SMC Networks HPAV-ESW User manual

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Copyright
Information furnished by SMC Networks, Inc. (SMC) is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed by SMC for its use, nor for any infringements of
patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted
by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of SMC. SMC reserves the
right to change specifications at any time without notice.
Copyright © 2010 by
SMC Networks, Inc.
20 Mason
Irvine, CA 92618
Europe:
SMC Networks Spain S.L.
C/Fructuós Gelabert 6-8, 2º, 2ª
Edificio Conata II
08970 Sant Joan Despí
Barcelona, Spain
All rights reserved. Printed in China

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Trademarks:
SMC is a registered trademark; and EZ Connect Powerline is a trademark of SMC
Networks, Inc. Other product and company names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.

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Warranty and
Product Registration
To register SMC products and to review the detailed warranty statement, please check
www.smc.com for the warranty terms in your country/region.
SMC Networks, Inc.
20 Mason
Irvine, CA 92618

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Compliances
EC Declaration of Conformity
SMC contact for these products in Europe is:
SMC Networks Spain, S.L.
Edificio Conata II,
Fructuós Gelabert 6-8 2º 2ª
08970 Sant Joan Despí, Barcolona,Spain
This product indicates compliance with the Essential Requirements of the EMC Directive
(2004/108/EC) and the LVD Directive (2006/95/EC) of the European Union. This equipment
meets the following conformance standards.
EN 60950-1: 2006
EN 61000-3-2: 2006
EN 61000-3-3 : 1995+A1:2001+A2:2005
EN 55024: 1998+A1:2001+A2:2003
EN 55022: 1998+A1:2000+A2:2003
The official CE certificate of conformity can be downloaded by selecting the relevant model/
part number from www.smc.com -> support -> download"

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Contents
COPYRIGHT..........................................................................................................................................1
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN CHINA.............................................................................1
TRADEMARKS:....................................................................................................................................2
WARRANTY AND .................................................................................................................................3
PRODUCT REGISTRATION ...............................................................................................................3
COMPLIANCES.....................................................................................................................................4
1.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.........................................................................................................6
1.2 PACKAGE CONTENTS..............................................................................................................6
2SAFETY NOTICE: ........................................................................................................................7
3GETTING TO KNOW THE ADAPTER......................................................................................8
3.1 THE ETHERNET INTERFACE.....................................................................................................8
3.2 THE ADAPTER'S BUTTONS......................................................................................................8
3.3 THE ADAPTER'S LEDS............................................................................................................8
4HOW TO INSTALLATION UTILITY...........................................................................................9
5HOW TO USE THE UTILITY SOFTWARE.............................................................................11
5.1 MAIN TAB...............................................................................................................................11
5.2 PRIVACY TAB.........................................................................................................................14
5.3 DIAGNOSTICS TAB.................................................................................................................15
5.4 ABOUT TAB ...........................................................................................................................16
6SYNC BUTTON USAGE............................................................................................................17
6.1 CREATING A PRIVATE NETWORK...........................................................................................17
6.2 JOINING A NETWORK.............................................................................................................17
6.3 LEAVING A NETWORK............................................................................................................18
7HOW TO IMPROVE THE TRANSMISSION CAPACITY......................................................19
APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS ...............................................................................................20
APPENDIX B ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS................................................................21
APPENDIX C ABOUT QOS...........................................................................................................22

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1.Introduction
The SMCHPAV-ESW is a wallmount Powerline (PLC) adapter with 3 Fast Ethernet ports for transmitting data
with up to 200 Mbit/s across the in-house power network, turning every power outlet into three Ethernet network
connections. The adapter is suitable for use in a wide range of both residential (home) and commercial (offices,
apartments, hotels, warehouses) applications, enabling the user to create high-speed local area networks (LAN)
that support video, voice and data. Best of all, no new cables and no drilling are required.
1.1 System Requirements
For Configuration Utility, computer with
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7, Vista 32-bits/64-bits, XP or 2000
CPU Intel Pentium III or better, clock rate faster than 2.0GHz recommended
RAM At least 128MB
Free Disk Space At least 20MB
Network Interface At least one Fast Ethernet (10/100Mbps) network card
For Hardware Installation
- At least 2 HomePlug AV devices
- Available power outlet
- Available Ethernet port with RJ-45 connector on each computer or networking device
1.2 Package Contents
z1 SMCHPAV-ESW HomePlug AV Powerline Adapter
z1 CD-ROM with software utility and user manual
z1 RJ-45 Ethernet cable
z1 Quick Installation Guide
z1 Warranty Information Card

