TP-Link TL-PA411 User manual

TL-PA411
AV500 Powerline Adapter
REV1.0.0
1910011029

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Specifications are subject to change without notice. is a registered trademark of
TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Other brands and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
No part of the specifications may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any
derivative such as translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from TP-LINK
TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Copyright © 2014 TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. All rights
reserved.
http://www.tp-link.com
I

II
Safety Information
When product has power button, the power button is one of the way to shut off the product; when
there is no power button, the only way to completely shut off power is to disconnect the product or
the power adapter from the power source.
Don’t disassemble the product, or make repairs yourself. You run the risk of electric shock and
voiding the limited warranty. If you need service, please contact us.
Avoid water and wet locations.

III
CONTENTS
Package Contents ............................................................................................................ 1
Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Conventions .............................................................................................................. 2
1.2 System Requirement ................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Important Safety Instructions..................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2 Connecting Mechanism.................................................................................. 4
2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 LED Indicator............................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Physical Interface ...................................................................................................... 5
2.4 Connection Instruction............................................................................................... 6
2.5 Hardware Connection – Computer ............................................................................ 6
2.6 Hardware Connection – Internet................................................................................ 7
Chapter 3 Installing Management Utility......................................................................... 9
Chapter 4 Using the Management Utility...................................................................... 13
4.1 Status ...................................................................................................................... 13
4.1.1 Set Local Device’s Network Name .................................................................... 14
4.2 Network ................................................................................................................... 15
4.2.1 Rename the Remote Device/Enter Password ................................................... 16
4.2.2 Add Device ........................................................................................................ 16
4.3 Advanced................................................................................................................. 17
4.4 System .................................................................................................................... 18
4.4.1 Upgrade Firmware............................................................................................. 19
4.4.2 Reset Device ..................................................................................................... 20
4.4.3 Set All Devices’ Network Name ......................................................................... 20
Chapter 5 Advanced Feature: How to Use the Pair Button......................................... 21
5.1 Pair(Secure with 128 bits-AES) ............................................................................... 21
5.2 Set Up a Powerline AV Network with the Pair Button .............................................. 21
Appendix A: Troubleshooting........................................................................................ 23

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Package Contents
The AV500 Powerline Adapter package contains the following items:
One AV500 Powerline Adapter (There are two AV500 Powerline Adapters in Starter Kit)
One RJ45 Ethernet Cable (There are two RJ45 Ethernet Cables in Starter Kit)
One Resource CD
This Guide
Management Utility
Note:
Make sure that the package contains the above items. If any of the above items are damaged or missing,
please contact your dealer immediately.

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Chapter 1 Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of this outstanding Powerline Adapter. This device is an AV500
Powerline Adapter which transforms your house’s existing electrical wiring into a ubiquitous networking
infrastructure. Simply plug this AV500 Powerline 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 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 Adapter uses the existing power lines installed in a
home as a path to transmit digital data, voice, audio and video between devices.
To ensure data communication’s security and multimedia applications, this Powerline Adapter support
built-in 128-bit AES encryption and Quality of Service (QoS) features.With minimum setup, you can
install and use this Powerline Adapter within minutes. The adapter adds two useful functions.
1．Existing connection with a new unassociated device added via the Pair button.
2．Reset to default setting via the Management Utility.
1.1 Conventions
The powerline adapter or AV500 Powerline Adapter mentioned in this guide stands for TL-PA411 AV500
Powerline Adapter without any explanation.
1.2 System Requirement
a) At least two power outlets (100–240V~) with standard home power wiring
b) A computer with the following:
Operating System with TCP/IP installed
Pentium III compatible processor and above
Ethernet LAN card installed with TCP/IP protocol
64 MB RAM or more
50 MB of free disk space (Minimum)
CD-ROM Drive
1.3 Important Safety Instructions
1. Do not open this product or attempt to service it; it may expose you to dangerous high voltage or
other risks.
2. Do not operate this product near water.
3. Do not place or operate this product near a radiator or a heat register.
4. Do not expose this product to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids.
5. Do not connect this product or disconnect it from a wall socket during a lightning or a thunderstorm
6. Do not block the ventilation slots of this product, for insufficient airflow may harm it.
7. Do not put anything on this product.

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8. Plug this product directly into a wall socket (100–240V~). Do not use an extension cord between this
product and the AC power source.
9. When plugging this product into a wall socket, make sure that the electrical socket is not damaged,
and that there is no gas leakage.
10. Place the connecting cables properly so that people won’t stumble or walk on it.
11. This product 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 this product 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 this product from the wall socket before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Do not use
liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.
14. The specification of the fuse is T4AL250V. To avoid damage, please do not change the fuse.
15. The Operating temperature is 0 ~4℃0 (32~10℃℉4)℉.
16. The Storage temperature is -40 ~70℃℃(-40 ~158 )℉℉.

