Netgear XAVB1401v2, XAVB1401 Owner's Manual

XAVB1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set

User Manual

350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA

December 2011
202-10954-01
v1.0

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

©2011 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated

into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of NETGEAR, Inc.

Technical Support

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visit us at

Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at

http://support.netgear.com.

http://support.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/984.

Trademarks

NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the Unitied States and/or other countries. Information is subject to
change without notice. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their
respective holders. ©2011 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.

Statement of Conditions

To improve internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes
to the products described in this document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur
due to the use, or application of, the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.

Revision History

Publication Part Number Version Publish Date Comments

202-10954-01 v1.0 December 2011 First publication

2 |

Contents

Chapter 1 Installation and Basic Configuration

Chapter 2 Using the XAV1401 Powerline Utility

How the XAV1401 Fits in Your Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Powerline XAV1401 Nano Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

XAV1401 Product Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

LED and Feature Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Installing Your Powerline XAV1401 Nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Prepare for Installation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Connecting a Powerline AV+ 200 Nano to the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Adding Adapters to Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Understanding Powerline Network Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Set the Encryption Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Installing the Powerline Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Powerline Utility Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Security Icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Return to the Default Network Encryption Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Change the Name of a Powerline Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Turn LEDs On or Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Set the Powerline Encryption Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Reset a Device to Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Add a Device to a Powerline Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Chapter 3 Troubleshooting

Product Registration and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Basic Functioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

LED Troubleshooting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Problems after Changing the Network Encryption Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Appendix A Supplemental Information

Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Appendix B Notification of Compliance
Index

Contents | 3

1. Installation and Basic Configuration

This chapter describes how to install and configure the XAVB1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set.
It also explains the security features and how to customize the encryption key for added security.

How the XAV1401 Fits in Your Network

You can use one or more XAV1401 adapters to extend your Ethernet network anywhere in
your house using your existing electrical power lines. following illustration shows an existing
Powerline network with one Powerline device Room 1, and second Powerline device added
in Room 2:

Room 1 Room 2

1

Figure 1. Powerline Adapter Connected to an Ethernet Network

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration | 4

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

Powerline XAV1401 Features

The following illustration shows the front and bottom panels of the XAV1401:

Filtered
AC Socket

Power
LED

Ethernet
LED

Powerline
LED

Security
button

Ethernet
port

Figure 2. XAV1401 Powerline Adapter

Factory
Reset
button

XAV1401 Product Label

The product label on the rear panel of the XAV1401 contains the items listed below:

• Model number

• MAC address

• Device password

• Serial number

LED and Feature Descriptions

The following table describes the buttons, status LEDs, and Ethernet port on the XAV1401
Powerline adapter.

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration | 5

Table 1. Model Number Feature Descriptions
Table 2.

Item Description

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

Power
LED

Powerline
LED

Ethernet LED

Factory
Reset

Security
Button

• Solid green. The electrical power is on.

• Blinking green.The adapter is in the process of restarting or setting up security.

• Amber. Power saving mode. The unit enters power saving mode if the Ethernet port is not
linked for more than 10 minutes.

• Off. There is no electrical power, or has been turned off through the Powerline utility.

• Solid. The adapter is connected to a Powerline network.

• Blinking. The adapter is sending or receiving data.

• Off. The adapter has not found any other compatible Powerline devices using the same
encryption key, or has been turned off through the Powerline utility.

The Pick A Plug feature lets you pick the electrical outlet with the strongest link rate,
indicated by the color displayed by the LED:

Green: Link rate > 80 Mbps
(Best) - Good for HD video

• Solid. The Ethernet port is linked, but there is no activity.

• Blinking. There is traffic on the Ethernet port.

• Off. There is no Ethernet connection, or it has been turned off through the Powerline utility.

Press the Factory Reset button for 1 second, then release to return the Powerline adapter to
its factory default settings.

If you set security on your other adapters, after you plug your new AV adapter into the wall
socket, press its security button for 2 seconds; then press the Security button on any
adapter in your existing network for 2 seconds. Both buttons must be pressed within 2
minutes.

Note: The Security button does not work in power saving mode. The unit enters power
saving mode if the Ethernet port is not linked for more than 10 minutes.

Amber: Link rate >50, < 80 Mbps
(Better) - Good for SD Video

Red: Link rate < 50 Mbps
(Good) - Good for data

Ethernet Port Plug one end of the Ethernet cable that comes with the XAVB1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini

Set into this port and the other end either into your router, or into the computer or other
peripheral devices.

6 | Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

Installing Your XAV1401

Prepare for Installation:

1. Before you begin, verify the following:

• Your Ethernet network is set up.

• An Ethernet port is available on your router.

• Your Internet connection is working.

• An Ethernet port is available on each computer that will use an XAV1401 and is

configured to work on your network. Usually, the default configuration settings
(TCP/IP and DHCP) are fine.

2. Familiarize yourself with the X

The front panel has three lights: Power, Powerline, and Ethernet. The side panel has a
Security button, and a Reset button. The Ethernet port is located on the bottom of the
adapter. See Figure 2 on page 5.

3. Plan the location of your Powerline devices:

• Use an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall

switch to avoid someone
power to the outlet.

• Do not connect the XAV1401 to a power strip,

extension cord, or surge protector as this might
prevent it from working correctly, or reduce the
network performance.

• Avoid using the XAV1401 in an electrical outlet that is

located near an appliance that uses a lot of power,
such as a washer or dryer, or a refrigerator. This could
potentially prevent the adapter from working correctly,
or reduce network performance.

AV1401 Powerline adapter.

unknowingly turning off the

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration | 7

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

Connecting an XAV1401 to the Router

1. Plug an XAV1401 into a power outlet near your router.

Use the supplied gray Ethernet cable to connect from the XAV1401 to a LAN port on your
router so that the Powerline network can gain access to the Internet. The Power and
Ethernet LEDs on the XAV1401 should turn on.

Note: It is not necessary to disconnect your router from your computer.

XAVB1401

Router

Supplied Ethernet cable

Laptop PC

Figure 3. Connecting the XAV1401 to a Router

2. Once the Powerline adapter is plugged in and power is first applied, check to see that the

Power LED is on.

3. After approximately 10 seconds, check to see that:

a. The Power LED is solid green.
b. The Powerline LED is lit.
c. The Ethernet LED is on or blinks.

8 | Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration

XAV1401 Powerline AV+ 200 Mini Set User Manual

Adding Adapters to Your Network

Once the first adapter is installed and connected to your router, you can easily add adapters
into your network.

To add Powerline adapters:

1. Be sure the first Powerline adapter is connected to your router.

2. Plug additional Powerline adapters into power outlets near the other computers and

additional peripheral devices to be included in your Powerline network.

3. Use the gray Ethernet cable from the XAV1401

package to connect from the
to an Ethernet port located on the other
computer or peripheral device.

4. Wait for each Powerline adapter to be

recognized by the Powerline network.
The Power, Ethernet, and Powerline LEDs

should turn on. This could take as little as 5
seconds, or up to 80 seconds. For details
about how the LEDs work, see Table 1 on
page 6.

Powerline adapter

5. Test to make sure that each computer connected

o an XAV1401 can access the Powerline

t
network.

For example, be sure that you can access the
Internet from a remote computer.

One way to test this is to install the Powerline
utility and use it to view all the computers
connected by the Powerline AV Ethernet adapter.

CAUTION:

NETGEAR recommends that you secure your Powerline network from
unauthorized access. This is especially relevant in settings such as
apartment buildings. See Understanding Powerline Network Security on
page 10.

Figure 4. Add an adapter

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration | 9