PHICOMM FPA-501 User manual

Powerline Network Adapter
FPA-501
User Manual
User Manual / V2.0

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Copyright Statement
PHICOMM is the registered trademark of Shanghai Feixun Communication Co., Ltd. Other
trademark or trade name mentioned herein are the trademark or registered trademark of the
company. Copyright of the whole product as integration, including its accessories and software,
belongs to Shanghai Feixun Communication Co., Ltd. Without the permission of Shanghai
Feixun Communication Co., Ltd., individual or party is not allowed to copy, plagiarize, imitate or
translate it into other languages.
All the photos and product specifications mentioned in this manual are for references only, as
the upgrading of software and hardware, there will be changes. And if there are changes,
PHICOMM is not responsible for informing in advance. If you want to know more information
about our products, please visit our website at www.phicomm.com.

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Important Safety Instructions
1. Do not open this product or attempt to service this product, it may expose you to
dangerous high voltage and other risks.
2. Do not operate this product near water.
3. Do not place or operate near or over radiator or heat register.
4. Do not expose this product to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids.
5. Do not connect this product and Disconnect from wall socket during a lightning or
thunderstorm.
6. Do not obstruct this product ventilation slots, as insufficient airflow may harm this product.
7. Do not put anything on this product.
8. Plug directly into wall socket （AC 100-240V). Do not use an extension cord between this
product and the AC power source.
9. When plugging this product into wall socket, make sure that electrical socket are not
damaged, and no leakage for gas or water pipes to begin with.
10. Place the connecting cables carefully so people won't stumble or walk on it.
11. The powerline adapter should be operated from the type of power indicated on the
marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult the qualified
technician.
12. Unplug the Powerline Adapter from the mains and refer the product to qualified service
personnel for the following conditions:
If liquid has been spilled on the product
If the product has been exposed to rain or water
13. Unplug from the wall socket before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Do not use
liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.

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Table of Contents
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction ..............................................1
Product Overview...............................................................................................1
Main Features.......................................................................................................1
System Requirement.........................................................................................2
Chapter 2: Physical Description
....................................3
Chapter 3: Hardware Installation
...................................4
Chapter 4: Operation of Buttons
...................................6
Secure the Powerline Network......................................................................6
Create a Powerline Network...........................................................................6
Join an Existing Powerline Network............................................................6
Leave a Powerline Network ............................................................................6
Reset to Factory Default Settings .................................................................6
Chapter 5: Software Installation
....................................8
Chapter 6: Phicomm PLC Utility
.................................. 14
Main Tag.............................................................................................................. 14
Local Device on your computer（Upper Panel）..................................................14
Remote Device (Lower Panel).........................................................................................15
Privacy.................................................................................................................. 17
Diagnostics......................................................................................................... 18

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Table of Contents
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System Information ............................................................................................................ 18
Remote Device History ......................................................................................................18
About.................................................................................................................... 19
Chapter 7: Specification
............................................ 20
Appendix A: Troubleshooting ..................................... 21
Appendix B: Certification
.......................................... 22
CE Mark Warning ............................................................................................. 22
Appendix C: Technical Support
................................... 23

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction
Product Overview
This device is a 500Mbps Powerline Network Adapter which transforms your house's existing
electrical wiring into a ubiquitous networking infrastructure. Simply plug this Powerline
Network Adapter into an ordinary AC power outlet which will easily extend your Cable/xDSL
broadband connection or existing Ethernet (LAN) network to any other electrical outlet in any
room of a house without the need of any new cabling.
This Powerline Network Adapter supports up to 500Mbps data rate over the existing household
power circuit. With data rates of 500Mbps, full multimedia application can easily be supported
throughout the whole house in addition to Internet access. This Powerline Network Adapter
uses the existing powerlines installed in a home as a path to transmit digital data, voice, audio
and video between devices.
Take notes that this Powerline Network Adapter works in pairs. They should be connected in a
same circuit. With clean powerline, the distance between two Powerline Network Adapters can
reach 300 meters at lease, but the actual distance may vary due to the environment.
To ensure data communication's security and multimedia applications, this Powerline Network
Adapter supports built-in 128-bit AES encryption and Quality of Service (QoS) features. With
minimum setup, you can install and use this Powerline Network Adapter within minutes. The
adapter adds two new functions to be useful.
1．Establish connection with a new unassociated device added via the Security button.
2．Reset to default setting via the Reset button.
Main Features
10/100Mbps fast Ethernet interface connection
IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u, IEEE802.3x and HomePlug AV standards
Co-exists with HomePlug 1.0 and HomePlug 1.0 turbo
Integrated Quality of Service (QoS)
Built-in 128-bit AES encryption assures data security
Supports IGMP managed multicast IP transmission
EuP (Power saving mode) support
Plug and Play
Wide power range, AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Data transmission rate up to 500Mbps, ready for Full-HD
Backward compatible with 200Mbps devices
Supports any Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac Operation System
System Requirement
a) At least two AC 100-240V power outlets with standard home powerline
b) A computer with the following:
PC with Any Windows O/S, Mac O/S or Linux O/S
Pentium III compatible processor and above
Ethernet LAN card installed with TCP/IP protocol
128 MB RAM or more
64 MB of free disk space (Minimum)
CD-ROM Drive