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Chapter 2 Connecting Mechanism
2.1 Introduction
The Powerline Adapter supports up to 500Mbps data rate. With this high speed connection rate, this
Powerline Adapter allows you to setup a high speed home network by using your home existing
electrical wiring. Simply plug this Powerline Adapter into an ordinary power outlet to extend your
Cable/xDSL broadband connection or existing LAN network to any other electrical outlet in any rooms of
your house.
Note that this Powerline Adapter works in pairs. You need to plug one Powerline Adapter into a power
outlet for each computer (Connect to the computer LAN card) you want to connect (Network access);
you will also need another Powerline Adapter connected to your Cable/xDSL broadband (Ethernet port)
in order to extend your broadband connection or Internet surfing. With clean powerline, the distance
between two Powerline Adapters can reach 300 meters at lease, but the actual distance may vary due
to the environment.
Section below describes the Powerline Adapter’s LED indicators, physical interface and hardware
connection mechanism.
2.2 LED Indicator
The LED indicator displays information about the device’s status.
Item Status Indication
On The adapter is on.
Blinking The adapter is in power-saving mode or in pairing
procedure.
Power LED
Off The adapter is off.

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On The adapter is connected to a powerline network.
Blinking The adapter is transferring data.
Powerline LED
Off The adapter isn’t connected to any powerline network
or is in power-saving mode.
On The Ethernet port is connected, but there is no data
being transferred.
Blinking The Ethernet port is transferring data.
Ethernet LED
Off The Ethernet port isn’t connected.
Note:
5 minutes after the device connected to the adapter is turned off, and the adapter will automatically
switch to the power-saving Mode.
2.3 Physical Interface
There are three physical interfaces on this Powerline Adapter.
Interface Description
Ethernet Port
A 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for connecting the adapter to the PC or the
broadband device with a network cable.
Power Plug* A Power Plug for connecting the adapter to a power socket (100–240V~).
Pair Button
Pair button is used to secure a powerline network. To secure your
network, please follow the steps below. Firstly, plug in a new adapter, and
press its pair button for 1 second; then plug in another adapter and press
its pair button for 1 second as well. The two buttons should be pressed
within 2 minutes of each other. After that, wait about 60 seconds so that
the two adapters can finish connecting.
Ethernet Port
Pair Button
Power Plug

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Note:
1. If the pair button is pressed till all the LEDs turn off (about 10 seconds), the Powerline Adapter will
leave the network which it is associated with and its network name assumes a random value. The
Power LED turns off when it disconnects from the Powerline network.
2. For detailed information about the Pair button, please refer to Chapter 5 Advanced Feature: How to
Use the Pair Button.
2.4 Connection Instruction
To ensure the optimum performance of the Powerline Adapter and significantly improve the transmission
capacity of the network, we recommend that you comply with the following connection rule:
Plug the Powerline Adapter directly into a wall socket but not the multiple sockets.
2.5 Hardware Connection – Computer
For those computers you wish to be networked by Powerline Adapter, each of the computers must be
properly connected with a Powerline Adapter through an Ethernet (RJ45) cable.
Following are the steps to properly connect the Powerline Adapter to your computer:
1．Connect one end of the provided Ethernet (RJ45) cable to the Powerline Adapter’s Ethernet port.
2．Connect the other end of the Ethernet (RJ45) cable to you computer’s LAN port.
3．Plug the Powerline Adapter into a wall socket next to the computer.
4．Turn on your computer.
5．Check and confirm that the Power LED and Ethernet LED on the Powerline Adapter are
ON.
The hardware connection mechanism is shown below:

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2.6 Hardware Connection – Internet
This section describes how to connect the Powerline Adapter into your existing ADSL broadband
connection via ADSL Ethernet port. Follow the procedures described below to connect the Powerline
Adapter to your ADSL broadband connection:
1．Connect one end of the provided Ethernet (RJ45) cable to the Powerline Adapter’s Ethernet port.
2．Connect the other end of the Ethernet (RJ45) cable to an available Ethernet port of your ADSL
broadband Router.
3．Plug the Powerline Adapter into a wall socket next to the computer.
4．Turn on your computer.
5．Check and confirm that the Power LED, Ethernet LED, and Powerline LED on the
Powerline Adapter are ON.
The hardware connection mechanism is shown below:

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Note:
Do not connect the Powerline adapter to an extension lead, power strip, extension cord, or surge
protector as these may degrade the network performance.

