PLA-407 Powerline Pass-Thru Ethernet Adapter Firmware Version 4.0.1 Edition 1, 8/2009 www.zyxel.com www.zyxel.
About This User's Guide About This User's Guide Intended Audience This manual is intended for people who want to configure the PLA-407 using the web configurator. Tips for Reading User’s Guides On-Screen When reading a ZyXEL User’s Guide On-Screen, keep the following in mind: • If you don’t already have the latest version of Adobe Reader, you can download it from http://www.adobe.com. • Use the PDF’s bookmarks to quickly navigate to the areas that interest you.
About This User's Guide Documentation Feedback Send your comments, questions or suggestions 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. Need More Help? More help is available at www.zyxel.com. • Download Library Search for the latest product updates and documentation from this link.
About This User's Guide Customer Support Should problems arise that cannot be solved by the methods listed above, you should contact your vendor. If you cannot contact your vendor, then contact a ZyXEL office for the region in which you bought the device. See http://www.zyxel.com/web/contact_us.php for contact information. Please have the following information ready when you contact an office. • Product model and serial number. • Warranty Information. • Date that you received your device.
Document Conventions Document Conventions Warnings and Notes These are how warnings and notes are shown in this User’s Guide. Warnings tell you about things that could harm you or your device. Note: Notes tell you other important information (for example, other things you may need to configure or helpful tips) or recommendations. Syntax Conventions • The PLA-407 may be referred to as the “PLA-407”, the “ZyXEL device”, the “device” or the “Powerline adapter” in this User’s Guide.
Document Conventions 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 Safety Warnings • Do NOT use this product near water, for example, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool. • Do NOT expose your device to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids. • Do NOT store things on the device. • Do NOT install, use, or service this device during a thunderstorm. There is a remote risk of electric shock from lightning. • Connect ONLY suitable accessories to the device. • Do NOT open the device or unit.
Table of Contents Table of Contents About This User's Guide .......................................................................................................... 3 Document Conventions............................................................................................................ 6 Safety Warnings........................................................................................................................ 8 Table of Contents........................................................
Table of Contents Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button.............................................................................................................31 4.1 ENCRYPT Button Overview ................................................................................................ 31 4.2 Set Up a HomePlug AV Network with ENCRYPT ............................................................... 31 4.2.1 Expanding the Network with ENCRYPT ....................................................................
Table of Contents 7.0.5 Setting Up a New Network with a New Adapter ......................................................... 65 7.0.6 Splitting a Network into Two Networks ....................................................................... 67 7.1 Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................... 70 Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility ................................................................................................
Table of Contents 12 PLA-402 v3 User’s Guide
P ART I Introduction Introducing the PLA-407 (15) Installing the Utility (23) 13
CHAPTER 1 Introducing the PLA-407 1.1 Overview This chapter introduces the main applications and features of the PLA-407 HomePlug AV compliant Powerline adapter. In this User’s Guide the electrical wiring network is referred to as the “Powerline network”. The HomePlug AV standard specifies how network devices communicate using standard electrical wiring.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 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 maximum channel data rate is 200 Mbps on the physical layer. The actual channel data rate will vary depending on noise on the electrical wires and the quality of your electrical installation. It uses 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to ensure safe transfer of information. 1.1.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 interference from the electrical devices so that it does not affect the Powerline network. This is shown in the following figure. Figure 2 Noise Filter on PLA-407 Noise Filter Home Appliances Powerline Network This setup maximizes the PLA-407’s performance and ensures that the Powerline network is stable. This benefits users who are into gaming or those watching streaming media from the Internet. The internal noise filter is enabled by default. 1.1.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 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 electric socket, it waits for an Ethernet connection. When no connection is detected after sixty (60) seconds, the Power LED ( ) blinks indicating that it is going into Low Power mode. The same process occurs when you disconnect the PLA-407 from a previously working Ethernet connection.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 Your network can be further expanded by plugging additional PLA-407s into other power outlets in your home and connecting other computers or network devices (for example, a printer) to them. Refer to your Quick Start Guide for hardware connection information. 1.3 Ways to Manage the PLA-407 Use the ENCRYPT button to add Powerline devices to your Powerline network if they have this button. See Chapter 4 on page 31 for instructions on using the ENCRYPT feature.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 1.4.1 Passwords You use two types of passwords in the HomePlug AV Powerline network. The following table describes the differences between the passwords. Table 1 Password Summary PASSWORD DESCRIPTION Network Name All Powerline adapters that follow the HomePlug AV standard are shipped with the same Powerline network name “HomePlugAV”. Change the network name via the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility to create a private network. See Section 5.3 on page 39.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 3 You may need to change the Network Name to create multiple Powerline networks. See the next section for more information on how to set up a multiple network. 1.5 Multiple Networks Multiple powerline networks can coexist on a single powerline circuit. You might want to implement multiple powerline networks in a small office environment where you have two separate Ethernet networks.
