NETGEAR Powerline 1200 User manual

Powerline 1200
User Manual
Models
PL1200
PLP1200
January 2016
202-11566-01
350 E. Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA

Support
Thank you for purchasing this NETGEAR product.You can visit www.netgear.com/support to register your product, get help,
access the latest downloads and user manuals, and join our community.We recommend that you use only official NETGEAR
support resources.
Trademarks
©NETGEAR, Inc., NETGEAR and the NETGEAR Logo are trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. Any non-NETGEAR trademarks
are used for reference purposes only.
Compliance
For current EU Declaration of conformity, visit http://support.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/11621.
For regulatory compliance information, visit http://www.netgear.com/about/regulatory.
See the regulatory compliance document before connecting the power supply.
2
Powerline 1200

Contents
Chapter 1Your Powerline Adapter
PL1200...................................................................................................................5
PLP1200................................................................................................................5
LED Descriptions...................................................................................................6
Button Descriptions................................................................................................7
Ethernet Port..........................................................................................................7
Extra Outlet............................................................................................................8
Product Label.........................................................................................................8
Chapter 2 Powerline Networks
How the Powerline Adapter Fits intoYour Network..............................................10
Set Up a New Powerline Network........................................................................11
Add an Adapter to an Existing Powerline Network...............................................13
About Powerline Network Security.......................................................................14
Use the Security Button to Set the Encryption Key..............................................14
Chapter 3Troubleshooting
LEDs Are Off When the Powerline Device Is Plugged In.....................................17
Power LED Is Off.................................................................................................17
Power LED Is Amber............................................................................................17
Pick A Plug LED Is Off, Amber, or Red................................................................17
Ethernet LED Is Off..............................................................................................18
Appendix ATechnical Specifications and Safety Information
Powerline PL1200 Technical Specifications.........................................................20
Powerline PLP1200 Technical Specifications.......................................................21
Safety Information................................................................................................22
3

1
Your Powerline Adapter
This chapter describes your Powerline adapter and how your adapter fits into a home network. It also explains the
security features and how to secure your Powerline network with a private encryption key.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•PL1200
•PLP1200
•LED Descriptions
•Button Descriptions
•Ethernet Port
•Extra Outlet
•Product Label
For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the NETGEAR support website at support.netgear.com.
4

PL1200
The hardware features of the Powerline PL1200 adapter are shown in the following figure. Note that adapters vary
by region.Your adapter might look different.
1
2
3
4 5 6
Figure 1. PL1200 hardware features
Power LED1
Ethernet LED2
Pick A Plug LED3
Ethernet port4
Factory Reset button5
Security button6
PLP1200
The hardware features of the Powerline PLP1200 adapter are shown in the following figure.Note that adapters vary
by region.Your adapter might look different.
Your Powerline Adapter
5
Powerline 1200

1
2
45
6
3
Figure 2. PLP1200 hardware features
Power LED1
Ethernet LED2
Pick A Plug LED3
Ethernet port4
Factory Reset button5
Security button6
LED Descriptions
The LEDs indicate the status of your Powerline adapter.
Your Powerline Adapter
6
Powerline 1200

Table 1. LED descriptions
DescriptionItem
Solid green.The electrical power is on.
Solid amber.The adapter is in power saving mode.
Blinking green.The adapter is in the process of setting up security.
Off.The adapter is not receiving electrical power.
Power LED
Solid green.The Ethernet port is linked.
Off. No Ethernet connection is detected.
Ethernet LED
The Pick A Plug feature lets you pick the electrical outlet with the
strongest performance, indicated by the color displayed by the
LED:
Red. Link rate < 50 Mbps (good).
Amber. Link rate > 50 and < 80 Mbps (better).
Green. Link rate > 80 Mbps (best).
Off.The adapter did not find any other compatible Powerline
devices using the same encryption key.
Pick A Plug LED
Button Descriptions
Use the buttons to restore to the factory configuration and to create a secure Powerline network.
Table 2. Button descriptions
DescriptionButton
Press the Factory Reset button for one second, and then release it to return the Powerline
adapter to its factory default settings.
Factory Reset
Use the Security button to create a secure Powerline network.Security
Ethernet Port
Powerline adapters use an Ethernet port to convert a standard electrical wall outlet into a high-speed wired network
connection.You can use the wired network connection to bring Internet connectivity to any device with an Ethernet
port, such as a computer, game console, Blu-ray player, smart TV, HD set-top box, or network DVR.
Your Powerline Adapter
7
Powerline 1200

Extra Outlet
For models with an extra outlet, you must observe a few restrictions on how you use the extra outlet.
The technical specifications for your model provide socket outlet ratings.See Technical Specifications and Safety
Information on page 19. See Safety Information on page 22 for general guidelines for use.
Product Label
The product label provides unique details specific to your device.
The product label displays the following:
•Model number
•Powerline MAC address
•Ethernet MAC address
•Serial number
•Device password
Your Powerline Adapter
8
Powerline 1200

2
Powerline Networks
This chapter describes the setup and configuration of Powerline networks.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•How the Powerline Adapter Fits intoYour Network
•Set Up a New Powerline Network
•Add an Adapter to an Existing Powerline Network
•About Powerline Network Security
•Use the Security Button to Set the Encryption Key
9

How the Powerline Adapter Fits intoYour Network
You can use one or more Powerline adapters to extend Internet access throughout your home.
A Powerline network consists of two or more compatible Powerline devices that communicate with each other using
your electrical power lines. One of the Powerline devices is connected with an Ethernet cable to your router so that
the Powerline network is linked to your local area network (LAN). Connecting one Powerline device to your router
allows all the Powerline devices on the Powerline network to communicate with the router and use its Internet
connection.
The following illustration shows a Powerline network with one Powerline device in Room 1 and a second Powerline
device in Room 2.
Figure 3. Poweline Adapters Connecting Two Rooms
To form a Powerline network, you need at least two compatible Powerline devices.
For best performance, follow these guidelines when you plan the location of your Powerline devices:
Powerline Networks
10
Powerline 1200