Planet PL-401E User manual

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Powerline Communication
Powerline to Ethernet Bridge with 4-port Switch
PL-401E
USER S MANUAL

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Copyright
Copyright (C) 2003 PLANETTechnology Corp. All rights reserved.
The productsand programs described in this User sManual are licensed productsof PLANET
Technology,This User sManual contains proprietary information protected by copyright, and this User s
Manual and all accompanying hardware, software, and documentation are copyrighted.
No partof this User sManual may be copied, photocopied,reproduced, translated,or reduced to any
electronic medium ormachine-readable formby any means by electronic or mechanical. Including
photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems,forany purpose other than the
purchaser's personal use,and without the priorexpress written permission ofPLANETTechnology.
Disclaimer
PLANETTechnology does not warrant that the hardware will work properly in all environmentsand
applications, and makes no warranty and representation, either implied or expressed, with respect to the
quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose.
PLANEThas made every effortto ensure that this User sManual is accurate; PLANETdisclaims liability
for any inaccuracies oromissions that may have occurred.
Information in this User sManual is subject tochange without notice and does notrepresent a
commitment on the part of PLANET.PLANET assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be
contained in this User sManual. PLANETmakes no commitment to update or keep current the
information in this User sManual, and reserves the right to make improvementstothis User sManual
and/or to the products described in this User s Manual, at any time withoutnotice.
If you find information in this manual thatis incorrect,misleading, or incomplete, wewould appreciate
your comments and suggestions.
CE mark Warning
The is a class B device, In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in which
case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
Trademarks
The PLANETlogo is atrademark of PLANETTechnology.This documentation may refer to numerous
hardware and software productsby their trade names. In most, if not all cases, these designations are
claimed as trademarks or registered trademarks by their respective companies.
Revision
User s Manual for Powerline Communication product
Model: PL-401E
Rev: 1.0 (Jun. 2003)
Part No. 2080-000004-001

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Table of Content
Chapter 1 Introduction..................................................................................1
1.1 Powerline to Ethernet Bridge with 4-port Switch –PL-401E..............1
1.1.1 Features...................................................................................1
1.1.2 Package Contents....................................................................2
1.1.3 Hardware Description...............................................................2
1.1.4 Specification.............................................................................3
Chapter 2 Planning your Powerline Network................................................4
Chapter 3 Powerline to Ethernet Bridge Installation.....................................5
Chapter 4 Encrypting Your Powerline Network.............................................6
4.1 PowerPacket Configuration UtilityInstallation....................................6
4.2 PowerPacket Configuration UtilityUsage...........................................9
4.2.1 Device Screen........................................................................10
4.2.2 Network Screen......................................................................11
4.2.3 SecurityScreen......................................................................12
4.2.4 Advanced Screen...................................................................13
4.2.5 About Screen.........................................................................15
Chapter 5 Troubleshooting.........................................................................16

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Chapter 1 Introduction
Powerline communicationis revolution in homeand small office networking, greatly simplifying
the taskofinstallingahigh-speedlocal areanetwork.With PLANET spowerline
communication products, you can utilize existing AC power outletsand wires to connect your
computers, servers andother devices safely,securelyandattrue LANspeeds ofup to 14
Mega bitsper second. Nocomplex and expensive specialized wiringusuallyassociatedwith
LAN sis required, or management, securityandinterference problemsassociatedwith
802.11x wireless technologies –justconvenient, reliable, secureandsimplenetworking where
youneed it most. PLANET sPowerline productsallowyou to place acomputer anywhere in
your home or small office with flawless, uninterrupted high-speed networkconnection.
SecurityofPLANET sPowerlinecommunication technologyis assured bythe use of56-bit
DES encryption –the samesystemused to protect banking systemsall over theworld, andis
interference free, avoiding the problems ofwireless systems.
1.1 Powerline to Ethernet Bridge with 4-port Switch –PL-401E
PL-401is aPowerlinetoEthernetbridgewithfour 10base-T/100Base-TXRJ-45 Ethernet
interface for directly connecting to computer's Ethernet card or existingEthernet switch, hub or
broadbandrouter,gives ahigh flexibilityto expandyour powerline or Ethernet network.
EnhancedbynewIntellonchipset,PL-401providesthe convenience ofcommunication
between different electricalphases. You do not needto worryabout thewire systemof your
house or office anymore. Also,apowersocket for connectingtowall outletis offered in its
standard package.
1.1.1Features
¨ Four 10/100MbpsAuto-negotiation and Auto-MDI/MDIX switching ports for flexibility
networkconnectivity
¨ Internal power supplywithone power line networking interface
¨ Complies with HomePlug PowerlineAlliance Specification 1.0
¨ Up to 14Mbps bandwidth on powerline interface
¨ Support CSMA/CAprotocol on powerline interface

