XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide NETGEAR, Inc.
© 2009 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved. Technical Support See the support information card that shipped with your product. By registering your product at http://www.netgear.com/ register, we can provide you with faster expert technical support and timely notices of product and software upgrades. NETGEAR, INC. Support Information Phone: 1-888-NETGEAR, for US & Canada only. For other countries, see your Support information card. E-mail: support@netgear.com website: http://www.netgear.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Do not spill food or liquids on your system components, and never operate the product in a wet environment. If the system gets wet, see the appropriate section in your troubleshooting guide or contact your trained service provider. Do not push any objects into the openings of your system. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components. Use the product only with approved equipment.
Safety and Regulatory Notices FCC Statement The XAV101 has been tested and complies with the specifications for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Contents XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide About This Manual Conventions, Formats, and Scope ..................................................................................... i Chapter 1 Installation and Basic Configuration Package Contents ..........................................................................................................1-1 How the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Fits in Your Network .......................................1-2 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter ..........
Chapter 3 Troubleshooting Product Registration, Support, and Documentation .......................................................3-1 Basic Functioning ...........................................................................................................3-1 Troubleshooting Tips ......................................................................................................3-2 Problems After Changing Network Encryption Key ........................................................
About This Manual The NETGEAR® XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide describes how to install, configure and troubleshoot the XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter. The information in this manual is intended for readers with intermediate computer and Internet skills. Conventions, Formats, and Scope The conventions, formats, and scope of this manual are described in the following paragraphs: • • Typographical Conventions.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide • Scope. This manual is written for the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter according to these specifications: Product Version XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Manual Publication Date January 2009 Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. website at http://www.netgear.com/support. ii v2.
Chapter 1 Installation and Basic Configuration This chapter describes the XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter and explains how to install it and to use the Security button to customize the encryption. For information about using the XAV101 configuration utility to configure Powerline security or to prioritize Powerline network traffic with Quality of Service (QoS) features, see Chapter 2, “Using the XAV101 Configuration Utility.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide How the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Fits in Your Network You can use Powerline AV Ethernet Adapters to extend your Ethernet network anywhere in your house using your existing electrical power line. The following figure shows an example of a Powerline network with two Powerline devices.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter The following illustration shows the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter front and side panels: Security button Power light Reset button Powerline light Ethernet light Ethernet port Figure 1-2 The following table describes the buttons, status lights, and port. Table 1-1. Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Description Item Description Power Light • Solid green. The electrical power is on. • Blinking green.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Table 1-1. Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Description (continued) Item Description (continued) Security button Configure security (see “Using the Security Button to Change the Default Encryption Key in Your Network” on page 1-7). Reset button To reset, use a sharp object such as a pen or a paper clip to briefly press this button (for 2 seconds). The adapter automatically returns to factory default settings, and then restarts.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide • Do not connect the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter to a power strip, extension cord, or surge protector as this might prevent it from working correctly, or degrade the network performance. • Use an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch to avoid someone unknowingly turning off the power to the outlet.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 4. Wait up to 80 seconds for each Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter to be recognized by the Powerline network. The Power, Ethernet, and Powerline lights should turn on. For details about how the lights work, see Table 1-1 on page 1-3. 5. Make sure that each computer connected to a Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter can use the Powerline network. For example, access the Internet from a remote computer. If there is a problem, see “Basic Functioning” on page 3-1.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide • Use the XAV101 Configuration Utility, on your Resource CD, to configure your Powerline network with a network encryption key that you specify. If you are already using HomePlug devices then you might need to use this utility. See Chapter 2, “Using the XAV101 Configuration Utility. Using the Security Button to Change the Default Encryption Key in Your Network Follow these steps: 1.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 1-8 Installation and Basic Configuration v2.