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Chapter 2: Physical Description
Chapter 2: Physical Description
Detailed descriptions are given in the tables below:
LED Status Indication
PWR
Off Power is off
On Power is on
Blinking The product is in power saving mode
ETH
Off No network connection
On The LAN cable is connected successfully
Blinking Data is being transmitted over Ethernet
Data
Off The product is not connected to powerline network
On The product is successfully connected to powerline network
Blinking Data is being transmitted over Powerline network
Button Function
Security Secure the powerline network by pressing and holding for 2 seconds
Reset Reset to factory default settings by pressing and holding for 3 seconds

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Chapter 3: Hardware Installation
Chapter 3: Hardware Installation
Before you install Powerline Network Adapter please be sure to verify the following:
1. Your network access devices to the Internet (i.e. DSL/Cable Modem etc.) are installed and
verified to have access to the internet.
2. Ensure that the router has an available Ethernet port on its LAN (Local Area Network) switch.
3. Ensure that the network devices (desktops, laptops, Set-Top Boxes) you wish to connect to
the adapter have an Ethernet port available.
4. Select the power socket locations that you intend to place the adapter.
Ensure that power socket is not controlled by wall switch, thus avoiding the possibility
that the power socket will be accidentally turned off.
Ensure that the adapter is not plugged into power strip, as it is possible that power strip
may have surge suppression which can degrade the PLC (Powerline Communication)
performance of the adapter.
5. If possible, try to ensure that the adapter is not plugged into a power socket that is near an
appliance which has a motor, like a washer, dryer, blender, hair dryer etc. Such appliances
have been known to sometimes degrade the PLC (Powerline Communication) performance
of the adapter.
If all the items listed in the previous section are verified, you may install the adapter as follows:
1. Connect one of the provided Ethernet cables to FPA-501 Ethernet port.
2. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to your computer's LAN port.
3. Plug FPA-501 to the power socket.
4. Connect the other provided Ethernet cable to the rest FPA-501 Ethernet port.
5. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to an available Ethernet port of your ADSL
Broadband Router.
6. Plug the Powerline Network Adapter into a power socket next to the computer.
7. Turn on your computer.
Note:
•Do not connect the powerline adapter to an extension lead, power strip, extension cord,
surge protector as this may degrade the network performance.
•Please check and confirm that the PWR, ETH and Data LEDs on the Powerline Network
Adapter are on after the installation what means you have got Internet access.

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Chapter 3: Hardware Installation
The Powerline Network Adapter allows data to be transmitted over Ethernet cables what means
you can extend your broadband connection or existing Ethernet network to other network
clients by existing electrical wire. Digital data, voice, audio and video can be transmitted
between devices. The following is the architecture of various applications of the HomePlug
products.

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Chapter 4: Operation of Buttons
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Chapter 4: Operation of Buttons
A HomePlug logical network is formed when two or more HomePlug devices are connected
over common powerline and share a common password.
Secure the Powerline Network
The HomePlug AV standard uses 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) to safely transmit
data between powerline adapters. For the powerline adapters to communicate with each other
they all need to use the same Network Membership Key (NMK). Otherwise, they cannot
unscramble the encrypted data sent in the powerline network.
The Security button allows you to set up a secure powerline connection with other HomePlug
AV compliant powerline devices which also support the Security feature.
Create a Powerline Network
1. Press and hold the Security button on Powerline Network Adapter A for less than 3 seconds,
the PWR LED will start flashing.
2. Press the Security button on powerline adapter B that connected to the same medium for
less than 3 seconds, the PWR light will also start flashing.
3. Wait a few seconds then the PWR light will be solid on when the connection is formed.
Join an Existing Powerline Network
Powerline adapters A and B form a powerline network, powerline adapter C wants to join it.
1. Press and hold the security button on powerline adapter A/B for about 3 seconds.
2. Press and hold the security button on powerline adapter C for about 3 seconds.
3. Wait a few seconds while your powerline adapters are connecting. The Power LEDs on the
two devices will stop flashing and become solid light when the connection is made.
Leave a Powerline Network
Press and hold on the Security button on the device till all the lights flash once then go out,
release the button. The device is then free to join another HomePlug logical network.
Reset to Factory Default Settings
Press the Reset button on the device for more than 3 seconds. After all the lights start flashing it
goes back to factory default settings. The password will be released at the same time. It means

