ZyXEL Communications PLA4101 User manual

Quick Start Guide
www.zyxel.com
PLA Series
Powerline Ethernet Adapters
PLA4101, PLA4111, PLA4201, PLA4201 v2, PLA5205, PLA5215,
PLA5206, PLA5405
Utility Version 7.0.1
Edition 1, 05/2014
Default Network Name: HomePlugAV
Copyright © 2014 ZyXEL Communications Corporation
User’s Guide

PLA Series User’s Guide2
IMPORTANT!
READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USE.
KEEP THIS GUIDE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
Note: This guide is a reference for a series of products. Therefore some features or
options in this guide may not be available in your product.
Screenshots and graphics in this book may differ slightly from your product due to differences in
your product firmware or your computer operating system. Every effort has been made to ensure
that the information in this manual is accurate.
Related Documentation
•QuickStartGuide
The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains
information on making your hardware connections.

Table of Contents
PLA Series User’s Guide 3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................3
Part I: User’s Guide...........................................................................................5
Chapter 1
Introducing the PLA .............................................................................................................................7
1.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................7
1.2 LEDs ...................................................................................................................................................8
1.3 Standby Mode (Power Saving Mode) ................................................................................................10
1.4 Ways to Manage the PLA .................................................................................................................10
1.5 Expand Your Network with the PLA ..................................................................................................10
1.6 Security ............................................................................................................................................. 11
1.6.1 Passwords ...............................................................................................................................12
1.6.2 Setting Up Security ..................................................................................................................12
1.7 Multiple Networks ..............................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2
The RESET/ENCRYPT Button............................................................................................................14
2.1 RESET/ENCRYPT Button Overview .................................................................................................14
2.2 Adding Devices to a Powerline Network ...........................................................................................14
2.3 Removing a Device from a Powerline Network ................................................................................16
2.4 Multiple Separate Powerline Networks .............................................................................................17
2.5 PLAs With One Combination RESET/ENCRYPT Button ..................................................................17
2.6 PLAs with Separate RESET and ENCRYPT Buttons .......................................................................18
2.6.1 ENCRYPT Button Behavior .....................................................................................................18
2.6.2 RESET Button Behavior ..........................................................................................................19
Part II: Technical Reference............................................................................20
Chapter 3
Installing the Utility.............................................................................................................................22
3.1 Windows ............................................................................................................................................22
3.1.1 System Requirements .............................................................................................................22
3.1.2 Installing the Utility ...................................................................................................................22
3.2 Macintosh (Mac) ................................................................................................................................28
3.2.1 Supported OSs ........................................................................................................................28

Table of Contents
PLA Series User’s Guide
4
3.2.2 Installing the Utility ...................................................................................................................28
Chapter 4
The Configuration Utility....................................................................................................................31
4.1 Overview ...........................................................................................................................................31
4.1.1 Powerline Network Security .....................................................................................................31
4.1.2 Device Access Key (DAK) .......................................................................................................32
4.2 Starting the Configuration Utility ........................................................................................................32
4.3 Network Info Screen .........................................................................................................................32
4.3.1 Icon View .................................................................................................................................33
4.3.2 List View ..................................................................................................................................34
4.4 Configuration Screen .......................................................................................................................36
4.5 Advanced Screen ..........................................................................................................................37
4.6 About Screen ....................................................................................................................................40
Chapter 5
Powerline Network Setup Tutorial.....................................................................................................41
5.1 Overview ...........................................................................................................................................41
5.2 Important Terms ................................................................................................................................41
5.3 Accessing Your Powerline Adapter ...................................................................................................42
5.4 Adding a Powerline Adapter ..............................................................................................................42
5.5 Setting Up a New Network with a New Adapter ................................................................................44
5.6 Splitting a Network into Two Networks ..............................................................................................46
5.7 Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................48
Chapter 6
Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................................49
6.1 Power and Light Problems ................................................................................................................49
6.2 Configuration Utility Problems ...........................................................................................................50
6.3 Powerline Problems ..........................................................................................................................51
6.4 RESET/ENCRYPT Button Problems ................................................................................................51
Appendix A Customer Support ..........................................................................................................54
Appendix B Legal Information............................................................................................................60
Index ....................................................................................................................................................64

5
PART I
User’s Guide

6

PLA Series User’s Guide 7
CHAPTER 1
Introducing the PLA
1.1 Overview
This chapter introduces the main applications and features of your ZyXEL HomePlug AV compliant
powerline adapter, which is called “PLA” in this guide. The following generic icon is used to
represent all PLA models.
In this User’s Guide the electrical wiring network is referred to as the “powerline network”. The
HomePlug AV standard specifies how network devices communicate using standard electrical
wiring.
This User’s Guide covers the following models:
Table 1 PLA Comparison Table 1
PORT/FEATURE PLA4101 PLA4111 PLA4201 PLA4201 V2 PLA5205 PLA5215
One 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet port
One Gigabit Ethernet
port
AC Pass-Through
Reset/Encrypt Button
Reset Button
Encrypt Button
Maximum PHY Rate
over Powerline 200 Mbps 200 Mbps 500 Mbps 500 Mbps 600 Mbps 600 Mbps
Table 2 PLA Comparison Table 2
PORT/FEATURE PLA5206 PLA5405
One 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet port
One Gigabit Ethernet
port
AC Pass-Through
Reset/Encrypt Button
Reset Button
Encrypt Button
Maximum PHY Rate
over Powerline 900 Mbps 1200 Mbps

Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA
PLA Series User’s Guide
8
Note: In this guide RESET/ENCRYPT refers to the ENCRYPT button in PLAs that have
separate RESET and ENCRYPT buttons.
You can directly plug an electrical device (such as a router or computer) into PLAs with an AC power
pass-through socket to supply power to the device.
There are two types of hardware for each of the PLA4101 and PLA4201 v2 models:
• One has an Ethernet port on the top and a power plug at the bottom of the rear panel.
• One has an Ethernet port on the bottom and a power plug at the top of the rear panel.
The power plug varies depending on your region.
1.2 LEDs
The following sections describes the lights on the PLA.
The following figure is the front panel of the PLA. Use the lights to determine if the PLA is behaving
normally or if there are some problems on your powerline network.
Figure 1 PLA Lights
The following table describes the behavior of the lights on the PLA.
Table 3 LEDs: 200 Mbps Models
LIGHTS ICON COLOR STATUS DESCRIPTION
POWER Green On The PLA is on and receiving power.
It also indicates a successful connection using the RESET/
ENCRYPT button.
Blinking It indicates the PLA is trying to connect with another device
using the ENCRYPT function.
The Power LED blinks when it is in standby mode. Refer to
Section 1.3 on page 10 for details on this feature.
Off The PLA is not receiving power.

Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA
PLA Series User’s Guide 9
HomePlug Green On The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is greater than 40 Mbps.
Amber The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is between 12~40 Mbps.
Red The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is between 0~12 Mbps.
Green/
Amber/
Red
Blinking The PLA is communicating with another powerline adapter.
Data is being transmitted and/or received.
Off The HomePlug port does not detect another powerline
adapter.
ETHERNET Green On The ETHERNET port is on and ready and the PLA detects a
device connected to it.
Blinking The PLA is communicating with a networking device
connected to it.
Off The PLA does not detect any devices connected to its
ETHERNET port.
Table 4 LEDs: 500 / 600 / 900 / 1200 Mbps Models
LIGHTS ICON COLOR STATUS DESCRIPTION
POWER Green On The PLA is on and receiving power.
It also indicates a successful connection using the RESET/
ENCRYPT button.
Blinking It indicates the PLA is trying to connect with another device
using the ENCRYPT function.
The Power LED blinks when it is in standby mode. Refer to
Section 1.3 on page 10 for details on this feature.
Off The PLA is not receiving power.
HomePlug Green On The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is greater than 80 Mbps.
Amber The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is between 20~80 Mbps.
Red The PLA detects another powerline adapter. The data transfer
rate is between 0~20 Mbps.
Green/
Amber/
Red
Blinking The PLA is communicating with another powerline adapter.
Data is being transmitted and/or received.
Off The HomePlug port does not detect another powerline
adapter.
ETHERNET Green On The ETHERNET port is on and ready and the PLA detects a
device connected to it.
Blinking The PLA is communicating with a networking device
connected to it.
Off The PLA does not detect any devices connected to its
ETHERNET port.
Table 3 LEDs: 200 Mbps Models (continued)
LIGHTS ICON COLOR STATUS DESCRIPTION

Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA
PLA Series User’s Guide
10
1.3 Standby Mode (Power Saving Mode)
Your PLA is a certified green product. It goes into standby mode when there is no Ethernet
connection.
When you plug the PLA into an electric socket, it waits for an Ethernet connection. When no
connection is detected after sixty (60) seconds, the Power LED blinks indicating that it is going into
standby mode.
The same process occurs when you disconnect the PLA from a previously working Ethernet
connection. Sixty (60) seconds after disconnecting the Ethernet cable, the PLA’s power LED blinks
signalling that it is going into standby mode.
The Ethernet and HomePlug LEDs are turned off in standby mode.
While in standby mode, you cannot use the RESET/ENCRYPT button. To enable the RESET/
ENCRYPT button again, you have to connect the PLA’s Ethernet cable to a computer/notebook or
modem/router first. The PLA wakes up from standby mode and you can start using the RESET/
ENCRYPT button.
1.4 Ways to Manage the PLA
Use the RESET/ENCRYPT button to add powerline devices to your powerline network if they have
this button. See Chapter 2 on page 14 for instructions on using the ENCRYPT feature.
Use the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility (or utility, for short) to manage the PLA. See
Chapter 3 on page 22 for instructions on installing the utility.
1.5 Expand Your Network with the PLA
The PLA plugs into an ordinary power outlet to easily extend a cable or DSL broadband connection
or existing Ethernet (LAN) network to any other electrical outlet in any room of a house, all without
the need for any new cabling. Devices can securely communicate with each other at high data