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2 Safety Notice:
This device is intended for connection to the AC power line. For installation instructions, please refer to the
installation section of this guide. The following precautions should be taken when using this product.
Read all instructions before installing and operating this product.
Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
Unplug the device from the wall outlet before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Do not use
liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.
Do not operate this product near water.
This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register.
Do not use an extension cord between the device and the AC power source.
Only a qualified technician should service this product. Opening or removing covers may result in
exposure to dangerous voltage points or other risks.
Do not plug the device into a power strip or surge protector because these devices may consist of
filter and impair signal.
Avoid plugging the device right next to noisy sources such as cell phone charger, Halogen light,
noisy desktop computer, vacuum cleaner, etc. otherwise it may result in poor transmission speed.
Unplug the device from the wall outlet and refer the product to qualified service personnel for the
following conditions:
If liquid has been spilled into the product
If the product has been exposed to rain or water
If the product does not operate normally when the operating instructions are followed
If the product shows a significant change in performance

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3 Getting to Know the Adapter
3.1 The Ethernet Interface
Ethernet 1~3: The Ethernet port connects to an Ethernet network cable. The other end of the cable will connect
to your computer or other Ethernet-enabled network device.
3.2 The Adapter's Buttons
Reset: The button can restore the factory defaults and reset the device.
Pressing and holding the RST button for 0.3 to 3 seconds to restore the factory defaults;
Security: The button is used to set the private network name.
yPressing and holding the NMK button for more than 10 seconds randomizes the NMK value.
yPressing and holding the NMK button for 0.5 to 3 seconds makes the adapter a member of the
existing Powerline network.
Note: For more information about the security button please see chapter 6.
3.3 The Adapter's LEDs
All adapters’ LEDs are located on the front panel; there are 5 LEDs to indicate the adapter’s status.
Ethernet 1~3:
- Green LED: The Ethernet connection is ready.
- Blinking: The Ethernet connection is transmitting or receiving data.
- OFF: No Ethernet network activity.
Power:
- Green LED: Power on.
- OFF: Power off.
Data:
- Blinking: The Powerline connection is transmitting or receiving data.
- Red LED:Low link speed (Data rate is slower than 30Mbps)
- Yellow LED:Normal link speed (Data rate is between 30-50Mbps)
- Green LED: Excellent link speed (Data rate is faster than 50Mbps)
- OFF: No Powerline network activity

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4 How to Installation Utility
zBefore installing the configuration utility fro Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000, please make sure that that there is no any
other Powerline Utility installed on your computer. If there is another utility installed, please uninstall it and
restart your computer.
zInsert the Utility CD-ROM into the computer’s CD-ROM drive. Select SMCHPAV-ETH2 Utility Installation and
double-click Setup.exe. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the utility. No password or CD-Key is
needed.
The Installation Utility similar to the one shown in Figure 4-1. Click the Next button to continue.
Figure 4-1 Setup Wizard
Figure 4-2 Select Installation Folder

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Figure 4-3 Installation Complete
Figure 4-4 Installation complete
Click “Close” to complete installation.

