TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Rev: 1.0.
COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS Specifications are subject to change without notice. is a registered trademark of TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. No part of the specifications may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative such as translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Copyright © 2011 TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
FCC STATEMENT This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
National restrictions This device is intended for home and office use in all EU countries (and other countries following the EU directive 1999/5/EC) without any limitation except for the countries mentioned below: Country Restriction Reason/remark Bulgaria None General authorization required for outdoor use and public service France Outdoor use limited to 10 mW e.i.r.p. within the band 2454-2483.5 MHz Military Radiolocation use. Refarming of the 2.
TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY For the following equipment: Product Description: Wireless N Powerline Extender Model No.: TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Trademark: TP-LINK We declare under our own responsibility that the above products satisfy all the technical regulations applicable to the product within the scope of Council Directives: Directives 1999/5/EC The above product is in conformity with the following standards or other normative documents ETSI EN 300 328 V1.7.
Important Safety Instructions 1. Do not open this product or attempt to service it; it may expose you to dangerous high voltage or other risks. 2. Do not operate this product near water. 3. Do not place or operate this product near a radiator or a heat register. 4. Do not expose this product to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids. 5. Do not connect this product or disconnect it from a wall socket during a lightning or a thunderstorm 6.
CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 System Requirement ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Package Contents ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Conventions.....................................................
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Chapter 1 Wireless N Powerline Extender Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of this outstanding Wireless N Powerline Extender. This device is not only a 200Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapter which transforms your house’s existing electrical wiring into a ubiquitous networking infrastructure but also a 300Mbps/150Mbps Wireless N Access Point which creates a wireless network allowing for greater range and mobility.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender 1.3 Conventions The Extender, or TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271, or device mentioned in this User Guide stands for TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender without any explanations. Parameters provided in the pictures are just references for setting up the product. They may differ from the actual situation. You can set the parameters according to your demand. ) Note: This User Guide is shared by TL-WPA281 and TL-WPA271.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Chapter 2 Wireless N Powerline Extender Hardware Connection 2.1 Before You Begin Please read this User Guide carefully before installing and using the equipment. The operating distance or range of your wireless connection varies significantly based on the physical placement of the Powerline Extender. Factors that can weaken signals by getting in the way of your network’s radio waves are metal appliances or obstructions, and walls.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 LEDs Name Power LED Powerline LED Status The device is on. Off The device is off. Off Blinking Solid Ethernet LED Off Blinking Solid WiFi/WPS LED Indication Solid Solid Off Wireless N Powerline Extender The device is connected to a powerline network. The adapter isn’t connected to any powerline network. The device is transferring data. The Ethernet port is connected, but there is no data being transferred. The Ethernet port isn’t connected.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender WiFi/WPS Button Ethernet Port Pair Button Reset Button Item Description WiFi/WPS Press the button for 2 seconds, the Extender will wait to be connected by WPS. Pressing the button for 5 seconds will enable or disable the wireless function. Ethernet One 10/100Mbps Ethernet port connected to PC LAN card or broadband device.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender 4． Check and confirm the LEDs status. (The Power LED and Ethernet LED on the Powerline Extender should be ON.) The hardware connection mechanism is shown below: ) Note: Do not connect the Powerline Extender or Powerline Adapter to an extension lead, power strip, extension cord, or surge protector as this may degrade the network performance.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender As soon as the powerline devices are connected following the steps above, a usable powerline network is available.