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-407 22 PLA-407 User’s Guide
CHAPTER 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 configuration utility does the following: 1 Checks for and installs Microsoft’s .NET Framework version 2.0 software on your computer. This software is necessary for the installation of the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility. If you already have .NET Framework version 2.0 installed on your computer this step will be skipped.
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility 1 Insert the included CD-ROM into your computer’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. A prompt appears asking you to install the .NET Framework version 2.0. Review Microsoft’s License Agreement, select Accept to proceed. Figure 5 .NET Framework Installation Prompt 2 The next screen allows you to see the progress of the installation. Figure 6 .
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility 3 The Setup utility runs automatically. Click Yes or Next to continue through the initial screen. Click Cancel only if you want to abort the installation. Figure 7 InstallShield Wizard Start Screen 4 If you want the utility to be only available to the currently logged in user, select Only for me(...). Otherwise, click Everyone to allow all users to use the configuration utility.
Chapter 2 Installing the Utility 5 When the installation is finished, a screen appears to confirm that the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility has been successfully installed on your computer. Click Close to exit the wizard. Figure 9 Installation Complete Note: You may be asked to restart your computer when the installation is complete. Click “Yes” to restart your computer.
P ART II Managing the PLA407 Firmware Tool (29) The ENCRYPT Button (31) The Configuration Utility (37) Powerline Network Setup Tutorial (61) PLA Compatibility (71) 27
CHAPTER 3 Firmware Tool 3.1 Overview Use the Firmware Upgrade Tool to ensure you have the latest firmware (version 4.0.1 or later) on your PLA-407(s). You need to upgrade all your PLA-407s to the latest firmware to ensure they can connect with each other and they are compatible with the latest version Utility. If your firmware is an early version (earlier than 4.0.1), then upgrade your firmware using the Firmware Upgrade Tool. 3.
Chapter 3 Firmware Tool 30 PLA-407 User’s Guide
CHAPTER 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4.1 ENCRYPT Button Overview The ENCRYPT button allows you to set up a secure Powerline connection with other HomePlug AV compliant Powerline devices which also support the ENCRYPT feature. No other setting changes are required to connect. You can use the ENCRYPT button to: • set up a new Powerline network • separate an existing Powerline network into multiple networks 4.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4 Press the ENCRYPT button on your second Powerline device for 1~2 seconds. The power ( ) light will blink as the PLA-407 tries to set up a connection. Figure 10 ENCRYPT Connection Procedure press for 2 seconds press for 2 seconds within 2 minutes Note: The ENCRYPT button’s location varies for each Powerline device. 5 Repeat step 4 in this section for any other Powerline device you wish to connect.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4.2.1 Expanding the Network with ENCRYPT If you want to add more Powerline devices to your network after the initial setup (refer to Section 4.2 on page 31), do the following. 1 To add more Powerline devices to your network, press the ENCRYPT button on device C (shown below) for more than 10 seconds until the power ( ) light flashes.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button For example, you have already set up a Powerline network in your home (A) which accesses a printer (B). Now you want a separate Powerline network connection from your laptop (C) to your printer. Figure 12 One Existing Powerline Network A B 34 C 1 Click the ENCRYPT button on (A) for more than 10 seconds until the power ( light flashes. This disconnects (A) from (B). 2 Click the ENCRYPT button on (A) and (C) for 1~2 seconds and within two minutes of each other.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4 Check the LEDs on both (A) and (C). When the power ( ) and HomePlug ( lights stop blinking and the power ( ) light shines steadily, the devices are connected. ) Figure 13 Two Separate Powerline Networks B A C Congratulations. You now have two separate Powerline networks as shown above. If the HomePlug ( ) lights on both Powerline devices do not light up, the Powerline devices are not connected.
