This manual is intended for people who want to configure the PLA-400/402 using the PLA4xx Series Configuration Utility. You should have your basic Internet access or home network
already set up.
Related Documentation
• Quick Start Guide
The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains
information on making your hardware connections.
• Supporting Disk
Refer to the included CD for support documents.
• ZyXEL Web Site
Please refer to www.zyxel.com
certifications.
for additional support documentation and product
User Guide Feedback
Help us help you. Send all User Guide-related comments, questions or suggestions for
improvement to the following address, or use e-mail instead. Thank you!
The Technical Writing Team,
ZyXEL Communications Corp.,
6 Innovation Road II,
Science-Based Industrial Park,
Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan.
E-mail: techwriters@zyxel.com.tw
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
3
Document Conventions
Document Conventions
Warnings and Notes
These are how warnings and notes are shown in this User’s Guide.
1Warnings tell you about things that could harm you or your device.
"Notes tell you other important information (for example, other things you may
need to configure or helpful tips) or recommendations.
Syntax Conventions
• The PLA-400 and PLA-402 may be referred to as the “PLA-400/402”, the “device” or the
“ethernet adapter” in this User’s Guide.
• Product labels, screen names, field labels and field choices are all in bold font.
• A key stroke is denoted by square brackets and uppercase text, for example, [ENTER]
means the “enter” or “return” key on your keyboard.
• “Enter” means for you to type one or more characters and then press the [ENTER] key.
“Select” or “choose” means for you to use one of the predefined choices.
• A right angle bracket ( > ) within a screen name denotes a mouse click. For example,
Maintenance > Log > Log Setting means you first click Maintenance in the navigation
panel, then the Log sub menu and finally the Log Setting tab to get to that screen.
• Units of measurement may denote the “metric” value or the “scientific” value. For
example, “k” for kilo may denote “1000” or “1024”, “M” for mega may denote “1000000”
or “1048576” and so on.
• “e.g.,” is a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” means “that is” or “in other words”.
Icons Used in Figures
Figures in this User’s Guide may use the following generic icons. The PLA-400/402 icon is
not an exact representation of your device.
PLA-400/402ComputerNotebook computer
4
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
Safety Warnings
Safety Warnings
1For your safety, be sure to read and follow all warning notices and instructions.
• 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. Opening or removing covers can expose you to
dangerous high voltage points or other risks. ONLY qualified service personnel should
service or disassemble this device. Please contact your vendor for further
information.Make sure to connect the cables to the correct ports.
• Place connecting cables carefully so that no one will step on them or stumble over them.
• Always disconnect all cables from this device before servicing or disassembling.
• Use ONLY an appropriate power adaptor or cord for your device.
• Connect the power adaptor or cord to the right supply voltage (for example, 110V AC in
North America or 230V AC in Europe).
• Do NOT allow anything to rest on the power adaptor or cord and do NOT place the
product where anyone can walk on the power adaptor or cord.
• Do NOT use the device if the power adaptor or cord is damaged as it might cause
electrocution.
• If the power adaptor or cord is damaged, remove it from the power outlet.
• Do NOT attempt to repair the power adaptor or cord. Contact your local vendor to order a
new one.
• Do not use the device outside, and make sure all the connections are indoors. There is a
remote risk of electric shock from lightning.
• Do NOT obstruct the device ventilation slots, as insufficient airflow may harm your
device.
• If you wall mount your device, make sure that no electrical lines, gas or water pipes will
be damaged.
PLA-402 models only:
• Make sure that the cable system is grounded so as to provide some protection against
voltage surges.
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
5
Safety Warnings
This product is recyclable. Dispose of it properly.
6
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About This User's Guide ..........................................................................................................3
This chapter introduces the main applications and features of the PLA-400 and PLA-402
HomePlug AV compliant power line adapters. It also introduces how to manage the PLA-400/
402.
1.1 Overview
The HomePlug AV (Audio/Video) standard specifies how network devices communicate
using standard electrical wiring. This section shows you typical applications for your PLA-400
and PLA-402 PowerLine Ethernet Adapters. See Appendix A on page 35 for detailed product
specifications for each model.
1.1.1 Expand Your Network with the PLA-400
The PLA-400 plugs into an ordinary outlet to easily extend a cable or DSL broadband
connection or existing Ethernet (LAN) network to any other electrical outlet in any room of a
house, all without the need for any new cabling. Devices can securely communicate with each
other with data transfer rates of up to 200 Mbps over the power line. The PLA-400/402s use
128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to ensure safe transfer of information.