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¨ 56-bitdata encryption to ensure data securityand reliability
¨ Easyto useWindows-based securitykeyconfiguration utility
¨ Significant LED indicators
¨ Up to 90 meters between two powerlinenodes
¨ Able tocommunicate between different electrical phases
1.1.2Package Contents
Checkthe contents of your package for following parts:
nOne Powerline to Ethernet Bridge
nOne Power Cord
nOne Manual and UtilityCD-ROM
nOne QuickInstallation Guide
Ifanyofthese pieces are missing or damaged, pleasecontact your dealer immediately,if
possible, retain thecarton including the originalpacking material, anduse themagainst to
repackthe product in case there is a need to return it tous for repair.
1.1.3Hardware Description
PL-401E front panel
LED definition
LED Color Description
PWRGreen Steadyon indicates PL-401E is powered on.
LNK Green Steadyon indicates PL-401E has detected other Powerline
devices in range.
ACTGreen Blinking indicates there existing powerline networktraffic.
PLC
COL Orange Blinking indicates there existing collision in powerline
network.
LNK/ACTGreen Steadyon indicates theEthernet linkofthe port is up.
Blinking indicates there is networktraffic through the port.
LAN
100 Orange Steadyon indicates thelinkspeed ofthe port is 100Mbps.
PL-401E rear panel

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One 2-pin power inlet for both powerline networkand power supply
1.1.4Specification
Model PL-401E
Standards HomePlug 1.0
IEEE 802.3 10Base-T
IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX
Ports One Powerline Port
Four 10/100MEthernet RJ-45 ports
Cabling Type Powerline: Power Cord
LAN: UTPCat 3 or better
Speed Powerline: 14Mbps (actualthroughput is about 6Mbps)
LAN: 10/100Mbps
Powerline FrequencyBand 4.3MHz to 20.9MHz
Encryption 56-bitDES with Keyconfiguration software
LEDs PWR, PLC: LNK,ACT, COL, LAN: LNK/ACT, 100
Dimension 197 x 120 x 35 mm
Certifications FCC Class B, CE
Operating Temp. 0 ~ 50 degree C
Storage Temp. -20 ~ 70 degree C
Operating Humidity 10~90% non-condensing
Storage Humidity 5~95% non-condensing
Utilitycompatibility Windows 98, 2000, Me andXP

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Chapter 2 Planning your PowerlineNetwork
With PLANET PowerLineproducts, a networkcan be created using home powerlines.
Computers can be networked over powerlines using a USB Adapter or an Ethernet converter.
Use PL-102Ufor a USB-enabled computer or use PL-401Efor anEthernet-enabled computer.
The PL-401Eis alsoideal for anyuser who alreadyhas a router and wants to share
high-speedInternetaccess across the powerlinenetwork.Connect PL-401E tothe routerafter
youhave configuredit using the SecurityConfiguration Utility. Connect a straight-through UTP
Category 5cabletotheuplinkport ofthe router,orconnect crossoverUTP Category 5cable to
a LAN porton the router.

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Chapter 3 Powerlineto Ethernet Bridge Installation
Please followthe procedures belowto install your PL-401E:
1. Plugone end ofanUTPcategory5 cable into the computer, switch or hub s LAN port.
2. Plugtheother end ofthenetworkcable into one ofthe 10/100 RJ45Ethernet ports on
PL-401E.
3. Plugthepower cord into the powerline port on PL-401E.
4. Plugtheother end ofthepower cordinto apower outlet.
Note1: Use only the supplied power cord to connect PL-401E to the power outlet.
Note2: Because PL-401E sends dataover the powerline of your house, it is best to
plug its power cord directlyinto a power outlet. Do not plug PL-401E into a UPS
power strip with surge protection. PL-401E has its own power filter for protection
against surges.

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Chapter 4 Encrypting Your Powerline Network
4.1 PowerPacket Configuration UtilityInstallation
1. Insert theCD-ROMinto the CD-ROM driveto initiatetheautorunprogram.Once completed,
a menu screen will appear as follows:
2. Toinstall theutility,clickon the "PowerPacket Configuration Utility" hyperlinkinPL-401E
field to activate the installation procedure for the application program.
Ifthe above screen is not shown, you canstart the installation as follows.
•Clickon Start Menu/ Run.
•Enter “E:\Utility\PL-401E\setup.exe”in theappearedbox, where “E”is the letter of your
CD-ROM drive.
•Clickon “OK”button.
3. On the Welcome screen, clickthe Next button.

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4. When the LicenseAgreement screenis displayed,readtheLicense Agreement, then click
the radiobuttontotheleft of “Iaccept thetermsin the licenseagreement”andclick the
Next button.
5. On the Customer Information screen,entertherequired information andselect whomthis
applicationis installed for.Then clickthe Next button.

