Devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless User Manual

MicroLink

dLANTM

Wireless

characteristics. devolo shall be liable only to the degree specified in the terms of sale and delivery. The reproduction and distribution of the documentation and software supplied wit h this product and the use of its contents

is subject to written authorization from devolo. We reserve the right to make any alterations that arise as the result of technical development.

You can find all declarations and certifications of compliance for the products, as long as they were available at the time of publication, in the appendix of this documentation.

Trademarks

Windows HomePlug

and Microsoft® are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Corp.

is a registered trademark of HomePlug Power Alliance.

The devolo logo is a registered trademark of devolo AG. All other name s mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Subject to change without notice. No liability for technical errors or omissions.

devolo AG Sonnenweg 11 52070 Aachen Germany

www.devolo.com

Aachen, November 2003

40195/1103

Preface

Thank you for placing your trust in this devolo product.

Wireless networks are economical alternatives or additions to local wired networks like for instance the dLAN networks. Notebooks and PCs can use mobile network cards to communicate with one another or access wired net works via access points. As a HomePlug access point with wireless output, the MicroLink dLAN Wireless functions as the interface between a wireless network and a dLAN network.

The MicroLink dLAN Wireless is compatible with the HomePlug standard and allows you to expand your home network easily and cost-effectively. Encryp tion in both the HomePlug and wireless units guarantees the highest degree of protection from interception.

About this manual

This manual contains all the information you need about your MicroLink dLAN Wireless from devolo. It tells you how to set up and install your dLAN adapter. You also find examples of applications for the MicroLink dLAN Wire less and general information on networks.

Exacting manufacturing standards and stringent quality control are the basis for high product standards and consistent quality to ensure your fullest satis faction with this dLAN adapter.

This documentation was compiled by several members of our staff from a variety of departments in order to ensure you the best possible support when using your product.

Additional information in the Internet at 'www.devolo.com'

Our online services (www.devolo.com) is available to you around the clock should you have any queries or require any further support.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Package contents

Please ensure that the delivery is complete before beginning with the installation of your MicroLink dLAN Wireless:

 MicroLink dLAN Wireless including the built-in wireless card

Before starting up the MicroLink dLAN Wireless, make sure that the wireless card is correctly inserted into the unit.

 Manual (hard copy)  CD with drivers, online documentation and application software

devolo reserves the right to change the package contents without prior notice.

CE conformity

This product complies with the technical requirements of the 1999/5/EC Directive (R&TTE) and the other relevant provisions of the FTEG, and it is designed for use in the EU and Switzerland.

This product is class A equipment. This equipment may cause interference with radio waves in home use; if this occurs the operator may be required to take corrective action.

This wireless device transmits and receives radio signals. During the installation and utilisation of this device, please ensure that there is a distance of at least 20 cm between the device and your body.

See the appendix to this manual for the declaration of conformity to the applicable standards.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Content

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.1 What exactly is dLAN? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.2 The basic functions of a wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.3 What does the MicroLink dLAN Wireless have to offer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.3.1 Operating modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.3.2 MicroLink dLAN Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Connection and startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.1 System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.2 Connection and display elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.3 Connecting the MicroLink dLAN Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 devolo MicroLink dLAN Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.1 MicroLink dLAN Configuration Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.2 MicroLink Informer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.3 MicroLink EasyShare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.3.1 Installing the devolo MicroLink dLAN Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4 Network configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4.1 Configuring the dLAN network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4.2 Configuring the MicroLink dLAN Wireless on the WLAN network . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

4.2.1 General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

4.2.2 How do I access the configuration interface? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4.2.3 Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

4.2.4 Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.2.5 Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4.2.6 Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

5 All about the home network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1 Configuring the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.1 Windows 98 and Windows Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.2 Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.3 Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

5.2 Examples of applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.2.1 WLAN individual installation solution—Option 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.2.2 Home networking—Option 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.3 Worth knowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

6 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

6.1 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

6.2 Declaration of conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

6.3 Warranty conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Introduction

1 Introduction

In this chapter, we will provide an overview of HomePlug (dLAN) and wireless technology (WLAN). We will also proved a brief introduction of the most important features of the MicroLink dLAN Wireless access point.

1.1 What exactly is dLAN?

There is now a new alternative to the well-known wired LAN and Wireless LAN network technologies currently used in home networking: dLAN (direct LAN, i.e. directly networked). dLAN is home networking using the electric wiring already installed in the building.

Cost factor and transmission quality

dLAN is an economical and easy-to-use networking technology. You don't need to lay cables and you can connect to the home network at every power point.

The dLAN technology modulates and demodulates additional frequencies on the power lines. Modulation and demodulation is a well-known and proven method of data transmission, which has been in use in other applications for a number of years. Now it is used to set up Internet and network accesses in the home or office. Depending on the damping factor, distances of up to 200 meters can be covered.

With a maximum data transmission rate of 14 Mbps and symmetrical upload and download, the dLAN technology is equivalent to classical Ethernet net working solutions and is faster than the current wireless standard WiFiTM for home applications. Depending on the line quality, bandwidths of 6 to 8 Mbps are possible in practice—quite sufficient for extending a DSL connection into every room.

