IOGear GHPB42 User Manual

HomePlug to Ethernet Bridge

User Manual (GHPB42W6)

Welcome

Thank you for purchasing one of the most user-friendly networking devices on the market. IOGEAR’s HomePlug to Ethernet Bridges and the Homeplug Networking Kit are ﬁ rst-class networking devices designed to network your computers at home (or in your small ofﬁ ce). This device allows you to set up your home network via the most pervasive medium in your house – the home power lines. It is easy to set up, and it doesn’t require any additional wiring in the house.

To better serve you, IOGEAR offers an array of additional USB 2.0, USB 1.1, FireWire, KVM, and other peripheral products. For more information or to purchase additional IOGEAR products, visit us at www. IOGEAR.com

We hope you enjoy using your IOGEAR HomePlug to Ethernet Bridge, another ﬁ rst-rate connectivity solution from IOGEAR.

IOGEAR, the IOGEAR logo, MiniView, VSE are trademarks or registered trademarks of IOGEAR, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. Macintosh, G3/G4 and iMac are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. IOGEAR makes no warranty of any kind with regards to the information presented in this document. All information furnished here is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. IOGEAR, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors that may appear in this document.

Table of Contents

Welcome ......................................................................................................................................3

Overview ......................................................................................................................................5

Features ......................................................................................................................................6

Requirements ..............................................................................................................................7

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................8

Installation .................................................................................................................................10

Installation of the utility software ................................................................................................14

Powerline Conﬁ guration Utility ................................................................................................... 19

Network Conﬁ guration ............................................................................................................... 26

Networking Basics .....................................................................................................................34

Sharing Internet Access ............................................................................................................64

Frequently Asked Questions ......................................................................................................68

Technical Support ......................................................................................................................71

Speciﬁ cations ............................................................................................................................73

Limited Warranty ........................................................................................................................74

Radio & TV Interference Statement ...........................................................................................75

Overview

IOGEAR’s HomePlug Ethernet Bridge allows you to network your home computers through the most pervasive medium in your house - the electric power lines - and share Broadband Internet connections, printers, transfer ﬁ les, play games, and more.

This unit can be used to HomePlug-enable one computer with a 10/100Base-T adapter, or to make a group of computers HomePlug-ready through either a network switch or router.

It can also be used to link through a powerline two network devices such as gaming devices, wireless access points and more.

This unit is compliant with HomePlug Powerline Speciﬁ cations 1.0, offers up to 85 Mbps bandwidth, and is less prone to interference. Installation requires only that a 10/100Base-T network adapter is installed on the computer. By offering 56-bit DES encryption, it is also much more secure than other home networking technologies such as wireless Ethernet.

Features

• Extend your WiFi network through existing powerlines

• Network your gaming devices through powerlines to play games with a remote partner

• No extra wires required to create a network, simply use the most pervasive medium in your home – powerlines

• Very easy and intuitive to install and set up

• HomePlug Powerline Speciﬁ cations 1.0 compliant

• Up to 85 Mbps bandwidth

• Up to 990 feet (300 meters) range through powerlines, sufﬁ cient for most households

• Worldwide compatibility

• Low risk of interference by other RF sources

• 56-bit DES encryption assures data security

• Encryption done by hardware, with no sacriﬁ ce to bandwidth

• Most reliable home networking technology

System Requirements

• Available AC power outlets in the room.

• Standard home power line wiring.

• Computers with 10/100Base-T adapters, or 10/100Base-T switch/hub.

• When used as a node: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP.

• When used as a bridge: any operating system (OS transparent).

Requirements

Introduction

IOGEAR’s HomePlug to Ethernet Bridge allows you to network your computers via your existing home power lines. It offers a data transmission speed of up to 85 Mbps, and reaches up to 990 feet through standard power lines.

Package contents:

For GHPB42W6 (the kit):

2 Homeplug to Ethernet bridge 2 CAT5 patch cable 6 feet 1 User manual 1 Utility Software CD 1 Warranty registration card

Front View:

1. Powerline LED – lights up in green when other Homeplug devices are detected on the same powerline

2. Link/ACT – blinks when data is sent through the Homeplug connection

3. Ethernet port- connecting to the Ethernet of the computer or the devices (router, wi-ﬁ access point, gaming box, etc.)

Back View:

4. Power connection – connecting the power outlet

Introduction

Installation

There are several ways to network your computers using the HomePlug Bridge. Before we get started, please NOTE:

Do not place HomePlug devices under direct sunlight or near high heat emitting devices; Do not place HomePlug devices near water or wet surfaces to avoid electric hazards; Do not place HomePlug devices on any moving or unstable surfaces; It is recommended that you plug the HomePlug devices directly into the wall outlets, not to any power adapters, surge protectors or any device that ﬁ lters signals.

