TP-Link TL-PA9020P User manual

REV1.0.1 1910011760
TL-PA9020P
User Guide
AV2000 2-port Gigabit Passthrough Adapter

Contents
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1. Get to Know About Your Powerline Adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1. 1. Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. Product Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2. Use the Powerline Adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. 1. How the Powerline Adapter Extend Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. 2. Set Up a New Powerline Network - Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. 3. Secure Your Powerline Network - Pairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. 4. Add a Powerline Adapter to an Existing Powerline Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. 5. Manage Your Powerline Network Using tpPLC Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1
About This Guide
This guide is a complementation of Quick Installation Guide. The Quick Installation
Guide instructs you on quick Internet setup, and this guide provides details of each
function and shows you the way to configure these functions appropriate to your
needs.
When using this guide, please notice that features of the powerline adapter may vary
slightly depending on the model and software version you have, and on your location,
and language. All images, parameters and descriptions documented in this guide are
used for demonstration only.
Conventions
In this guide, the following conventions are used:
Convention Description
Blue Italic Hyperlinks are in blue italic. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific
section.
Blue Contents to be emphasized and texts on the web page are in blue, including the
menus, items, buttons, etc.
Note: Ignoring this type of note might result in a malfunction or damage to the device.
Tips: Indicates important information that helps you make better use of your device.
More Info
• The latest software, management app and utility can be found at Download Center at
http://www.tp-link.com/support.
• The Quick Installation Guide (QIG) can be found where you find this guide or inside
the product package.
• Specifications can be found on the product page at http://www.tp-link.com.
• A Technical Support Forum is provided for you to discuss our products at http://forum.
tp-link.com.
• Our Technical Support contact information can be found at the Contact Technical
Support page at http://www.tp-link.com/support.

Chapter 1
Get to Know About Your
Powerline Adapter
This chapter introduces what the powerline adapter can do and shows its appearance.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Product Overview
• Product Appearance

3
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Powerline Adapter
1. 1. Product Overview
What This Product Does
TP-LINK powerline adapter is a network expansion device. With the help of your home’s
existing electrical circuitry, it can extend Internet access to throughout your home.
2X2 MIMO with Beamforming
The HomePlug AV2 standard with 2X2 MIMO lets you enjoy higher powerline speeds,
greater stability, and improved network coverage throughout the home, particularly
for previously hard to reach outlets
The Integrated Power Socket
With the integrated power socket, you can still get power from the outlet for your other
devices. The built-in noise filter also helps to eliminate electrical signal noise that might
otherwise affect powerline transmission performance.
1. 2. Product Appearance
Note that the appearance of powerline adapters varies by region and version of the
product. Your powerline adapter might look different.
1. 2. 1. LED Legend
LEDs indicate the working status. For more details, please refer to the following table.
Name Status Indication
Power
On/Off The powerline adapter is on or off.
Blinking
Once every second: Pairing is in process.
Once every 3 seconds: Power-Saving Mode* is on.
Powerline
Yellow-
green
The powerline adapter is in a location with a good signal
strength.
Red The powerline adapter is in a location with a poor signal
strength. We recommend trying another wall socket.
Off The powerline adapter is not connected to any powerline
network or is in Power-Saving Mode.
Ethernet On/Off At least one Ethernet port is connected or no Ethernet port is
connected.

4
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Powerline Adapter
* Five minutes after the device connected to the adapter is turned off, the adapter will
automatically switch to Power-Saving Mode.
1. 2. 2. Physical Interface
Integrated Electrical Socket
Used as a pass-through AC outlet to power other devices. Its built-in noise filter also
reduces some electrical noise that may interfere with powerline performance.
Power Plug
The powerline adapter has a Power Plug which can connect to any (100V-240V~,
50/60Hz) power socket.
Pair Button
Press and hold the button for 1 second to join a powerline network. Go to Secure Your
Powerline Network - Pairing for more information.
Press and hold the button for about 8 seconds to leave the existing powerline network.
Press and hold the button for more than 15 seconds to reset the powerline adapter.
Ethernet Port
You can use an Ethernet cable to connect your wired device, such as computer, router,
or game console, to the Ethernet port of the powerline adapter .
Integrated Electrical Socket
Ethernet Port
Pair Button
Power Plug

