernet adapters connected to the computer. 2. Select the QoS (Quality of Service) tab. Note: Changes to QoS settings will be applied to every detected device shown on the Main tab, independent of the settings of the checkboxes in the Device Name column. 3.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Advanced QoS Options How to Give Priority to a Specific Application If you want to prioritize network traffic for a specific application, you need to know the source or destination ports used, in addition to the protocol. If you do not know the protocol and ports used, use a network protocol analyzer program1 to monitor your network traffic while running the application you want to prioritize.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide • If necessary, change the priority. The highest priority you can assign is 6, and the lowest is 1. Figure 2-29 4. Click the Apply button to set the traffic prioritization rule into all Powerline HD Ethernet adapter devices. Other QoS Options Besides UDP and TCP priority, the Powerline HD Ethernet adapter offers the following QoS rule options: • 802.1p prioritization • TOS • DSCP These options only apply to QoS-configured business networks. IEEE 802.
Chapter 3 Troubleshooting This chapter gives information about troubleshooting your HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter. After each problem description, instructions are provided to help you diagnose and solve the problem. NETGEAR Product Registration, Support, and Documentation Register your product at http://www.netgear.com/register. Registration is required before you can use our telephone support service. Product updates and Web support are always available by going to: http://kbserver.netgear.com.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Power Light Not On Make sure that, if power to the AC power outlet is controlled by a wall switch, the wall switch is in the on position. Verify that the wall socket is live by disconnecting the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter and plugging in some other electrical product, such as a lamp or a hair dryer. If the error persists and you have confirmed the power outlet you are using is live, you have a hardware problem and should contact technical support.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide 4. If the utility detected all your Powerlin devices in step 3, examine the status of the checkboxes in the Device Name column. a. Click each empty checkbox until a check mark is displayed for every device. b. Select the Security tab, type the Network ID you want to assign in the “Set Network ID” text box and click the Set Selected Devices button. c. Select the Main tab, and click the Scan button. Check that the utility detects all your Powerline devices.
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Appendix A Technical Specifications This appendix provides technical specifications for the HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter. Network Protocol and Standards Compatibility Data and Routing Protocols: IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), IEEE 802.3u (100BASE-Tx) Power Power Consumption: 6.3W Physical Specifications Dimensions: Height: 98 mm Width: 72 mm Depth: 40 mm Weight: 0.5 lbs. 0.
HDX101 Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter User Guide Electromagnetic Emissions Meets requirements of: FCC Part 15 Class B; CE-EMC Class B; 3-home FCC Certificate Safety Agency Approvals Meets requirements of: UL Listed (UL 1950) /cUL IEC950; CE LVD A-2 Technical Specifications v1.