NETGEAR XAVB5501 User manual

350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
February 2011
202-10711-01
v1.0
XAV5501 Powerline AV+
500 Adapter
User Manual

2|
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter 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
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): Check the list of phone numbers at
http://support.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/984.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, ReadyNAS, ProSafe, Smart Wizard, Auto Uplink, X-RAID2, and NeoTV are
trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and Vista are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or
trademarks of their respective holders.
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
202-10711-01 v1.0 February 2011 First publication

Contents |3
Contents
Chapter 1 Installation and Basic Configuration
How the Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Fits in Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Powerline XAV5501 Adapter Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
XAV5501 Product Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
LED and Feature Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Installing Your Powerline XAV5501 Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Prepare for Installation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Connecting a Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter to the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Adding Adapters to Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Understanding Powerline Network Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Set the Encryption Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Chapter 2 Using the XAV5501 Powerline Utility
Installing the XAV5501 Powerline Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Powerline Utility Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Change the Name of a Powerline Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Turn LEDs On or Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Set Encryption Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Set Up Quality of Service (QoS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Reset a Device to Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Add a Device to a Powerline Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Security Icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Return to the Default Network Encryption Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
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

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration |4
1
1. Installation and Basic Configuration
This chapter describes how to install and configure the XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter. It
also explains the security features and how to customize the encryption key for added security.
How the Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Fits in Your Network
You can use one or more Powerline XAV5501 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
Figure 1. Powerline Adapter Connected to an Ethernet Network

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration |5
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Powerline XAV5501 Adapter Features
The following illustration shows the front and side panels of the XAV5501:
LEDs
Security
button
Factory
Reset
button
Figure 2. XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter
XAV5501 Product Label
The product label on the rear panel of the XAV5001 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 XAV5501
Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter.

6|Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Table 1. Model Number Feature Descriptions
Table 2.
Item Description
Power
LED • 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.
Powerline
LED • 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 Amber: Link rate >50, < 80 Mbps (Better) - Good for SD Video Red: Link rate < 50 Mbps (Good) - Good for data
Ethernet LED • 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.
Factory
Reset Press the Factory Reset button for 1 second, then release to return the Powerline adapter to
its factory default settings.
Security
Button 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.
Ethernet Port Plug one end of the Ethernet cable that comes with the XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter
into this port and the other end either into your router, or into the computer or other peripheral
devices.

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration |7
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Installing Your Powerline XAV5501 Adapter
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 a Powerline XAV5501
Adapter and is configured to work on your network. Usually, the default configuration
settings (TCP/IP and DHCP) are fine.
2. Familiarize yourself with the Powerline XAV5501 Adapter.
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 unknowingly turning off the
power to the outlet.
• Do not connect the Powerline XAV5501 Adapter 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 Powerline XAV5501 Adapter 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.

8|Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Connecting a Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter to the Router
1. Plug an XAV5501 into a power outlet near your router.
Use the supplied gray Ethernet cable to connect from the XAV5501 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 Powerline XAV5501 Adapter should turn on.
XAV5501 Powerline
AV+ 500 Adapter
Supplied Ethernet cable
Router
Laptop PC
Desktop PC
Note: It is not necessary to disconnect your router from your computer.
Figure 3. Connecting the XAV5501 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.

Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration |9
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter 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 XAV5501
package to connect from the
Figure 4. Add an adapter
Powerline adapter
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.
5. Test to make sure that each computer
connected to a Powerline XAV5501 Adapter can
access the Powerline 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.

10 |Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Understanding Powerline Network Security
A Powerline network consists of two or more Powerline adapters using the same network
encryption key. Securing your network is crucial. By encrypting the information you send over
the Powerline XAV5501 Adapter, you help to keep it secure from hackers. If you do not set up
security on your network, anyone nearby with a Powerline network can potentially use their
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 more populated areas.
Powerline devices connected to the same network must use an identical encryption key. The
security used by Powerline XAV5501 Adapters is similar to the SSID and encryption keys
used in wireless networks, but you do not need software to configure Powerline XAV5501
Adapters.
There are two ways to secure your Powerline network.
• Use the Security button located on the Powerline adapter to automatically generate a
random encryption key. See Set the Encryption Key .
• Use the XAV5501 Powerline Utility to configure your Powerline network with an
encryption key that you specify. If you are already using Powerline or HomePlug devices
then you will need to use the Powerline Utility. If not already installed, the Powerline Utility
should be installed on your computer. See Installing the XAV5001 Powerline Utility on
page 12.
For information about using the XAV5501 Powerline Utility to configure Powerline security
or to prioritize Powerline network traffic using the Quality of Service (QoS) feature, see
Chapter 2.
Note: To return the XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter to its factory
default settings, see Reset a Device to Factory Settings on page 17.
Set the Encryption Key
You can use the Security button to change the default encryption key and set a private
encryption key instead. The default encryption key is HomePlugAV.
Note: Before you change the Encryption key, you need to install the
Powerline adapters and get them up and running. Otherwise, they
might not be able to communicate with each other.