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Chapter 3 Installing Management Utility
Please verify that no other Powerline Adapter or any Encryption Management Utilities are installed
before installing the provided software. If other Powerline Utilities are installed, uninstall them and
restart your personal computer before installing this provided software.
Note:
To install PowerLine Utility, please make sure that WinPcap (version 4.1.2 or higher) has been installed
in your computer. Otherwise, a window will pop up for you to install WinPcap 4.1.3.
Take the following procedures to properly install the provided Management Utility:
Step 1: Insert the Resource CD into your CD-ROM drive, and then the following Setup Wizard will
automatically pop up on your computer’s screen.
Step 2: Select 500Mbps Powerline and click Management Utility, and then the program installation
process will carry out and copy all the necessary files to your system.

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Step 3: After the installation, a shortcut to the “Powerline Utility” application icon is provided on the
windows desktop.

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Chapter 4 Using the Management Utility
After you’d successfully installed the Powerline Adapter hardware and Management Utility software, you
can set up or configure the devices according to your need.
This Powerline Utility enables the users to identify powerline devices on the powerline network,
measures data rate performance and ensures privacy by setting user defined secure powerline
networks.
Double click on the icon “” from your windows desktop, the following screen will display.
This Management Utility consists of a four property tabs, “Status”, “Network”, “Advanced” and
“System”.
4.1 Status
The Status tab shows information of the powerline adapter connected to the current computer where
the Management Utility is running. On this page, you can also set its network name.

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MAC Address: Displays the MAC address of the powerline adapter connected to the current
computer where this management utility is running.
Network Name: Displays the network name of the current network or you can give a name for the
network in which the powerline adapter is. By default, the network name is HomeplugAV.
Use Default (HomePlugAV): Check the box before this item to use the default network name.
Apply: Click the Apply button to make the setting effective.
Password: Displays the password of the current powerline adapter. Every powerline adapter has
its own password by default, which can be also found on the back of the adapter.
Firmware: Displays the current firmware version used by the adapter.
Refresh: Click the Refresh button to update the information.
4.1.1 Set Local Device’s Network Name
To set the local device’s network name, please take the following steps:
(1) Click Status tab to display the Status tab window.
(2) Enter a name for the current network using 4~23 characters. Or you can check the Use Default
(HomePlugAV) to use the default name as the network name. By default, the network name is
HomeplugAV.
(3) Click the Apply button to make the settings take effect.

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4.2 Network
The Network tab window shows information of all the powerline adapters found on the current logical
network. Furthermore, here you can change the Name of the listed powerline adapters as well as add
another device to the current network.
Type: Displays the type of the remote device found in the network.
Name: Displays the name of the remote device found in the network. You can change its name
following two steps: select the desired adapter and click the Modify button.
MAC Address: Displays the MAC address of the remote device found in the network.
Password: Displays the supplied Powerline Adapter’s password (Initially left blank). To set the
Powerline Adapter password (Which is required when creating a private network or managing all
the devices), select the device shown in the figure and click the Modify button. Follow the pop-up
dialog box to complete your password setting.
Rate: Shows the current transmission rate of the Powerline Adapter.
Rescan: Click the “Rescan” button to perform an immediate search of the remote Powerline
Adapter. The Management Utility will automatically perform the scanning process and update the
display every few seconds by default.
Option: Select the device and click the Modify button to display a configuration dialog. There you
can change the corresponding adapter’s name and enter its password for future configuration.

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4.2.1 Rename the Remote Device/Enter Password
You can change the name of the remote adapter to an easy-to-remember one. Additionally, you can
select the desired adapter and enter its password (Take note of the password format) so as to set the
network name of this device on System configuration homepage. To change the name of the remote
adapter or enter its password, please follow the steps below:
(1) Select the desired device and click the Modify button to display the following dialog.
(2) Enter a new name for the selected adapter and enter its password (Take note of the password
format). The password can be found on the back of adapter.
(3) Click the Save button to make the settings effective.
Note:
Password is unnecessary to enter for renaming.
4.2.2 Add Device
You can add a remote Powerline Adapter to your network that is not in the displayed list. You are
suggested to locate the passwords for all Powerline Adapters you wish to manage and add them to the
local logical network by clicking the Add button.
Click the Add button to display the following dialog box. This dialog box allows you to enter both the
selected device’s name and password. Note that the Powerline Adapter must be present on the power
grid in order to activate the set password and be added to the local network.
Enter your Device Name and Password (Take note of the password format) and click the Save button
after setup.