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5 How to Use the Utility Software
5.1 Main Tab
The Main screen provides a list of all HomePlug AV devices logically connected to the computer when the utility is
running on.
The top panel shows local HomePlug AV devices connected to the computer’s NIC (Network Interface Card). The
user can click the Connect button to its right. Once connected to the local device, the utility will automatically scan the
power line periodically for any other HomePlug AV devices. If no local HomePlug AV devices are discovered, the
status bar displays NO HOMEPLUG ADAPTERS DETECTED.
Figure 5-1: Main Tab information
The lower panel displays all the HomePlug AV remote devices, discovered on the current logical network. The total
number of remote devices connected on the same network can be found on top of the Remote device panel. The
Network type (Public or Private) is also displayed based on the network status of the local device. The scan status
option is displayed on the top right corner above the Remote devices panel showing whether the Autoscan
functionality is turned ON and active. The following information is displayed for all devices that appear in the list.
Device Name
This column shows the default device name, which may be modified. To change the name of a device, select the
device and click Rename or click the name and edit it in the list.
MAC Address
This column shows the Remote device’s MAC address.
Password
By default, this column is blank. You can select a device and click Enter Password to change it (see below).
The password is necessary to activate security in the Powerline network and to control all HomePlug AV devices from
one computer. To activate security you need to create a so-called “private network” by changing the private network

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name in all HomePlug AV devices. This will only be possible after entering the password for all these devices.
The procedure for setting the password of the device (required when creating a private network) is as follows:
zClick the device name to select the device in the lower panel.
zClick Enter Password. A dialog box appears, showing the device name, MAC address and a field to enter the
password. See Figure 5-2.
Figure 5-2: Set Device Password
zEnter the password (typically a number and letter code in groups of four, separated by dashes, to be found on
the backside of the device or the packaging) and click OK to verify the password. The password field accepts
the device password in any format, with or without dashes.
A confirmation box appears if the password was entered correctly. If a device was not found, a message appears,
providing suggestions to solve the problem.
Add
This button is used to add a remote device to the existing network by entering the device password of the device.
A dialog box will appear as shown below in Figure 5-3. Enter a device name and the password to add the
device.
A confirmation box will appear if the password was entered correctly and if the device was found in the powerline
network. If a device was not found, the user will be notified and suggestions to resolve common problems will be
provided.

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Figure 5-3: Add Remote Device
Note: The device must be in the Powerline network (plugged in), so that you can confirm the password and
add the device to the network. If the device is not located, a warning message appears.
Scan
This button is used to perform an immediate search of the HomePlug devices connected to the Powerline
network. By default, the utility automatically scans every few seconds and updates the displayed information
accordingly.

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5.2 Privacy Tab
In the Privacy screen, you can maintain security for the logical network and select the devices that should be able to
communicate in the same network. See Figure 5-4.
Out-of-the-box, all HomePlug devices are pre-configured to be used in a public network with “HomePlugAV” as
network name. In the Privacy screen, you can create a private network by changing the private network name of the
relevant devices. Only devices with the same private network name will be able to communicate.
Click Use Default (Public Network) or enter HomePlugAV as network name, to change from a private network back
to a public network..
Figure 5-4: Privacy Screen
Note: Changing the network name to anything other than HomePlugAV will show the network type on the
main screen as Private.
Set Local Device Only
This button is used to change the private network name of the local device only. If a new private network name (other
than HomePlugAV) is entered, all the devices that appeared in the lower panel of the Main screen will disappear,
effectively isolating the local device from the other devices in the logical network. Only devices that were previously set
up with the same private network name still appear in the device list.
Set All Devices
This button is used to change the private network names of all the devices that appear in the lower panel of the Main
screen and whose password has been entered. For these devices a dialog box appears, indicating successful
operation. For devices whose passwords has not been entered, a dialog box appears indicating operation failure.
Note: Before clicking “Set All Devices” please make sure that the password for all HomePlug AV devices that
should join the private network has been entered . If you skip this step and you lose connectivity to some
devices, please reset the private network name to default, click on “Set All Devices” and start all over.