Chapter 2
Use the Powerline Adapter
This chapter guides you on how to use the powerline adapter.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• How the Powerline Adapter Extend Your Network
• Set Up a New Powerline Network - Plug and Play
• Secure Your Powerline Network - Pairing
• Add a Powerline Adapter to an Existing Powerline Network
• Manage Your Powerline Network Using tpPLC Utility

6
Chapter 2 Use the Powerline Adapter
2. 1. How the Powerline Adapter ExtendYour Network
Generally, you need two powerline adapters to create the first powerline connection.
First, you hook up one of the adapters to your existing router, then connect a second
adapter to a device that has a network port, such as a desktop computer, a printer, or
a game console. After that, plug each adapter into a wall socket and you’re done. The
adapters turn the electrical wiring in between them into a network cable and extend
the network from one to the other.
After the first connection is established, you’ll need just one more powerline adapter
for each additional device that you want to add to the existing network.
For best performance, follow these guidelines when you plan the location of your
powerline adapters:
• Plug the powerline adapter directly into a wall socket. Do not plug the powerline
adapter into a power strip, extension cord, or surge protector.
Wall Outlet Power Strip
• Use the powerline adapter only in below directions.
• All powerline adapters should be on the same electrical wiring system.
• Avoid plugging powerline adapters near appliances that consume a lot of power,
such as washers, dryers, or refrigerators.

7
Chapter 2 Use the Powerline Adapter
2. 2. Set Up a New Powerline Network - Plug and Play
Use two powerline adapters to set up a new powerline network
in my house.
For example, I have a router in my house, but there are not
enough LAN ports to support all my wired devices. I don’t want
complex and expensive dedicated cabling. So I bought two
powerline adapters to extend the network via my household
electrical wiring.
1. Connect one of the powerline adapters to an available LAN
port of the router using an Ethernet cable.
2. Plug the powerline adapter into a wall socket.
3. Plug the second powerline adapter into a wall socket where
you want to add Internet access. Wait until the powerline
LED turns on.
.Note: If the Powerilne LED does not turn on, reset each powerline adapter to
its factory default settings. You can refer to How do I reset my powerline adapter?.
Then redo steps 1 to 3.
4. Connect your wired device, such as computer or game
console, to the powerline adapter using an Ethernet cable.
Powerline
Powerline Adapter
Powerline Adapter
Router
WAN LAN
1
2
3
4
Now enjoy the Internet!
I want to:
How can I
do that?
Done!

8
Chapter 2 Use the Powerline Adapter
2. 3. Secure Your Powerline Network - Pairing
A secure powerline network is necessary if you live in an apartment building where
multiple households share the same electrical wiring system. To prevent leaking your
network to others living on the same building, the TP-LINK powerline adapter comes
with a Pair button that helps create secure powerline connections between the multiple
units.
Plug and play provides you the quickest way to set up a powerline network. However,
all powerline devices in the network use the same default key, and anyone nearby with
a powerline network can potentially access to your network. After using the Pair button
between your powerline devices, your powerline network will be configured to use a
private encryption key. That is, your network is more secure after pairing.
.Note: You can create or join a secure powerline network using the Pair button on two devices at a time.
Set up security on my powerline network to prevent any
unauthorized access to my network.
For example, I have previously set up a powerline network by
plug and play. That is, anyone nearby using the same electrical
wiring system as me can potentially access to my network. I
want to secure my network.
1. Make sure that all of the powerline devices are plugged in
and their Power LEDs are solid on.
Tips: We recommend that you plug in the powerline devices near each other
when pairing.
2. Press the Pair button on one of the powerline devices for 1
second. The Power LED starts blinking.
3. Within two minutes, press the Pair button on the second
powerline adapter for 1 second. The Power LED starts
blinking. When the Powerline LED stays on, the pairing
process is done!
Pair Pair
A B
Blinking
On
Blinking
I want to:
How can I
do that?