Figure 1 Expand Your Network with the PLA-400
Connect your PLA-400 to a modem, router or switch and plug it into an ordinary power outlet
in your home. Plug a second PLA-400 into another power outlet and connect a computer to the
PLA-400 for Internet access. Your network can be further expanded by plugging additional
PLA-400s into other 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. Refer to the Appendix
C on page 49 for wall mounting instructions.
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
13
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-400/402
Expand Your Network with the PLA-402
The PLA-402 allows you to be more flexible in expanding your network by adding the coaxial
cable capability.
Figure 2 Expand Your Network with the PLA-402 over Coaxial Cable Wiring
Connect your PLA-402 to a modem, router or switch and plug it into a coaxial cable outlet in
your home. Plug a second PLA-402 into another outlet and connect a computer to the PLA402 for Internet access. Your network can be further expanded by plugging additional PLA402s into other 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. Refer to the Appendix
C on page 49 for wall mounting instructions.
1.2 Managing the PLA-400/402
Use the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility to manage and set up security on the PLA400/402 or other HomePlug AV compliant power line adapters. Although the PLA-400/402 is
a “plug-and-play” network expanding solution there are situations when you might want to
enable security on the power line network in your home. The reasons include:
1 To ensure privacy of your communication. When you use the PLA-400/402 and other
power line adapters, the electrical wiring in your home becomes an extension of your
Ethernet network. Your network traffic flows freely within the electrical circuit of your
home and is bounded in most cases by a power meter.
Without security (encryption) your information is accessible to anyone using a power
line adapter on the same electrical circuit. In some cases, a circuit can be shared by more
than one household.
To prevent compromising your network security, you can create a private network. A
private network uses a secret password to make sure that only permitted power line
adapters can communicate in your network. See Section 3.1.1 on page 24 for
information on setting up a private network.
2 To create multiple power line networks. Multiple power line networks can coexist on a
single power line circuit. You might want to implement multiple power line networks in
a small office environment where you have two separate Ethernet networks.
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PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
Connect one power line adapter to a router or switch on the first Ethernet network and
assign a password (for example “Password1”) to this power line adapter. Add additional
power line adapters to your network by plugging them into your power line outlets and
assigning them “Password1”. This completes the configuration of your first power line
network.
Connect another power line adapter to a router or switch on the second Ethernet network
and assign a different password (for example “Password2”) to this power line adapter.
Again, add additional power line adapters and assign them “Password2”.
You now have two private networks on your power line circuit. Information is not
shared between the two networks as only power line adapters with the same password
can communicate with each other.
1.2.1 Passwords in the Power Line Network
You use two types of passwords in the power line network. The following table describes the
differences between the passwords.
Table 1 Password Summary
PASSWORDDESCRIPTION
Private Network
Password
DAK (Data Access
Key) Password
All power line adapters that follow the HomePlug AV standard are
shipped with the same power line network password “HomePlug”.
Change this password via the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility to create a private network. See Section 3.3 on page 24.
In order to manage the power line adapters on your power line
network you must enter the adapters’ DAK password in the PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility. This password is printed on the power
line adapter itself.
You don’t need to add the password for the power line adapter
directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility
(local power line adapter), you only have to add the remote power
line adapters’ passwords (those on your circuit, but not directly
connected to your computer).
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-400/402
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
15
Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA-400/402
16
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
CHAPTER 2
Installing the Configuration
Utility
This chapter guides you through the installation of the configuration utility for your PLA-400/
402.
2.1 Overview of the Installation Process
The installation of the configuration utility does the following:
1 Checks for and installs Microsoft’s .NET Framework version 1.1 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 1.1 instaled on
your computer this step will be skipped.
2 Installs ZyXEL’s PLA-4xx Series Configuration Utility. This utility allows you to
manage the network password (See Section 3.1.1 on page 24 for more information) or
upload firmware on your power line adapters. You can also use this utility to view the
devices recognized on your power line network.
"At the time of writing the utility is only compatible on Microsoft Windows XP
operating system.
2.2 Installing the Utility
Follow the steps below to install .NET Framework version 1.1 and the PLA-4xx Series
Configuration Utility on your computer.
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 1.1. Click Ye s to continue with the installation.
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
17
Chapter 2 Installing the Configuration Utility
Figure 3 .NET Framework Installation Prompt
2 Review Microsoft’s License Agreement, select I agree and click Install to proceed.
Figure 4 Microsoft’s Agreement
18
3 The next screen allows you to see the progress of the installation.
PLA-400/402 Series User’s Guide
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