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Chapter 3 Wireless N Powerline Extender Configure the Device This Chapter describes how to configure your Access Point via the web-based management page. The TL-WPA281 Wireless N Powerline Extender is easy to configure and manage with the Web-based (Internet Explorer, Netscape® Navigator, Firefox, Safari, Opera or Chrome) management page, which can be launched on any windows, Macintosh or UNIX OS with a web browser. 3.1 Login 1. Insert the TP-LINK Resource CD into the CD-ROM drive.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender ) Note: If another TL-WPA281 is displayed on the screen above and you cannot decide which model is the one you are configuring, please refer to the MAC address under MAC Address column. The device’s MAC address can be found on the label at the bottom of the device. 3. Enter admin for the User name and Password (both in lower case letters) in the screen below. Then click OK or press Enter.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-4 Status ¾ Firmware Version - This field displays the current firmware version of the Powerline Extender. ¾ Hardware Version - This field displays the current hardware version of the Powerline Extender. ¾ Powerline - This field displays the current settings or information for powerline, including the MAC address, Device Password and Network Name which can be configured on the Powerline → Network Settings page.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 ¾ Wireless N Powerline Extender z Wireless Radio - Indicates whether the wireless radio feature of the Powerline Extender is enabled or disabled. z Name (SSID) - The SSID of the Powerline Extender. z Channel - The wireless channel in use. z Mode - The current wireless mode the Powerline Extender works on. z Channel Width - The bandwidth of the wireless channel. z MAC Address - The physical address of the Powerline Extender, as seen from the WLAN.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 I. Wireless N Powerline Extender By PBC If the wireless adapter supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup and the Push Button Configuration (PBC) method, you can add it to the network by PBC with the following two methods. Method One: Step 1: Press the WPS button on the front panel of the device for 2 seconds. Step 2: Within two minutes, press and hold the QSS button of the adapter directly for 2 or 3 seconds. (QSS, also called WPS, is used by our company on the wireless adapter.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Method Two: Step 1: Press the WPS button on the front panel of the device for 2 seconds. Step 2: For the configuration of the wireless adapter, please choose Push the button on my access point in the configuration utility of the WPS as below, and click Next. (QSS, also called WPS, is used by our company on the wireless adapter.) The WPS Configuration Screen of Wireless Adapter Step 3: Wait for a while until the next screen appears.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender The WPS Configuration Screen of Wireless Adapter Method Three: Step 1: Keep the default WPS Status as Enabled and click the Add device button in Figure 3-5, then the following screen will appear. Figure 3-6 Add a New Device Step 2: Choose Press the button of the new device in two minutes and click Connect.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender The WPS Configuration Screen of Wireless Adapter Step 4: Wait for a while until the next screen appears. Click Finish to complete the WPS configuration. The status LED on the Powerline Extender will light green for five minutes if the device has been successfully added to the network. The WPS Configuration Screen of Wireless Adapter II.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-7 Add a New Device Step 2: Choose Enter the new device's PIN and enter the PIN code (take 16952898 for example) of the wireless adapter in the field after PIN as shown in the figure above. Then click Connect. ) Note: The PIN code of the adapter is always displayed on the WPS configuration screen as shown in the following figure.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender The WPS Configuration Screen of Wireless Adapter ) Note: The default PIN code of the Powerline Extender can be found on its label or on its WPS configuration page as shown in Figure 3-5. You will see the following screen when the new device has successfully connected to the network. Figure 3-8 Successfully Added a New Device ) Note: a.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 ¾ ¾ ¾ Wireless N Powerline Extender MAC Address - The physical address of the Powerline Extender's Ethernet port. The value can not be changed. IP Address - Enter the IP address of the Powerline Extender in dotted-decimal notation (factory default setting is 192.168.1.1). Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the size of the network. Usually it is 255.255.255.0. Click the Save button to save your settings.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-11 Wireless Settings ¾ SSID (Set Service Identifier) - Identifies your wireless network name. Enter a value of up to 32 characters. The same Name (SSID) must be assigned to all wireless devices in your network. The default SSID is TP-LINK_XXXXXX (XXXXXX indicates the last six unique characters of each device’s MAC address). This value is case-sensitive. For example, TEST is not the same as test.