Zinwell ZPL-200 User manual

ZPL-200/ZPL-204
User Manual
Powerline
Ethernet
Bridge +
Switch
200 Mbps
2.85 cm Thickness
Lowest Power
Best Performance
ZPL-200
Powerline Ethernet Bridge
ZPL-204
Powerline Ethernet Switch
V. 1.0.2

1
TABLE OF CONTENT
ORDERING INFORMATION ................................................................................................................ 2
INCLUDED ITEMS ............................................................................................................................. 3
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ................................................................................................ 5
FIRST THING TO KNOW BEFORE INSTALLATION ................................................................................ 6
AC outlets connection....................................................................................................... 6
Connection via power strip .............................................................................................. 8
Electrical interference ....................................................................................................... 8
Electrical wiring .................................................................................................................. 8
Note on installing PLC Device Utility software............................................................. 8
PRODUCT OUTLOOK ..................................................................................................................... 10
PRODUCT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 12
Sleep Mode ........................................................................................................................ 12
PRODUCT INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................... 13
Setting logical network group........................................................................................ 13
Remove a device from a logical network Group........................................................ 14
Setting different network Group.................................................................................... 14
Application 1 – local Powerline network among PCs ............................................... 14
Application 2 – PC to xDSL router connection........................................................... 16
Application 3 – Wireless Access Point range extensions ....................................... 18
Special Care for business installation ......................................................................... 19
SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................................................ 20
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)...................................................................................... 21
TROUBLE SHOOTING ..................................................................................................................... 24

2
ORDERING INFORMATION
The ZPL-200 device is a Powerline to Ethernet Bridge device (called Powerline Ethernet
Bridge hereafter), which converts the Ethernet packets from its Ethernet port to the
Powerline Communication packets (PLC packets), which run on home power lines, and
from PLC packets back to Ethernet packets.
The ZPL-204 device is a Powerline to four Ethernet port Switch device (called Powerline
Ethernet Switch hereafter), which converts the Ethernet packets from any of its Ethernet
port to PLC packets, and from PLC packets back to Ethernet packets.
Two or a single of above device or their combination is sold as a package. Please see the
following table and the INCLUDED ITEMS section.
Product model number for
ordering
Description
ZPL-200 Powerline to Ethernet Bridge,
single device package
ZPL-200D
Powerline to Ethernet Bridge,
dual device package
ZPL-204 Powerline to Ethernet Switch,
single device package
ZPL-204D
Powerline to Ethernet Switch,
dual device package
ZPL-200C
Powerline to Ethernet Bridge plus Powerline to
Ethernet Switch, combo package

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INCLUDED ITEMS
ZPL-200D
DUAL PACKAGE
ZPL-200
SINGLE PACKAGE
DEVICE
Two devices One device
ETHERNET
CABLE
Two cable One cable
CD
CD X 1
including
1. utility Software
2. Software user guide
CD X 1
including
1. utility Software
2. Software user guide

4
ZPL-204D
DUAL PACKAGE
ZPL-204
SINGLE PACKAGE
ZPL-200C
COMBO PACKAGE
DEVICE
2 devices, ZPL-204 1 device, ZPL-204 A ZPL-204 plus a ZPL-200
ETHERNET
CABLE
Two cable One cable Two cable
CD
CD X 1
including
1. utility Software
2. Software user guide
CD X 1
including
1.utility
Software
2.Software
user guide
CD X 1
including
1. utility Software
2. Software user guide

5
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This product is intended for connection to the AC power line. For installation instructions,
refer to the Installation section. The following precautions should be taken when using this
product.
Please read all instructions before installing and operating this product.
Please keep all instructions for later reference.
Please follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
For safety reason, when device is being powered on, this product should NOT be
installed in any electric socket which makes the surface with venting holes on
the product to face downward (facing the floor).
Unplug the Powerline device from the wall outlet before cleaning. Use a dry cloth
for cleaning. DO NOT use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.
DO NOT operates this product near water.
This product should never be placed near or over a radiator, or heat register.
This product relies on the building’s electrical installation for short-circuit (over current)
protection.
DO NOT allow anything to rest on the product interconnect plug. DO NOT locates this
product where people may walk on the cords.
Because this product sends data over the power line, it is recommended that you plug
directly into a power outlet. Do not plug the device into a UPS or power strip with surge
protection. The product has its own power filter for protection against surges.
Only a qualified technician should service this product. Opening or removing covers
may result in exposure to dangerous voltage points or other risks.
Unplug the product from the wall outlet and refer the product to qualified service
personnel for the following conditions:
When the interconnect cords are damaged or frayed.
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 exhibits a distinct change in performance.

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FIRST THING TO KNOW BEFORE INSTALLATION
This Powerline device sends data to and from each other over the existing electrical wiring
in your home, and may be affected by electrical noises or the length of the wiring at your
house. Keep the following in mind when placing this Powerline device at home.
AC outlets connection
Avoid connecting this device to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or backup power
supply device. For best results, we recommend connecting the adaptors directly to a wall
outlet. Avoid connecting high power-consumption appliances to the same wall outlet. Plug
these power consuming devices onto a noise filtering power strip to prevent these device
interfere with this Powerline device. See the following illustration figure:
For better performance, the following connection is recommended, although not isolate with
Noise filter power strip will still work OK.
The following connections are NOT recommended, although current PLC technology will
overcome most noise interference from electronic devices’ AC adapters or chargers.