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6. The InstallShield Wizard showsyour current settings in next screen. Ifyou need to review
or change anysettings, clickthe Back button. Clickthe Cancel buttonto exit theWizard.
Otherwise, clickthe Install button.
7. The InstallShield Wizard would askyouto plugyour PL-401E to PC to completethe
installation. After ensuring PL-401E is well connected,clickthe OK button

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8. When finished, click Finish to end the Installation Wizard.
9. Remember to restart your computer to have the newconfiguration take effect.
4.2 PowerPacket Configuration UtilityUsage
After successfullyinstalling the utility,your computer desktop will displaythis icon, ,
PowerPacket ConfigurationUtility. Double-clickthe icon to activatetheutility.

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Note: Make sure your TCP/IPprotocolis set up appropriately on your computer
before running PowerPacket configuration utility.
4.2.1Device Screen
When initiating the program, it will analyze your powerline network. Once the analysis is done,
the Device screen will be shownas above. Inthetext list box, it reports all PowerPacket™
devices found thatare locallyconnected to the computer where the utilityis running. In most
cases, onedevice onlyis listed. Incaseyou have more, clickon oneofthemand hit Connect.
Makesure that the State boxindicates thatyour PC is connected to the samedevice. Nowyou
are readyto manage the powerlinenetworkconnected to this device, ensure its privacyand
measure its data rate performance. Press Refresh button to refresh the search ofthe
powerline devices connected to your computer.
The progress bar will change into a status bar indicating the networkaverage data rate. The
color ofthe bar reflects theaverage performance ofthe powerline network:
Green : Excellent performance
Yellow : Fair performance
Red : Poor performance

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4.2.2Network Screen
The Network screen provides detailed information about your powerline network. The text list
box shows all PowerPacket™devices found onyour powerlinenetworkidentified bytheir
MAC addresses. The second column indicates their data rate measurements in Mbps. Press
Scan Powerline Network button torefresh the listed information.
In case a PowerPacket™device in your networkis notlisted in the screen above, make sure
that its networkpassword has not been made private previouslywith adifferent password than
your current private network password. You can always reset a PowerPacket™network
password to the universal one byrunning the PowerPacket™Configuration Utility on the PC
attached tothis device and use “HomePlug”as the networkpassword.

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4.2.3SecurityScreen
All PL-401E are shipped using “HomePlug”as anetworkpassword. The Security screen
allows youtochange this networkpassword and set your own privatepassword and applyit to
PL-401E connected to thecomputer where the utilityis running. Click Restore Default button
to restore the original networkpassword “HomePlug”and applyitlocally.Click Set Local
button tochange the networkpassword locally.
Note: Your private network password must have between 4 and 24 characters. The
password is case sensitive. The password can include anylettersof the alphabet,
numbers or punctuation marks. Remember this password as it will be needed when
adding other devices to the network later.

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4.2.4 Advanced Screen
The Advanced screenallowsyouto setup a networkpassword remotelyon other PL-401E
through the powerline. Typeyour private networkpassword into the Network Password text
box. The device password ofa PL-401E is adding 0000 to its MAC address. For example, the
device password ofa PL-401E with MAC 00304F25A509 is 0000-0030-4F25-A509. The other
device on the networkwith PowerPacket™capabilitieswill have a different devicepassword
printedon either thecase itselfor in the documentation.Findthe passwords for all devices you
want to manage and type themone byone into the Device Password text box and click Add.
This will add the passwordsto RemotePasswords text list box and set themto the currently
definedNetworkPassword.
Note: The device must bepresent on the powerline in order for the password to be
confirmed and added to the Remote Passwords list.
The Status indicates whether each device is successfully set to the Network Password. “OK”
indicates success while “Fail”indicates a failure. Click Set All to applyyour private network
password to all devices that are listed in the Remote Passwords text list box and to your local
device connected to the computer where the utilityis running as well. Select a password and

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click Remove to remove it fromthe list.

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4.2.5 About Screen
The About screen shows the software version.

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Chapter 5 Troubleshooting
wI can not connect to othercomputers on mypowerline networkor to the Internet.
A: Makesure the IPaddress and TCP/IPprotocolareset upcorrectlyfor all thepowerline
networked computers.
wDo thePL-401E devicecause interference with other home networking or products?
A: No.PL-401E canco-exist with phone line andwireless networking technologies. PL-401E
operates inadifferent frequencybandthanpowerline control andco-exist with
technologies such as X-10,CEBus and LONworks.
wHowdo the PL-401E devices handle signal interference between two adjacent homes? How
is eavesdropping prevented?
A: PL-401Eis using 56-bitDES securityencryption toensure networkseparation between
homes. You canuse PowerPacket configuration utilitytoenable and configure the security
encryption onlocal or remote PL-401Ein range.