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender • 11bg mixed - Both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations can connect to the device. • 11bgn mixed - All 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n wireless stations can connect to the device. If all of the wireless devices connected with the Powerline Extender can connect in the same transmission mode (eg. 802.11b), you can choose the Only mode (eg. 11b only). If you have some devices that use different transmission modes, choose the appropriate Mixed mode.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-12 Wireless Security ¾ Disable Security - Check this radio button to disable wireless security. If disabled, the wireless stations will be able to connect this device without encryption. It is strongly recommended that you choose one of the security types to enable security. ¾ WEP - Select 802.11 WEP security. Figure 3-13 WEP • Type - You can select one of following types.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender • WEP Key Format - You can select ASCII or Hexadecimal format. ASCII format stands for any combination of keyboard characters in the specified length. Hexadecimal format stands for any combination of hexadecimal digits (0-9, a-f, A-F) in the specified length. • WEP Key - Select which of the four keys will be used and enter the matching WEP key information for your network in the selected key radio button.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-15 WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK • Version - You can select one of following versions. 9 Automatic - Select WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK automatically based on the wireless station's capability and request. 9 WPA-PSK - Pre-shared key of WPA. 9 WPA2-PSK - Pre-shared key of WPA2. • Encryption - When you select WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK for Authentication Type, you can select either Automatic, TKIP or AES as Encryption. • PSK Passphrase - Enter a passphrase here.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender To Add a Wireless MAC Address filtering entry, click the Add New… button. The “Add or Modify Wireless MAC Address Filtering entry" page will appear, shown in Figure 3-17. Figure 3-17 Add or Modify Wireless MAC Address Filtering entry ¾ MAC Address - Enter the wireless station's MAC address that you want to control. ¾ Description - Give a simple description of the wireless station. ¾ Status - Select a status for this entry, either Enabled or Disabled.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Click the Delete All button to delete all entries Click the Next button to go to the next page and click the Previous button to return to the previous page. For example: If you desire that the wireless station A with MAC address 00-0A-EB-00- 07-BE is able to access the device, while all other wireless stations cannot access the device, you should configure the Wireless MAC Address Filtering list by following these steps: 1.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender ¾ Beacon Interval - Specifies a value between 40-1000 milliseconds. The beacons are the packets sent by the device to synchronize a wireless network. Beacon Interval value determines the time interval of the beacons. The default value is 100. ¾ RTS Threshold - Specifies the RTS (Request to Send) Threshold.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender You cannot change any of the values on this page. To update this page and to show the current connected wireless stations, click the Refresh button. If the numbers of connected wireless stations go beyond one page, click the Next button to go to the next page and click the Previous button to return to the previous page. ) Note: This page will be refreshed automatically every 5 seconds. 3.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender 3.6.2 Station Settings The Station Settings page shows remote stations in current network and allows you to enter, modify or delete the password and name for each station. Figure 3-22 Station Settings ¾ MAC Address - The remote station's MAC address. The value can not be changed. ¾ Device Password - The security ID of remote station. ¾ Device Name - The name used for identifing a station.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 3-24 Add a new station Click the Refresh button to update the current connected stations. Click the Next button to go to the next page and click the Previous button to return to the previous page. ) Note: You can do Add or Modify operation only when the remote station is connected. If the remote station which you entered the password is power off or leave the current network, you can only do Delete operation. 3.6.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 ¾ ¾ Wireless N Powerline Extender Simple Application Mapping - The group allows you to choose what type of traffic with the highest user priority you will use your local device for by pitching on one of the following four radios. z Internet - The Internet Application Mapping be use to Internet server. z Online Game - The Online Game Application Mapping be use to Online Game server. z Audio or Video - The Audio or Video Application Mapping be use to Audio or Video server.