NETGEAR XAVB5101-100PAS User Manual

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

User Manual

NETGEAR, Inc.
350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134

USA

February 2012
202-10961-02
v1.0

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

©2012 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

Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. To register your product, get the latest product updates, or get support online,
visit us at http://support.netgear.com.

Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR

Phone (Other Countries): See 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 United 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. ©2012 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.

2 |

Contents

Chapter 1 Getting Started

Chapter 2 Powerline Utility

Hardware Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Product Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Powerline Adapter in a Home Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Powerline Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Use the Security Button to Set the Encryption Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Install the Powerline Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Powerline Utility Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Security Icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Change the Name of a Powerline Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Turn LEDs Off or On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Set the Powerline Encryption Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Reset a Device to Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Add a Device to a Powerline Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Set Up Quality of Service (QoS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Chapter 3 Troubleshooting

Basic Functioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Troubleshooting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

If You Do Not See All Your Devices with the Powerline Utility . . . . . . . . . .20

Appendix A Supplementary Information

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Appendix B Notification of Compliance

Contents | 3

1. Getting Started

This chapter describes your Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101, and how your adapters can fit into
a home network. For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the Support
website at http://support.netgear.com.

Hardware Features

1

The package includes a

Ethernet Cable

Figure 1. Package contents

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101 and an Ethernet cable.

Powerline AV 200
Nano Adapter

Chapter 1. Getting Started | 4

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

Product Details

The following figure shows the adapter in detail:

Power LED

Powerline LED

Ethernet LED

Security
button

Ethernet port

Factory Reset
button

Figure 2. Adapter LEDs, buttons, and Ethernet port

Filtered AC Socket

The filtered AC socket can remove some electrical noise that can affect powerline
performance. Plugging the power plugs of nearby devices into the filtered AC socket may
improve performance.

LEDs

Item Description

Power LED

Powerline
LED

• Solid green. The electrical power is on.

• Blinking green. The adapter is restarting or setting up security.

• Amber. Power saving mode.

• Off. There is no electrical power.

• 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.

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

Ethernet LED

Green:
Link rate > 80 Mbps (best)

• 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.

Amber:
Link rate > 50 and < 80 Mbps
(better)

Chapter 1. Getting Started | 5

Red:
Link rate < 50 Mbps (good)

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

Buttons

Two buttons are located on the side of the adapter:

• Security. After you plug in your new AV adapters, press the Security button for 2

seconds on both of the AV adapters. 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 idle (not linked) for more than
10 minutes.

• Reset. Press the Reset button for 1 second, then release to return the Powerline adapter

to its factory default settings.

Ethernet Port

Plug one end of the Ethernet cable that comes with the Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101 into
this port and the other end either into your router, or into the computer or other peripheral
devices.

Powerline Adapter Label

The product label shows unique details specific to your adapter. The product label is located
on the back of the adapter. The label contains the following information.

• Model number

• MAC address

• Device password

• Serial number

6 | Chapter 1. Getting Started

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

Powerline Adapter in a Home Network

You can use Powerline adapters to extend your Ethernet network anywhere in your home
using your existing electrical power lines.

Here, an Ethernet cable connects the
router to the Powerline network.

In another room, an Ethernet cable connects
a gaming console to the Powerline network.

Powerline communication

Ethernet
cables

Figure 3. Powerline network with two Powerline adapters

For best performance, plan the location of your Powerline devices (to make a Powerline
network, you need at least two Powerline devices):

• Use an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch to avoid someone

unknowingly turning off the power to the outlet.

• Do not plug in Powerline products to a power strip, extension cord, or surge protector as

this might prevent them from working correctly, or reduce the network performance.

• Avoid plugging Powerline products into electrical outlets located near an appliance that

uses a lot of power, such as a washer or dryer, or a refrigerator. This could potentially
prevent the adapters from working correctly, or reduce network performance.

Different Powerline adapter models can share the network. All Powerline NETGEAR AV
products (models XAV101, XAV1004, XAV2001, XAV2501, and XAVN2001) are compatible.

Chapter 1. Getting Started | 7

Powerline 500 Nano XAVB5101

To set up your Powerline network:

1. Make sure that your home router is up and running and that Ethernet wired connections

are working.

2. Install the first Powerline adapter based on the installation instructions that came in the

package.

3. Install the second Powerline adapter, which finds the adapter you just installed. The two

Powerline devices form a Powerline network.

4. Install any additional Powerline adapters that you plan to use.

5. Test to make sure that the computer or peripheral can access the Powerline network.

For example, on a computer, use the Internet. Another way to test this is to install the
Powerline Utility and use it to view all devices on the Powerline network.

6. NETGEAR recommends that you secure your Powerline network from unauthorized access,

especially in settings such as apartment buildings. See Powerline Network Security .

Powerline Network Security

A Powerline network consists of two or more Powerline adapters using the same network
encryption key. Securing your network protects the information you send over the Powerline
network from unwanted access. If you do not set up security on your network, anyone nearby
with a Powerline network can potentially use his or her connection to gain access to your
network and information you send over the Internet. This is especially relevant in settings
such as apartment buildings, office buildings, dorm rooms, and other populated areas.

There are two ways to secure your Powerline network.

• Use the Security button to automatically generate a random encryption key.

• Use the Powerline Utility to specify an encryption key for your Powerline network. If you

already have a Powerline network, you need to use the Powerline Utility, which is located
on your Resource CD. See Chapter 2, Powerline Utility.

• To return the Powerline adapter to its factory default settings, press its Factory Reset

button for 1 second, then release.

Use the Security Button to Set the Encryption Key

Note: An adapter can generate a private key only once. If you want to

replace a private key, first reset the adapters to their factory settings.
To do this either press the Reset button for 1 second, then release;
or use the Powerline Utility factory defaults feature (see Reset a

Device to Factory Settings on page 15).

8 | Chapter 1. Getting Started