Hardware Installation

1. Remove the HomePlug Bridge, the CAT5 cable and the installation CD from the package.

2. Allocate a space for the adapter’s placement. Make sure you avoid the places mentioned above.

3. Plug one end of the CAT5 cable into the Ethernet port on the computer, and the other end into the

Ethernet port of the bridge.

4. Plug the HomePlug bridge on the wall outlet.

Installation

5. There are several ways to see whether the Homeplug bridge is functioning. One way is the observe

the LED, the Link/ACT LED should start blinking after you plug the bridge in the wall outlet. For most of the Windows machines (as this Windows 2000 machine used to create this manual), you should see a message being prompted on the tool bar: “Local Area Connection, Speed XX Mbps”. (Speed is determined by the Ethernet port speed of the computer.)

Installation

6. You can also go to “Control Panel”, select “Network and Dial up and Connections. ”Click the “Local Area

Connection” icon.

Installation

7. You can see the network connection is already established.

At this point, you can start communicating with the other computers or devices on the powerline. Please refer to Network Conﬁ guration section in how to set up networks for various purposes.

In order to add security and other utilities, you will need to install the utility software. Please refer to the following section for details. Please notice that Homeplug bridge supports many other operating systems, but the utility software is only designed for Windows based computers.

Installation of the utility software

1. Make sure that your HomePlug bridge is NOT CONNECTED TO THE COMPUTER before you install the driver.

2. Insert the installation CD. If CD does not automatically load, run (CD Drive Letter):\setup.exe.

3. Click Next.

Enter a username and organization

4. name, and continue installation. (Username and Organization have no importance in device operation. This window might look slightly different on other platforms.)

Installation of the utility software

Click “Next” to continue.5.

Click “Install” to start the Installation

6. Wizard

Installation of the utility software

The following window will be

7. prompted to indicate that the installation is successful.

To uninstall the driver, simply go to your Add/Remove programs control panel and remove the IOGEAR Powerline Conﬁ guration Utilities. Then restort your computer to complete the uninstall.

Double click the IOGear Powerline Utility icon to start

1. the Powerline Conﬁ guration Utility. The utility is used to conﬁ gure the Homeplug unit”

Powerline Conﬁ guration Utility

The Main tab shows the HomePlug units that

are connected to the current computer and other devices on the network. It will also tell Mac Address of each device. It will refresh the window, if you change devices, and also will allow you to connect to different networks if multiple units are connected to your computer. The connection quality will show in the Quality tab. You will have to do troubleshooting if see a question mark at the Quality tab.

Note: If you do not see ANY unit in the device status, and there is a device connected to your computer, try to unplug all devices, and plug them back in. Also make sure that the cable connecting your computer to the HomePlug device is the right type and working correctly. If all of this seems to be correct, and you still receive nothing in the Device window, try rebooting your computer. If the problem still persists, please contact technical support

The Main tab shows all the other HomePlug

units on your powerline network. It will represent them by MAC Address, and will also show the available bandwidth to each unit (Units farther away from the current computer might have a lower Data Rate, since the distance is farther). If you add or subtract units from your home network, you might want to re-Scan, by clicking the “Scan” button. This will rescan the network, and refresh with any changes.

Note: Only units with the same Network Password will be shown, please check that ﬁ rst, to make sure they all have the same network password (Case sensitive).

Powerline Conﬁ guration Utility

Note: If a Unit shows MAC Address of all 0’s, this unit might not have a solid connection, or might not connect at all. If this is the case please contact technical support

Note: If there are units in your home, that you do not see in this Network scan, try to unplug all devices, and plug them back in (Only do this with the Units that you do not view in the network screen, you don’t have to do this with all units. If the problem persists, try to move the unit closer to this current unit (adjacent plugs on the same wall socket is most preferable). If the problem still persists and that unit is still not shown on the network, then the unit might be defective please contact technical support. Otherwise if you view the unit working, distance might be the only issue.

Press Enter Password button to put in the DEK

4. (Device Encryption Key) found on the package or device. Enter this key into the Password area. Click OK. Add all the DEK keys for each unit in your house.

Note: The DEK is unique for EACH HomePlug devices. To use this you will need to input the DEK for each unit.”

Powerline Conﬁ guration Utility

After putting in the password, click on Set Local

Devices Only to ensure all data that is sent from this unit are encrypted using 56-bit data encryption standard and isolated from the other computer on the network.

Users may also use different network name for each HomePlug device attached to a computer. After successfully changing the network name, click on Set All Devices to activate this feature. It will isolate each HomePlug unit from each other.

Note: Every unit on your home network MUST have the same Network Name for connectivity to be established throughout your home

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