Linksys HomeLink Series User manual

HomeLink™ Phoneline
Network Card
Use this guide to install these
Linksys products:
HPN100
HomeLink Phoneline Network Card
HPN100SK
HomeLink Phoneline Network in a Box
HomeLink™Series
User Guide

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Copyright © 1999 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. HomeLink is a
registered trademark of Linksys. Microsoft, Windows, and the
Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks and brand names are the property of their
respective proprietors.
LIMITED WARRANTY
Linksys guarantees that every HomeLink Phoneline Network Card
is free from physical defects in material and workmanship under
normal use for five (5) years from the date of purchase. If the
product proves defective during this warranty period, call Linksys
Customer Support in order to obtain a Return Authorization num-
ber. Warranty is for repair or replacement only. Linksys does not
issue any refunds. BE SURE TO HAVEYOUR PROOF OF PUR-
CHASE AND BAR CODE ON HAND WHEN CALLING. RETURN
REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT PROOF OF
PURCHASE AND BAR CODE.When returning a product, mark
the Return Authorization number clearly on the outside of the
package and include your original proof of purchase and bar code.
IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’ LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE
PAID FOR THE PRODUCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS ACCOMPANYING
SOFTWARE, OR ITS DOCUMENTATION. Linksys makes no war-
ranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statutory, with
respect to its products or the contents or use of this documenta-
tion and all accompanying software, and specifically disclaims its
quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular
purpose. Linksys reserves the right to revise or update its prod-
ucts, software, or documentation without obligation to notify any
individual or entity. Please direct all inquiries to:
Linksys P.O. Box 18558, Irvine, CA 92623.
FCC STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the lim-
its for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules.These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency ener-
gy and, if not installed and used according to the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications.However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, which is found by turning the equip-
ment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the inter-
ference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the equipment or device
• Connect the equipment to an outlet other than the receiver’s
• Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for
assistance
903

Contents
Introduction 1
Hardware Setup 9
Installing the Hardware 10
Windows 98 Setup 16
Windows 95 Setup 25
Windows NT 4.0 34
Using WinGate Home 41
Changing the Card’s Settings 43
Appendix
Twisted-Pair Cabling 47
Important Modem Information 48
Troubleshooting 49
Removing the Installed
Components in Windows 55
Specifications 57
Customer Support 58
Notes 59
Contents

Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Linksys
HomeLink Phoneline Network Card. This exciting
new technology is being offered in compliance
with the standards of the Home Phoneline
Networking Alliance (HomePNA). The Linksys
HomeLink Phoneline Network Card now offers
instant connectivity to multiple PC's over a home's
existing telephone lines.You can network any
computer by connecting it to any phone line.
There's no need for a switch, a hub, or even any
additional cables - the network runs on standard
home-grade telephone wires just like the ones you
use everyday.
The Linksys HomeLink Phoneline Network Card
utilizes Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD®)
PCnet™-Home technology. This new technology
lets your phone line carry computer data as well
as regular telephone voice service. You can also
use feeds from broadband connections like cable
modems or Digital Subscriber Lines (xDSL). You
can talk on the telephone, download files from the
Internet, and share resources over a network all at
the same time. Every standard telephone jack in
the home is capable of hosting a PC - you can
connect up to 25 computers, thus transforming the
home's telephone wiring into an easily expandable
network. Want to add more PCs? Just put a
HomeLink card in the computer and plug it into
your phone jack. It’s that simple!
1
Introduction

How Does It Work?
The Linksys HomeLink Phoneline Network
Card utilizes a technology known as Frequency
Division Multiplexing (FDM) which essentially
divides the data travelling over the phone lines
into separate frequencies - one for voice, one for
high-bandwidth net access such as DSL, and
one for the network data. These frequencies can
coexist on the same telephone line without
impacting one another.
The 1 Megabit-per-second (one million bits-per-
second) data rate is fast enough to run demand-
ing home applications such as file and printer
sharing, games, and email. Want to surf the
web? No problem --you can share one modem
or high-speed Internet connection over the
entire network using the WinGate software
package. The HomeLink Phoneline Network
Card’s data transfer rate is 18 times that of the
fastest analog modems available, which run at
56Kbps (fifty-six thousand bits-per-second).
Even high-speed modem, xDSL, and ISDN con-
nections will perform at full speed on a home
network. The HomeLink Phoneline Network
Card is the perfect tool to introduce the benefits
of networking to your home or office.
2
Introduction