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5.3 Diagnostics Tab
The Diagnostics screen shows the system information and a history of all devices that appeared in the network over a
period of time. See Figure 5-5.
The Upper panel shows technical data about the software and hardware of the host computer where the utility is
running on. It includes the following:
Operating System Platform/Version
Host Network Name
User Name
MAC Address of all NICs (Network interface card) connected to the host
Identify versions of all Driver DLLs and Libraries used (NDIS) and optionally
HomePlug chipset manufacturer name
MAC Firmware Version
MAC addresses of all devices connected locally to the host
Version of the Configuration Utility
Vendor name
Figure 5-5: Diagnostics Screen
The Lower panel displays the history of all devices that appeared on the computer over a certain period of time. All
the devices and the parameters of the devices on the powerline network are listed. Devices that are active on the
current logical network show a transfer rate in the rate column. Devices on other networks, or devices that no longer
exist are shown with a “?” in the rate column. The following remote device information is available from the diagnostics
screen:
Device Alias Name
Device MAC Address
Device Password
Device Last known rate
Device Last Known Network name
HomePlug chipset manufacturer name
Date device last seen on the network
MAC Firmware Version
The displayed diagnostics information can be saved to a text file for later use, or be printed for reference for a technical
support call. Click Delete to delete the devices which are no longer part of the network. A dialog box will pop up with a
confirmation message if you want to delete a device whose password has been entered.

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5.4 About Tab
The About screen shows the software version and provides an HTML link to a website, such as www.smc.com.
Clicking the web address, will open the website in your web browser.
Figure 5-6: About Dialog Tab
Preferences
The lower part of the panel may display options for turning the auto-scan feature on
or off.

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6 SYNC button Usage
This section describes how to add or remove devices from a Powerline network by using the SYNC button on the
devices. This process allows to create a Powerline network without using the configuration utility for Windows and
works independent from the operating system.
6.1 Creating a private network
When two devices with different SYNC values are connected to the same Powerline private network, they need to be
synchronized to be able to communicate:
1. Press the SYNC button on device A for less than 3 seconds.
2. Press the SYNC button on device B for less than 3 seconds. The button on device B must be pressed
within 1 minute.
3. Wait for the SYNC process to complete.
The Power LED on both devices will blink evenly at 1-second intervals until the operation succeeded or failed. If the
connection succeeded, it illuminates steadily. If an error occured, the Power LED on the ‘adder’ (Device B) blinks
unevenly until the SYNC button on the ‘adder’ (Device B) is pressed again or the ‘joiner’ (Device A) is reset by
pressing the SYNC button down for more than 10 seconds.
Figure 6-1: Creating a Homeplug AV private network
6.2 Joining a Network
In this scenario a Powerline private network exists and a new device, the ‘joiner’, should join the network. Any device
on the existing Powerline network can become the ‘adder’.
1. Press the SYNC button on the ‘joiner’ (new device) for at least 3 seconds.
2. Press the SYNC button on any network device for less than 3 seconds, making it the ‘adder’ (existing
device). Please press this SYNC button within 1 minute.
3. Wait for the connection to complete.
The Power LED on both devices will blink evenly at 1-second intervals until the operation succeeded or failed. If the
connection succeeded, it illuminates steadily. If an error occurred, the Power LED on the ‘adder’ blinks unevenly until
the SYNC button on the ‘adder’ is pressed again or the ‘joiner’ is reset by pressing the RESET button down for more
than 10 seconds.
Figure 6-2: Joining a network

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6.3 Leaving a Network
In this scenario a Powerline network exists and one device, the ‘leaver’, should be removed from the network. The
user either wants to remove the device completely or have it join another logical network.
1. Press the SYNC button on the ‘leaver’ for at least 10 seconds. The device resets and restarts with a
random SYNC.
2. Wait for the reset to complete.
The Power LED on the ‘leaver’ momentarily extinguishes during reset, blinks during restart, then illuminates steadily.
No error occurs.
The user can disconnect the device from the medium or join it to another logical network on the same medium when
the reset process is completed.
Figure 6-3: leaving a network

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7 How to Improve the Transmission Capacity
For the SMCHPAV-ESW, it is recommended to plug the device directly into a wall socket, not into a power stripe.
This can significantly improve the transmission capacity of the network.
×
√× √