Data security and radiation

The power meter in the building acts as a physical barrier against unwanted access from outside. In addition, for the sake of security, a 56-bit encryption is used to guarantee secure data transfer within the network.

dLAN devices from devolo meet the stringent EU industrial standards and comply with the current standards for electromagnetic radiation.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Introduction

1.2 The basic functions of a wireless network

In a wireless network, you use wireless networking cards to connect individual notebook computers and PCs to a LAN (Local Area Network). As the usual network cables have been replaced by a radio link in this case, we also refer to this as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

An access point forms the bridge between (d)LAN and WLAN. The access point transfers all data between the two networks.

The maximum area in which wireless network adapters in mobile stations and the access point can reach each other and exchange data is known as a radio cell. All the functions of a wired network are available in a wireless net work.

Data security

The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption method attaches a 128-bit key to the wireless data, ensuring the secure transfer of data within the net work.

1.3 What does the MicroLink dLAN Wireless have to offer?

Equipped with a wireless interface, the MicroLink dLAN Wireless access point allows a home network to be built both over the existing power supply system and wirelessly: PC tasks such as data exchange, access to a shared printer on the home network and Internet access are performed over the existing electrical wiring of the home. Network links in conferences, access to resources in adjacent buildings and exchanging data with mobile units are only a few of the options available with a wireless LAN.

The advantages of a combination of these two network cards are obvious: using dLAN adapters, every available electrical outlet can be used to connect your computers to your home network. This makes you completely mobile— from the basement to the attic, everything is transmitted through your power outlets. In a wireless LAN, PCs and notebooks can be set up wherever they are most useful—here, too, problems with unavailable network connections are a thing of the past.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Introduction

1.3.1 Operating modes

The following operating modes can be selected when using the MicroLink dLAN Wireless access point:

 Wireless stand-alone network:

Setting up a wireless stand-alone network without any wired networking is the simplest application offered by the access point. In this setup, the MicroLink dLAN Wireless serves as a relay station between the wireless clients. It enables data transfer between all clients located in the radio cell surrounding the access point.

 WLAN-to-dLAN adapter

Your MicroLink dLAN Wireless functions as a WLAN-to-dLAN adapter when connected to an existing dLAN network. In this setup, the MicroLink dLAN Wireless connects the wireless network clients to the cabled network (dLAN).

1.3.2 MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Simple installation

 Connect MicroLink dLAN Wireless to the power supply system  Install the devolo MicroLink dLAN Software  Configure the dLAN network and the wireless network  That's it!

Connections

The MicroLink dLAN Wireless has a built-in wireless card as well as a European power plug for connecting it to the power supply system. Power is fed to the adapter over an integrated 230V AC power supply.

Status display

The control lamps (LEDs) of your MicroLink dLAN Wireless display the connection status, and provide status regarding the function of the data transmission. The MicroLink dLAN Wireless has 5 control lamps and a wireless card.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Connection and startup

2 Connection and startup

In this chapter, we will show you how to connect the MicroLink dLAN Wireless access point by devolo.

2.1 System requirements

Your computer or laptop must meet the following requirements to operate with your MicroLink dLAN Wireless:

 Operating systems: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Win-

dows XP or all TCP/IP systems

2.2 Connection and display elements

The MicroLink dLAN Wireless access point has five control lights (LEDs) and a built-in wireless card:

 WLAN

 Tx: Lights up when data are being sent from the dLAN to the WLAN.  Rx: Lights up when data are being sent from the WLAN to the dLAN.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Connection and startup

 dLAN

 Link: Lights up if connected to the power supply.  Col: Flashes at a faster rate if the network is experiencing heavy use.  Act: Flashes when data are being sent or received over the power

lines.

2.3 Connecting the MicroLink dLAN Wireless

Before connecting the dLAN adapter, note its security ID and keep it ready for configuring the network. You can find the security ID on the bottom of the MicroLink dLAN Wireless adapter.

햲 Insert the MicroLink dLAN Wireless adapter into an available electrical

outlet.

No drivers are required for running the MicroLink dLAN Wireless.

햳 For further information on installing the devolo tools, please refer to the

chapter on 'devolo MicroLink dLAN Software'.

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

devolo MicroLink dLAN Software

3 devolo MicroLink dLAN Software

In this chapter, we will introduce to you the MicroLink dLAN Configuration Wizard, MicroLink Informer and MicroLink EasyShare devolo tools, and describe how to install them in the section entitled, 'Installing the devolo MicroLink dLAN Software'.

3.1 MicroLink dLAN Configuration Wizard

The MicroLink dLAN Configuration Wizard helps you to build and change your encrypted dLAN network. With its help, you can add the MicroLink dLAN Wireless to your network. It allows you to configure all dLAN adapters on the network from a central location, such as from a single workstation. For the encryption process, you need the security ID of the MicroLink dLAN Wireless (provided on the underside of unit) and a network password of your choosing, which you will assign.

The password set up initially by devolo is HomePlug.

For information on configuring the MicroLink dLAN Configuration Wizard or your dLAN network, refer to the chapter on 'Network configuration'.

3.2 MicroLink Informer

The MicroLink Informer displays information about all dLAN devices in your network, such as their MAC addresses and current transfer speeds.

The MAC address (Media Access Control) is a serial number which is unique throughout the entire world. It is permanently programmed in the hardware and cannot be altered. You can find the MAC address of the dLAN adapter on the bottom of the unit.

3.3 MicroLink EasyShare

MicroLink EasyShare is a file-sharing and chat tool for your local network. It allows you to exchange files easily between local Windows computers. The chat function allows instant communication between all network users. MicroLink EasyShare is very user-friendly and easy to use. All users on the

devolo MicroLink dLAN Wireless

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