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender enable you to configure the corresponding function. The detailed explanations for each submenu are provided below. Figure 3-26 The System Tools menu 3.7.1 Firmware Upgrade Selecting System Tools > Firmware Upgrade allows you to upgrade the latest version of firmware for the device on the screen shown in Figure 3-27. Figure 3-27 Firmware Upgrade New firmware versions are posted at http://www.tp-link.com and can be downloaded for free.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender ) Note: The firmware version must correspond to the hardware. The upgrade process takes a few moments and the Powerline Extender restarts automatically when the upgrade is complete. It is important to keep power applied during the entire process. Loss of power during the upgrade could damage the Powerline Extender. 3.7.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender ) Note: 1. The current configuration will be covered with the uploading configuration file. 2. Wrong process will lead the device unmanaged. 3. The restoring process lasts for about 20 seconds and restarts automatically. Do not power off the device during the process to avoid any damage. 3.7.4 Reboot Selecting System Tools > Reboot allows you to reboot the device on the screen shown in Figure 3-30.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender All users who try to access the device's web-based management page or Quick Setup will be prompted for the device's user name and password. ) Note: The new user name and password must not exceed 14 characters in length and must not include any spaces. Enter the new Password again to confirm it. Click Save when finished. Click Clear All to clear all. 3.7.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Chapter 4 Wireless N Powerline Extender Connecting to Wireless Network 4.1 In Windows 7 Windows 7 users may use the built-in wireless utility. Follow the steps below. in your system tray (lower-right corner). The utility will display any 1. Left-click the wireless icon available wireless networks in your area. Select the wireless network (displayed using the SSID) to be connected and then click Connect. Figure 4-1 2.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 4-2 3. You have joined the home network and can surf the Internet now. Figure 4-3 4.2 In Windows Vista Windows Vista users may use the built-in wireless utility. Follow the steps below. 1. Open the wireless utility by right-clicking on the wireless computer icon in your system tray as shown in the figure below. Select Connect to a network.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 4-4 2. The utility will display any available wireless networks in your area. Select the wireless network you would like to connect and then click Connect. Figure 4-5 3. If the network you would like to connect is security-enabled, enter the same security key or passphrase that is on your router. If the network to be connected is not secure, the connection will be built without entering a key.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 4-6 4. You have joined the home network and can surf the Internet now. Click close to finish the connection. Figure 4-7 4.3 In Windows XP Windows XP users may use the built-in wireless utility. Follow the steps below. 1. Right-click on the wireless computer icon in your system tray (lower-right corner). Select View Available Wireless Networks.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Figure 4-8 2. The utility will display any available wireless networks in your area. Click on a network (displayed using the SSID) and click the Connect button. Figure 4-9 3. If the network is security-enabled, you will be prompted to enter the key as shown below. If not, you will connect to the network directly without entering a key.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Chapter 5 Wireless N Powerline Extender Pair Buttons 5.1 Pair (Secure with 128 bits-AES) The Homeplug AV standard uses 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) to safely transmit data between powerline dvices. For the powerline devices to communicate with each other, they all need to use the same Network Membership Key (NMK). Otherwise, they cannot unscramble the encrypted data sent in the powerline network.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Join an existing Powerline Network: Powerline device A and Powerline device B form a HomeplugAV Network, and Powerline device C wants to join this network. Step 1. Press and hold the Pair button on Powerline device C TL-PA211 for 3 to 8 seconds. Step 2. Press and hold the Pair button on Powerline device A/B for 1 second/3 to 8 seconds. (This step must be taken within 120 seconds after step 1 is finished.) Step 3.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Appendix A: Troubleshooting Guide The Troubleshooting Guide provides answers to common problems regarding the Powerline Ethernet Adapter. 1. The Power LED does not light up. Ans. Check the following: 1. Make sure that the Powerline Extender is properly plugged into a power outlet. 2. Make sure the power outlet is active (working) by plugging another electric device into it. 3. Re-plug the Powerline Extender to the power outlet. 4.
TL-WPA281/TL-WPA271 Wireless N Powerline Extender Appendix B: Specifications General Standards HomePlug AV, IEEE802.3, IEEE802.