Chapter 4 The ENCRYPT Button 4.4 ENCRYPT Button Behavior The following table summarizes the actions that occur when the ENCRYPT button is pressed for specific lengths of time. Table 2 Time ENCRYPT Button is Pressed and Action HOMEPLUG LIGHT BEHAVIOR TIME ACTION POWER LIGHT BEHAVIOR less than 3 seconds The device joins a network. It shares the same network name as other devices on the network. The power ( ) light blinks until the device is connected. This may take a minute.
CHAPTER 5 The Configuration Utility 5.1 Overview This chapter shows you how to use the Configuration Utility (or Utility) to secure, manage and set up Quality of Service (QoS) on your Powerline network. The PLA-407 is designed as a plug-and-play network expanding solution.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility By default the PLA-407s are all configured with the network name HomePlugAV, this allows you to simply plug the devices in and not worry about setting up security. If you want to enhance the security on your Powerline network, you can change the network name on the Powerline adapters you want to allow to communicate in your Powerline network. 5.1.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility 5.3 Configuration Screen Use the Configuration screen to see which devices are recognized by your Powerline network, to configure your PLA-407 and to set up a secure Powerline network by changing the Powerline network name. This screen opens up when you launch the utility. Note: Use the Figure 16 icon to view online help information in each screen of the utility. Configuration Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility Table 3 Configuration Screen (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Site This field displays • • Local - This shows if PLA-407 is identifying the Powerline adapter directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility. Remote - This shows if PLA-407 is a Powerline adapter in your Powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility 5.4 Firmware Screen Firmware is the software which is embedded in the PLA-407. This software contains processing instructions for how the PLA-407 sends and receives information in a secure way. You can check the ZyXEL website for firmware upgrades for your PLA-407. Note: To upgrade to the latest firmware, use the firmware upgrade tool available from the ZyXEL website (www.zyxel.com), or from the CD included with your PLA407.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility Click Network Info to display the following screen. Figure 18 Network Info Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 4 Network Info Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Adapter This field identifies which Powerline network information is displayed. Different Powerline networks are identified by the Ethernet interface (network card) connected directly to the PLA-407.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility Table 4 Network Info Screen (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Transmit Rate (Mbps) This field displays how fast information is sent from the Powerline adapter selected in the Configuration screen to this Powerline adapter. Receive Rate (Mbps) This field displays how fast information is received from the Powerline adapter selected in the Configuration screen to this Powerline adapter. 5.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility The figure below shows an example Powerline home network connected to the Internet. Figure 19 Priority Settings C B D E A • 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 to other users on the network. The Powerline adapter attached to it should have a medium setting.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility Use this screen to configure priority settings for traffic from the Powerline adapters on your network. Figure 20 Advanced Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 6 Advanced Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Adapter This field identifies which Powerline network information is displayed. Different Powerline networks are identified by the Ethernet interface (network card) on your computer which is connected directly to a Powerline adapter.
Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility 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. Figure 21 About Screen Upgrade to latest version utility and firmware. The following table describes the labels in this screen.