Chapter 2 Using the XAV101 Configuration Utility This chapter explains how to use the XAV101 Configuration Utility. You can use this utility to configure encryption for your Powerline network and to use quality of service (QoS) features to prioritize Powerline network traffic.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide If the CD does not start automatically: • Go to My Computer on the Windows Start menu, and double-click the drive that represents the location of the Resource CD or • Select the CD drive, and click the Autorun.exe executable file. 2. Click Install Software to display the Welcome screen: Figure 2-2 3. Click Next, and follow the wizard prompts. When the wizard is done, the following screen displays: Figure 2-3 4. Click Finish.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Main Tab You can start the XAV101 Configuration Utility by clicking the XAV101 icon on your desktop, or from the Windows Program menu. The XAV101 Configuration Utility displays its Main tab: 4 Figure 2-4 Note the message at the bottom of the screen regarding the power saving feature. If the unit goes into power saving mode, the configuration utility will not find it. Keeping an connected Ethernet cable plugged into the device will keep it active.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Table 2-1. Configuration Utility Main Tab (continued) Field or Button Description Quality This indicates the type of traffic that can be handled smoothly: HD Video, DVD Video, or Data. • HD Video. The device can handle high-definition video traffic smoothly. This status will be shown if the transmit and receive link speed is greater than 80 Mbps. • SD Video. The transmit and receive link speed is greater than 50 Mbps. • Data.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 1. Go to the XAV101 program group and select the Upgrade Tool. Figure 2-5 2. Click Next to proceed. Figure 2-6 The Upgrade Tool finds the adapter. 3. Follow the screen prompts to proceed with the upgrade. Note: If the firmware on the attached adapter is already up-to-date, the Upgrade Tool will notify you accordingly. 4. At the end, click Finish when done. Repeat this process to upgrade all the adapters in your network.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Resetting to Factory Defaults This option returns the network encryption key to its default value of HomePlugAV. Only one device at a time can be reset. Note: If you customized your network encryption key, the local Powerline device will be disconnected from the network when you reset it to the factory default. To avoid this problem, reset all remote devices before you reset the local device. 2-6 Using the XAV101 Configuration Utility v2.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide To reset all the devices in your network to the factory defaults: 1. On the Main tab, click the device name for a remote Powerline device to highlight it. Figure 2-7 2. Click Factory Reset, and a confirmation message displays. 3. Click OK to reset the device. A message indicates whether or not the operation succeeded. 4. After you have reset each device, check that the Main tab lists all devices in the network.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Changing the Network Encryption Key You can specify the network encryption key from the Security tab: Figure 2-8 1. To change the encryption key for a remote device, you must enter the password for the device. The password is printed on the product label. 2. Click the device name for a remote Powerline device to highlight it in blue.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 3. Click Enter Password, and the following message displays: Figure 2-9 The device password is on the product label. 4. Enter the device password, and then click OK. 5. Select the check box next to the Device Name column. 6. Type the network encryption key into the Apply the Encryption Key setting field, and click Set Selected Devices. 7. Select the Main tab, and click Scan. Check that the devices in the Powerline network appear in the device list.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Adding a Device from a Locally Connected Computer Follow these steps: 1. Plug the new Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter into an available AC power outlet. Connect the Ethernet cable that came with the adapter to the adapter’s Ethernet port and an Ethernet port on the computer. 2. Start the XAV101 Configuration Utility, which displays its Main tab. Wait for the utility to detect the new device. 3. Click the Security tab. Figure 2-10 4.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Returning to the Default Network Encryption Key Follow these steps: 1. Plug the new device into an AC power outlet. 2. Start the XAV101 Configuration Utility and wait for the utility to detect the devices in your Powerline network. Check that all the devices in the established network are displayed on the Main tab. Note: Before you can reset a remote device, you must enter its password. The password is printed on the product label. 3.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 5. Select the Main tab, and then click Scan. Check that all devices are detected with your network encryption key. Prioritizing Traffic on the Powerline Network By default, all types of traffic on the Powerline network are assigned the same priority. For most applications, this works fine. However, there are situations where performance improves if you assign a higher priority to certain types of traffic, such as multimedia files.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 2. Select the QoS (Quality of Service) tab. Figure 2-11 Note: QoS settings are applied to only the device that is selected on the QoS tab. 3. Specify the priority in the Configure Advanced QoS Settings section of the screen: 4. To set the traffic prioritization rule into the selected Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter device, click Apply. These options only apply to QoS-configured business networks. IEEE 802.1p uses prioritization bits in Layer-2 frames.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Diagnostics Tab The Diagnostics tab shows system information and a device history table: Figure 2-12 You can delete a device from the device history, save a report, or print a report. 2-14 Using the XAV101 Configuration Utility v2.
Chapter 3 Troubleshooting This chapter gives information about troubleshooting your XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter. Product Registration, Support, and Documentation Register your product at http://www.netgear.com/register. Registration is required before you can use our telephone support service. Product updates and Web support are always available by going to: http://www.netgear.com/support.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Troubleshooting Tips The following table lists problems and recommendations. Problem Recommendation Power light is off. Make sure that power is supplied to the electrical outlet, and the Powerline device is not plugged into an extension cord, power strip, or surge protector. Powerline light is off. The devices cannot find each other.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 1. Open the XAV101 Configuration Utility and select the Security tab. Figure 3-1 2. Select the local device. 3. For each remote device, enter its password (printed on the product label), and then select it. 4. Click the Use Default (Public Network) button, and then click the Set Selected Devices button. 5. Select the Main tab, and check that the utility detects all the Powerline AV Ethernet Adapters in your Powerline network.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide 3-4 Troubleshooting v2.
Appendix A Technical Specifications This appendix provides technical specifications for the XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter. Network Protocol and Standards Compatibility Data and Routing Protocols: IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), IEEE 802.3u (100BASE-Tx) Power Power Consumption: 4W Physical Specifications Dimensions: Height: 98 mm Width: 72 mm Depth: 40 mm Weight: 0.4 lbs (0.
XAV101 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter User Guide Electromagnetic Emissions Meets requirements of: FCC Part 15 Class B; CE-EMC Class B; 3-home FCC Certificate Safety Agency Approvals Meets requirements of: UL Listed (UL 1950) /cUL IEC950; CE LVD; TUV CB A-2 Technical Specifications v2.