Features
• Build A Network Using Your Existing Telephone
Line - No Additional Hubs or Cabling Needed
• Internal PCI Network Card with 2 RJ-11
Modular Telephone Ports
• 1Mbps Transfer Rate - Perfect for File and
Printer Sharing, Email, Web Surfing, Multi-User
Gaming, and More
• Includes a 10BaseT RJ-45 port -- Migrate to a
10Mbps Ethernet at Anytime
• Share Interent Access and ISP Connection Over
a Network With WinGate Home Interent Sharing
Software
• Each Card Comes with a Standard Telephone
Cable
• Connect Up To 25 PCs on One Network
• Data Transfer Rate is 18 Times Faster Than 56K
Modems For Scorching Downloads and File
Transfers
• Works With Windows 95, Windows 98,
Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 (in beta,
beta OSs are not supported by Linksys)
• Frequency Division Multiplexing for
Uninterrupted Simultaneous Voice Service,
High-Bandwidth xDSL Internet Access and
Network Data Transmissions
• HomePNA, UADSL, IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD,
and FCC Compliant
• Free Technical Support On the Phone and On the
Internet
• Free Software Upgrades
• Limited 5-Year Warranty
3
Features

Package Contents
• 1 HomeLink Phoneline Network Card
(Network in a Box includes 2 HomeLink Cards)
• 1 Standard Modular Telephone Cable
(Network in a Box includes 2 telephone cables)
• Installation CD-ROM with WinGate Home
Internet Sharing Software
• User Guide and Registration Card
If any of the above contents are missing, consult
your Linksys retailer.
SharingYour Resources
The HomeLink Phoneline card brings the advan-
tages of inexpensive networking to your home or
office. Any device on the network, including CD-
ROM drives, hard drives, and printers, can be used
by any of the PCs that you hook up to the net-
work. The installation CD-ROM that came with
your HomeLink Card will automatically set up
your networked PCs so that all of their available
resources can be shared. Of course, you have con-
trol over the sharing rights, so you will be able to
isolate devices or drives that you do not want to be
accessible from the rest of the network.
It is important to note that if you want to use a
networked device on a PC other than the one that
the device is attached to, you must configure the
PC to handle the device.
4
About Sharing

SharingYour Internet Connection
The Linksys HomeLink Phoneline Network Card
comes with a proxy server software package
called WinGate Home. The WinGate Home soft-
ware package allows you to share your Internet
connection by setting up a proxy server - a com-
puter that serves to hold the connection and route
Internet communications to the other PCs on the
network. One of the PCs on your network will be
the proxy server.You should pick the PC that has
the modem that you usually use to connect to the
Internet already installed.
Important:Keep in mind that your HomeLink
network will let you talk on the telephone and
access the Internet at the same time only if you
are using an xDSL connection. If you are using an
analog modem or other device that requires you to
dial out to your Internet Service Provider (ISP),
then, obviously, your telephone line is already in
use, and you can not talk on the phone.Your inter-
nal network data travels on a separate frequency,
so your network communications will not be inter-
rupted no matter what type of Internet connection
you have or whether or not you are using the tele-
phone.
America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, and simi-
lar services are not ISPs since you have to go
through their specific service and software to
access the Internet.
See note on page 48 for important modem hints.
5
About Sharing

About Plug-and-Play PCI Technology
The HomeLink Network Card is designed to run
in a 32-bit desktop computer equipped with PCI
expansion slots.
Short for Peripheral Components Interconnect,
PCI is a technology that allows special Plug-and-
Play expansion cards to be automatically config-
ured by a computer's BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System) once they have been installed. Refer to
your computer's user guide for more information
about its BIOS.
When a PCI card is used in a computer that sup-
ports Plug-and-Play, the card is automatically con-
figured each time the computer is booted. The
card's IRQ, I/O address, and other operating
parameters are automatically assigned.
There is no way to change a Plug-and-Play card's
IRQ and other settings outside of the BIOS
menu(s) that your computer provides. If the
resources that are assigned to your HomeLink
card seem to conflict with other devices in your
computer, you will need to use your system's
BIOS to resolve the conflicts.
If you have problems configuring your BIOS or
resolving IRQ or other hardware conflicts, consult
your computer manual or contact your PC's manu-
facturer for BIOS setup and configuration direc-
tions. For a list of Plug-and-Play compliant BIOS
systems, see page 8.
6
About Plug-and-Play