CHAPTER 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 6.1 Overview This chapter shows you how to use the configuration utility on a Mac computer with the Leopard operating system. See the User’s Guide Chapter 5 on page 37 for background information on some Powerline features. All HomePlug AV compliant Powerline adapters within range can join your network. The range varies depending on the quality of your home’s wiring.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 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 computer. Double-click it to open it. Figure 22 Utility Main Screen 6.1.3 Add a Device To add a device, click Add a Device in the configuration utility main screen. 6.1.4 Change Network Name The network name or Network Membership Key (NMK) is a password that identifies a Powerline network.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility To enter the NMK for a Powerline adapter, select 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 the labels in this screen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility The following table shows some example priority settings based on application type. Table 9 Priority Settings PRIORITY LEVEL APPLICATION Highest Voice Application High Video and Audio Applications Mid Data Applications Low Data Applications Figure 25 QoS Settings The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility Table 10 QoS Settings (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Port # This field displays the port number for the type of traffic to which this rule applies. Priority This field displays the priority level that this traffic receives. OK Click this button to save the settings to the device. Cancel Click this button to close this window without saving any changes. 6.1.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 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 27 Link Information The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility Table 11 Link Information (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION 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. A Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is used as a checksum to detect alteration of data during transmission. The CRC error check is performed after Forward Error Correction.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility Table 11 Link Information (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Avg. Attentuation/ Carrier This field displays the average attenuation measured in dB. Attenuation is the reduction in strength of a signal as it travels over a transmission line. Use this field to check the reduction in the strength of the signal between two devices. Attenuation may vary considerably across a Powerline network as line conditions also vary.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility use the same firmware version. Use the Firmware Upgrade Tool to upload new firmware. You cannot run the Firmware Detection Tool, the Firmware Upgrade Tool or the Configuration Utility at the same time, as only one of these applications can access the PLA-407 connected to your computer at any time. Figure 29 Firmware Detection Tool The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 6.3 Firmware Upgrade Tool Use the firmware upgrade tool to upgrade firmware to the Powerline device directly connected to your computer. To upgrade to the latest firmware, use the firmware upgrade tool on the CD included with your PLA-407. Make sure you also use the latest PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility; older utilities may not be compatible with PLA-407s using the latest firmware. 6.3.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 3 Open the Firmware Upgrade Tool application. Click Next to begin the firmware upgrade process. Figure 30 Firmware Upgrade Tool: Start 4 If you already have the latest version firmware, you’ll see a warning screen. Click No unless you want to re-upload the firmware.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 5 Select the region where your Powerline network is located in the following screen. Make sure you upload the correct firmware for your region as different regions have differnt firmware characteristics. Figure 32 Firmware Upgrade Tool: Start 6 The firmware upgrade may take several minutes. Do not click anything or reboot the device while firmware upgrade is in progress.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 7 If your firmware is successfully upgraded, a successful screen appears. Click OK, then Finish to close the application. Your device automatically restarts. Figure 34 Firmware Upgrade Tool: Finish 8 To check if your firmware is successfully upgraded, run the Firmware Detection Utility again and check your firmware version. 9 Repeat this upgrade process for each Powerline device you need to upgrade.