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Connection via power strip
If you must connect this device to a power strip, please keep the following recommendation
in mind:
• Make sure the power strip does not have a noise filter or a surge protector, as these
features may impair communication signaling of the Powerline device sent over the
electric wiring, and its throughput or distance will be degraded.
• Use a power strip with an AC cord that is as short as possible.
• Do not connect the adaptor to a power strip that receives power from another power
strip.
Electrical interference
Certain electrical devices emit electrical noise. If this noise is spread over to the electrical
wiring in your home, it may interfere with the performance, speed, and reliability of this
device. For best results, we recommend connecting an electrical noise filter to noise
emitting appliances.
The following appliances are more likely to produce noise:
•Battery chargers (including cell phone chargers)
•Hair dryers
•Power drills
•Halogen light
•vacuum cleaner
Additionally, this product may interfere with the following appliance:
•Lights or lamps which have a touch-sensitive on/off feature
Electrical wiring
This device sends data to and from each other over the existing electrical wiring of your
house. If two wall outlets are separated by a great distance of electrical wiring, these
devices may not communicate well with each other. For more information, refer to the
troubleshooting section.
Note on installing PLC Device Utility software
PLC Device Utility Software can be used for setting For installing the PLC Device Utility

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Software on your PC, make sure your PC meets these requirements:
1. Your PC’s operating system should be one of the Microsoft Windows* 98SE, ME,
2000, XP, Vista.
2. Pentium® III 450 MHz processor, equivalent or higher
3. At least 256MB RAM
4. At least one free Ethernet port for this Powerline device.

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PRODUCT OUTLOOK
A. Top View
ZPL-200
Powerline Ethernet Bridge
ZPL-204
Powerline Ethernet Switch
B. Side View (ZPL-200 and ZPL-204 same)
F
our
Ethernet
Ports
A
Ethernet Port
Electrical plug
B C
D
A
C
E E
F
Venting holes
F
ace of Venting
holes (shouldn’t
face down when
device is
powered)
F
ace of
Venting holes
(shouldn’t face
down when
device is
powered)

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Item Item name Description
A PLC Link/ACT LED
On: Powerline Link Detected (*1)
Blinking:
(1) Powerline traffic detected (*1)
(2) Powerline device not in any logical
network.
Off: No Powerline traffic detected
BEthernet Link/ACT LED
On: Ethernet Link Detected
Blinking: Ethernet traffic detected
Off: No Ethernet Link detected
CPOWER LED
On: Power on
Blinking:
(1) Booting or
(2) Joining a device to another device’s
network.
Off: Power off
DHomePlug 1.0 DET LED
Blinking: HomePlug 1.0 Traffic detected
Off: HomePlug 1.0 not detected
EGROUP Button
Press 2 seconds to join a device into a
logical network or clear grouping information
FReset-to-factory-default
Button
Press to reset Firmware setting to Factory
default
*1 : The “PLC Link/ACT “ LED indicator turns “ON” when Powerline link is detected. If the device is serving as a STATION,
the LED indicator will flash to indicate transmit or receive Powerline activity. If the device is serving as a CCo (Central
Coordinator), the LED indicator will steadily light ON, even in the presence of Powerline activity.

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PRODUCT OVERVIEW
This Powerline device is virtually an Ethernet cable replacement and an Ethernet hub
replacement. Two of these Powerline Ethernet Bridge (Switch) devices can be used to
replace an Ethernet cable, for connecting any PC to another PC, PC to a DSL router, or a
wireless AP to a DSL device. Many of this devices can be connected together to form a
mesh communication. For example, three PCs can connect to a DSL router for accessing
internet via four of these Powerline devices, each PC to one of this Powerline device and
the DSL router to the fourth Powerline device.
Each Powerline device has predefined attributes such as DAK (device password) and
Powerline logical network group. Any device node in a logical network group can
communicate to any of the other nodes in the same group. Devices in different network
groups won’t be able to talk to one another. Max number of nodes in a Powerline logical
network group is defined in the SPECIFICATIONS section in this user’s manual. Powerline
network group is defined by its Network Name stored in the device. Each device is shipped
with default Public network name of HomePlugAV, and thus belong to the same logical
network and be able to communicate with each other.
If user finds two newly purchased devices are not able to communicate with each other,
please use the GROUP button on the device or the PLC Device Utility software inside
installation CD to assign the Powerline devices to a same network group before installing.
For using the GROUP button, please see first portion of the PRODUCT INSTALLATION
section. For using PLC Device Utility software, please refer to the PLC Device Utility User
Guide inside the CD included with the product.
Sleep Mode
If there is no Ethernet cable connected to the ZPL-200 over two minutes, the ZPL-200 will
go into sleep mode automatically to save power consumption and its POWER LED will blink
at 1 second ON and 1 second OFF period. To exit the sleep mode, insert the Ethernet cable
or plug the ZPL-200 again.
Note: 1. some computers support Wake up LAN function that it may cause our PLC can’t
enter the sleep mode. 2. ZPL-204 doesn't support sleep mode.