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Chapter 4: Operation of Buttons
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you can use the Reset button to leave the powerline network. The device is then free to join
another HomePlug logical network.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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Chapter 5: Software Installation
The Phicomm PLC Utility for Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista/7 enables users to identify
HomePlug devices within the powerline network, measures data rate performance, ensures
privacy and performs diagnostics by setting user defined secure powerline networks.
The Phicomm PLC Utility could help you to manage all of the HomePlug devices in the LAN.
Please follow the procedures below to install the Phicomm PLC Utility. Take note that the
following procedures are running in Windows XP. For other Windows operating systems, the
procedures are similar.
1. Double click Setup.exe to start the installation.
2. The following screen will pop up, click OK.
3. Click Next.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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4. Click Next again.
5. Choose I Agree.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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6. The next window will pop up, click Install.
7. After a short while, the next screen will pop up. Click Finish, the WinPcap is successfully
installed.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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8. Then it will automatically install the Phicomm PLC utility. Click Next.
9. Choose I Agree and click Next.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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10. Choose the installation location folder and click Next.
11. Click Next again to continue the installation.

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Chapter 5: Software Installation
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12. After a short while, the installation is complete, click Close. That is all, the PLC utility is
successfully installed.
Note：After the successful installation you can manage the PLC devices with the Phicomm PLC
utility. If you still can not run the Phicomm PLC utility, please first uninstall the Phicomm PLC
utility and WinPcap from control panel, then run the dotNetFx35setup.exe, finally install the
Phicomm PLC utility and WinPcap from the beginning.

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Chapter 6: Phicomm PLC Utility
Chapter 6: Phicomm PLC Utility
Double click Phicomm PLC Utility on your desktop.
Main Tag
The Main screen provides lists of all HomePlug devices logically connected to the computer
when the utility is running. After connecting a HomePlug device to your computer, the utility
will autoscan other HomePlug devices in the same network.
Local Device on your computer（Upper Panel）
This area shows all local HomePlug devices connected to the computer's Network Card. In most
cases, only one device will be seen. In situations where there are more than one local devices
being connected, such as a USB or an Ethernet adapter, the user can select the local device by
clicking on it and then click Connect to connect to the selected device. Once connected to the
local device, the utility will automatically scan the powerline periodically for any other
HomePlug devices.

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Chapter 6: Phicomm PLC Utility
Remote Device (Lower Panel)
The lower panel displays all the HomePlug remote devices discovered on the current logical
network. In the top of the table, you can see the total number of remote devices connected on
the same network, the Network type (Public or Private) of the network and the scanning status.
Device Name: Show the default device name, which may be user re-defined. A user can change
the name by either clicking on Rename button or by clicking on the name and editing in-place.
An icon is usually shown with the name. A color distinction in icons is made between HomePlug
1.0, HomePlug 1.0 Turbo and HomePlug AV devices. By default, the icon is always accompanied
by a device name.
Password: By default the password column is blank and Enter Password button can be used to
enter it.
To set the Password of the device (it is required when creating a private network), first select the
device by clicking on its name in the lower panel and then click on the Enter Password. A dialog
box will appear. The selected device name is shown above the password field and the password
can be verified by hitting the OK button. The Password field accepts the Device password in any
case formats, with or without dashed between them.
Note:
•The device must be present on the powerline (plugged in) so that the password can be
confirmed and added to the network. If the device could not be located, a warning message
will be shown.
•Please find the password of the HomePlug device in the powerline adapter rear panel. The
DEK code is the password.
Quality: The status of the connection quality will be shown here.
Rate (Mbps): Show the current data rate of the HomePlug device.