Chapter 6 The OS X Configuration Utility 60 PLA-407 User’s Guide
CHAPTER 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 7.0.1 Overview Use this tutorial to expand your existing Powerline network. After setting up your first home Powerline network (instructions for that are in the Quick Start Guide for your ZyXEL PLA-407) you may want to extend the network or create a new one by adding additional Powerline adapters. This tutorial shows you the following. • How to start up your new Powerline adapter. You need to do this before you can begin the next sections.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 7.0.2 Important Terms Network Name The network name allows a Powerline adapter to connect with other Powerline adapters that have the same network name. It provides security for your Powerline network. The network name uses English letters or numbers, from 8 to 64 characters long, with no spaces allowed. DAK Password DAK = Device Access Key. The DAK Password lets you access the Powerline adapter.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 5 You are now ready to extend your Powerline 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 7.0.5 on page 65 to set up a second network with your new adapters. • See Section 7.0.6 on page 67 to set up a second network with your existing adapters. 7.0.4 Adding a Powerline Adapter This section shows you how to add a new Powerline adapter to expand your existing network.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 2 The utility should open to the configuration tab. On this screen in the Site column your new Powerline adapter should appear as Local (A). Check the Local adapter’s MAC address (B). It should match the MAC address listed on the label on the back of your Powerline adapter.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 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 an Adapter to an Existing Network C Select Set NMK to this device and click Write. Click OK on the pop-up. Figure 41 Network Name Pop-up Your new adapter will now have the same Network Name as your existing network and so has now joined your existing network.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 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 New Powerline Adapters to Make a Second Network 1 2 1 Connect your new Powerline adapter and open the configuration utility as shown in Section 7.0.5 on page 65. The screen shown below appears. Figure 43 Making a New Network with the New Adapter Type a Network Name that is different from the Network Name for your existing network.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 2 After you have set up a new network, you are ready to connect each Powerline adapter on your new network to devices, for example, a computer or a games console. 7.0.6 Splitting a Network into Two Networks This section shows you how to split your existing network into two networks. This is useful if you want to set up a second Powerline network in your home, for example, in your study connecting a laptop and printer. See Figure 42 on page 66 for an example.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial • Then type the new network name in the Network Name field (B). Figure 45 Adding an Adapter to Your New Network A B 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 Password field. Figure 46 Incorrect DAK or No DAK • If you have correctly entered the DAK Password, click OK on the pop-up.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 5 The settings for the adapter will now grey out and the adapter will disappear from the table after a few minutes. Figure 48 An Adapter on Your New Network 6 Go back to step 3 in this section to set the same, new Network Name for all remote adapters you want to add to your new network. 7 Check you have added the adapters correctly by changing the network name for the local adapter.
Chapter 7 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial 7.1 Troubleshooting The HomePlug ( ) LED (light) should light up on your adapter when it successfully connects to other adapters on your network. If it does not, try the following measures. • Make sure the adapter is plugged in to a power socket and the power socket is turned on. • 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 adapters on your network.
CHAPTER 8 PLA Compatibility 8.1 Overview Your PLA-407 can work with different PLA models that have a firmware version of at least 3.0.5 as shown in the following figure. Figure 50 PLA Setup Powerline connection PLA-407 PLA-401 v3 PLA-407 can connect to PLA-401 v3 through the electrical outlets. 8.2 Firmware and Utility Compatibility The following table shows a quick summary of firmware and utility versions compatible with the different PLA models.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility • For PLA v1 models (for example, PLA-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 instructions on how to do this. • For PLA v2 models (for example, PLA400 v2, PLA402 v2, PLA401 v2, PLA470 v2 and so on) make sure the firmware version is at least version 3.0.5. • For PLA v3 models (for example, PLA401 v3 and PLA402 v3) the factory default firmware version is 3.3.4.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility The diagram below shows a Powerline network where each PLA has the correct firmware. Use Configuration Utility v 3.3.4 to manage the PLAs in this Powerline network. Figure 52 Correct Powerline Network Configuration Utility v 3.3.4 3.3.4 3.0.5 4.0.1 4.0.1 3.0.5 3.3.4 8.4 Chipset Compatibility Your PLA-407 uses INT4600 chipset. Table 14 Chipset Compatibility CHIPSET PLA MODEL INT6000 INT6300 INT6400 v 1.4.5 Default No No v 3.0.5 Yes Default No v 3.3.