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PRODUCT INSTALLATION
Setting logical network group
Users can set HomePlug AV devices into one or many logical network groups. Devices in
the same logical network group will communicate with each other. Devices in different
network group won’t communicate with each others.
To make Powerline device B join device A’s logical network, do the following three steps:
(NOTE: it will be more convenient if user bring devices, which are to be configured into
same logical network group, side by side during the above procedures. After network is set,
the devices can be deployed anywhere at home)
Step 1. Firstly clear the logical network group of device B by pressing its GROUP
Button more than 10 seconds. After release the button, all LED lights
simultaneously blink off and on, showing start of procedure to clear network
group.
The following steps join device B to device A ‘s logical network:
Step 2. Firstly press GROUP Button of device A for 2 to 3 sec (make sure POWER
LED starts blinking).
Step 3. In less than two minutes after the previous step, press GROUP Button of
device B for 2 to 3 sec (make sure POWER LED starts blinking). After 8 ~ 10
sec, device B will connect well to device A.
This way, Powerline device B joins same logical network as device A. Users can join device
C to device A’s logical network with same procedures above. Thus device C joins well into
device A’s logical network, and device B is also in device A’s logical network. Thus device A,
B, and C are in the same logical network group. Users can assign as many Powerline
devices into this logical network group as possible with the maximum number described in
the SPECIFICATION section.

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Remove a device from a logical network Group
For example, device A and device B are in the same logical network group, if uses want to
remove device A from this logical network group, just follow the procedure in Step 1 by
pressing the GROUP button of device A for 10 seconds. This will make device A not able to
communicate with device B. If users want to remove a device from a logical network group
of 3 or more devices, just operate the GROUP button of this device as in Step 1.
Setting different network Group
To remove device B from the logical network of device A, just do Step 1 as above. This way,
a random network key is generated and which is different from device A’s network name. By
adding other devices to device B’s network group or to device A’s network group using
same procedures as Step 2 and 3, users can form two groups of logical network.
The following are some application examples and their installations.
Application 1 – local Powerline network among PCs
Using the included Powerline devices for connecting computers in different rooms or floors
at home!
Installation procedure:
Connect the included Powerline device to a PC, such as shown in Room A of the following
two pictures. If users buy the package which includes two Powerline devices (dual or
combo package), please connect another included Powerline device with another PC like
those shown in Room B of the following two pictures. If the user buys a single device
package, which includes only one Powerline device, she/he will be able to create Powerline
network by using other HomePlug AV bridge device at the other room (like those shown in
Room B of the following two pictures). The Room A of the second picture in the following
shows multiple network devices connect to ZPL-204, then to the Notebook PC in Room B.

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Application 2 – PC to xDSL router connection
Use the included Powerline devices for connecting multiple PC or Ethernet devices to an
xDSL router at any other room!
Installation procedure:
Connect the included Powerline device to a PC like picture shown in Room A. If users buy
the package which includes two Powerline devices (dual or combo package), please
connect another included Powerline device with a broadband xDSL router like the picture
shown in Room B. The Room A of the second picture in the following shows multiple
network devices link to the xDSL router in Room B via a single Powerline Ethernet Switch
device ZPL-204.
If the user buy a single device package, which includes only one Powerline device, she/he
will be able to make Powerline network by using other HomePlug AV bridge device at the
other room (like the picture shown in Room B of the following two pictures).

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Note: Under good power line signal conditions, Room A and Room B can be many rooms
away from each other without communication problem. (See the FAQ section)

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Application 3 – Wireless Access Point range extensions
Sometimes, a PC using wireless LAN on one floor of a concrete house can not access the
wireless AP router installed on different floors. Using the included Powerline Ethernet
devices will overcome this problem!
Installation procedure:
Connect the included Powerline device to a wireless Access Point like picture shown in
Room A. If users buy the package which includes two Powerline devices (dual or combo
package), please connect another included Powerline device with a broadband xDSL
router like the picture shown in Room B. If the user buy a single device package, which
includes only one Powerline device, she/he will be able to create Powerline network by
using other HomePlug AV bridge device at the other room (like the picture shown in Room
B of the following two pictures).

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Special Care for business installation
We DO NOT recommend these Powerline devices for business environments due to
several uncertainties which degrade Powerline performance or block its operation. This
device has NO GUARANTEE to operate in a business environment such as offices or
factories. However many businesses will find it an inexpensive solution to implement
networking with no costly changes to wiring infrastructure.
The distance between two Powerline devices is limited by the noise in the electrical wiring
in that business environment. Interference may be intermittent, for example highest at one
time of day, or one day of the week. Normally, a business environment covers a wider area
than the recommended home application. Electric wiring in a business environment may be
very possible to involve more than one power meter system, which sometimes cause
communication difficulties of Powerline devices.