Chapter 8 PLA Compatibility 74 PLA-407 User’s Guide
P ART III Appendices and Index LEDs and Troubleshooting (77) Product Specifications (85) Legal Information (89) Index (93) 75
CHAPTER 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting This chapter describes the behavior of the LEDs (lights) and offers some suggestions to solve problems you might encounter. 9.1 LEDs The following sections describes the lights on the PLA-407. The following figure is the front panel of the PLA-407. Use the lights to determine if the PLA-407 is behaving normally or if there are some problems on your Powerline network.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting The following table describes the behavior of the lights on the PLA-407. Table 15 PLA-407 Lights LIGHTS POWER ICON COLOR Green STATU S DESCRIPTION On The PLA-407 is on and receiving power. Blinking The PLA-407 is starting up. It also indicates the PLA-407 is trying to connect with another device using the ENCRYPT function.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting 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 included with the PLA-407. 2 Make sure the power cord is connected to the PLA-407 and plugged in to an appropriate power source. Make sure the power source is turned on. 3 Disconnect and re-connect the power cord to the PLA-407. 4 Remove the Powerline adapter from the outlet.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting 2 Use the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility 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 39 for instructions on checking the network name. 3 Check the DAK password and MAC address for all Powerline adapters are typed correctly in the utility. See Section 5.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting 9.3 Configuration Utility Problems The PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility displays an error during installation. • Make sure your computer is using Windows XP or Windows Vista (32-bit) operating system. At the time of writing, this is the only compatible operating system for the configuration utility. The PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility does not display all or any of my devices.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting 3 Your Powerline adapters may be placed close to electrical devices such as electrical insect-killers which produce radio waves. These may interfere with the Powerline signals. Move the adapters further away from such electrical devices. 4 Your wiring may be old and/or low quality or with a long wiring path. 9.5 ENCRYPT Button Problems This section applies only to PLA-407s with the ENCRYPT button.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting • Wait for about a minute while the 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 were not on the same electrical circuit before. The POWER lights on both devices blink, then many lights blink and the HomePlug light blinks red. Do not worry, the connection process is proceeding normally.
Chapter 9 LEDs and Troubleshooting 84 PLA-407 User’s Guide
CHAPTER 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 Table 17 Firmware Specifications FEATURE DESCRIPTION Powerline Functionality The HomePlug AV standard specifies how network devices communicate using standard electrical wiring. It is compliant with IEEE 802.3, 802.3u 10/100 Ethernet standards. It supports a data transfer rate of up to 200Mbps. Data is encrypted using 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). HomePlug AV compatible devices co-exist with HomePlug 1.0 devices but do not detect each other.
Chapter 10 Product Specifications The following list, which is not exhaustive, illustrates the standards supported in the PLA-407. Table 18 Standards Supported STANDARD DESCRIPTION HomePlug AV Designed for transmitting audio/video on a home Powerline network. RFC 868 Time Protocol. RFC 1112 IGMP v1 RFC 1157 SNMPv1: Simple Network Management Protocol version 1 RFC 1901 SNMP v2c Simple Network Management Protocol version 2c RFC 2236 Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 2.
Chapter 10 Product Specifications 88 PLA-407 User’s Guide
APPENDIX 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 whole, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, photocopying, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of ZyXEL Communications Corporation. Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation.
Appendix A Legal Information Trademarks ZyNOS (ZyXEL Network Operating System) is a registered trademark of ZyXEL Communications, Inc. Other trademarks mentioned in this publication are used for identification purposes only and may be properties of their respective owners. Certifications Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement The device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference.
Appendix A Legal Information 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. 3 Select the certification you wish to view from this page. ZyXEL Limited Warranty ZyXEL warrants to the original end user (purchaser) that this product is free from any defects in materials or workmanship for a period of up to two years from the date of purchase.
Appendix A Legal Information 92 PLA-407 User’s Guide
Index Index Symbols electrical circuit boundaries 37 .
Index M S MAC address 39 safety warnings 8 management multiple networks 21 overview 37 security 19, 21, 37 passwords 20 managing the device using the web configurator. See web configurator.
