Comtrend Corporation PowerGrid 902 User Manual
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Comtrend Corporation PowerGrid 902 User Manual

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  • Page 1 Powerline Ethernet Adapter User Manual UK type...
  • Page 2 Please be responsible and protect our environment. Copyright Copyright© 2008 Comtrend Corporation. All rights reserved. The information contained herein is proprietary to Comtrend Corporation. No part of this document may be translated, transcribed, or reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of Comtrend Corporation.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction Chapter 2 - Basics Device Layout Front Panel Default Settings Chapter 3 - Quick Setup Internet Connection Computer Connection Chapter 4 - Network Performance Point-to-Point Network Point to Multipoint Network Neighboring Networks Chapter 5 - Web User Interface 5.1 IP Configuration 5.1.1 Fixed IP...

  • Page 4: Chapter 1 - Introduction

    Throughput Indicator - A tri-color Status LED that shows estimated data throughput in the application layer Rear Socket with AC Filter - Plug the PowerGrid 902 into a power outlet without losing use of the outlet for other applications.

  • Page 5: Chapter 2 - Basics

    Chapter 2 - Basics Device Layout The following figure shows the physical layout of the PowerGrid 902 adapter. the yellow port the yellow port located on top located on top AP/STBY ETHERNET STATUS FRONT PANEL FRONT PANEL CONFIG RESET STBY...

  • Page 6: Front Panel

    Front Panel This table provides descriptions of the front panel buttons and LEDs. Button Function CONFIG/RESET Press for “One Button Security Setup”. (Security Setup / Holding down the button for a long period Factory Reset) will result in a “Factory Reset”. ON/SBY Used to switch the adapter between ON and (Power ON / STANDBY (Power Saving) modes. Turning Standby button)

  • Page 7: Default Settings

    Default Settings The factory default settings are presented below. • Network Mode is AP (Public) • IP Configuration is DHCP • MAC Type is In-Home AV • Node type is End Point • Configuration password = admin • Factory Reset password = admin • Fixed IP address = 10.10.1.69 • Fixed IP subnet mask = 255.255.0.0 • Default Gateway IP address = 192.168.1.105 NOTE: These configuration settings can be customized using a web browser. For further instructions, see Chapter 5 Web User Interface.

  • Page 8: Chapter 3 - Quick Setup

    Internet. Internet Connection The steps below show how to connect a PowerGrid 902 unit to your modem. 1.Turn on your modem and wait for the Internet connection to become active.
  • Page 9 with an Ethernet cable. The ETHERNET LED on the unit should light up GREEN. AP UNIT CONFIGURATION A PowerGrid network consists of one AP (Access Point) unit connected to multiple EP (End Point) units. The AP unit controls access to the Internet and connects the EP units to the network. Follow step 4 (below) to configure the AP unit. 4. A s shown in figure 3, press the CONFIG/RESET button on the PowerGrid 902 unit. Wait for the AP/STBY LED to start blinking and then release it. Wait another thirty (30) seconds until it stops blinking and check the AP/STBY LED.

  • Page 10: Computer Connection

    If all else fails, contact your supplier or service provider for further assistance. Computer Connection The steps below show how to connect a PowerGrid 902 unit to your computer. 1.Turn on your computer. 2. Plug a PowerGrid 902 unit into the power socket closest to the computer. The Status LED should...
  • Page 11 EP UNIT CONFIGURATION As previously discussed, a PowerGrid network can have only one AP unit. This unit was configured in section 3.1. All other units must be set as EP units. To do so, follow these steps: 4.As shown in figure 5, press the CONFIG/RESET button on the AP unit until the AP/STBY LED starts blinking and then release it. You now have thirty (30) seconds to complete the EP set up. 5. B efore the AP unit AP/STBY LED stops blinking, press the CONFIG/RESET button on the PowerGrid 902 that you wish to configure as an EP unit. Wait for its AP/STBY LED to start blinking and then release the button. After a few seconds, the AP/STBY LED should...
  • Page 12 If the AP/STBY LED of the EP unit is now OFF, then proceed to step 6. If the AP/STBY LED of the EP unit is now ON, or just keeps blinking, you must press CONFIG/RESET for 15 seconds and then return to step 4. After several tries, if the AP/STBY LED of the EP unit does not remain OFF, then disconnect it from its power socket and from the computer, or other device. Select another EP unit, if possible, and repeat the process from step 2.
  • Page 13  Add another computer to the network by repeating steps 1-6  Stop here and start enjoying your secure PowerGrid network! NOTE: These PowerGrid 902 units keep their network security settings even after losing power, so that you don’t need to reset the network, when moving network devices or even after a power outage!

  • Page 14: Chapter 4 - Network Performance

    Chapter 4 - Network Performance The Status LED shows the estimated available level of throughput in the application layer. There are three levels of throughput indicated by three different LED colours. A particular adapter shows, with one colour, the throughput level with reference to the adapter sending the most data to it. In the case of a network consisting of two adapters, they always show the level of throughput with reference to the other.

  • Page 15: Point-To-Point Network

    Point-to-Point Network • CASE 1: Estimated throughput is less than 6 Mbps. The PLC channel is not able to transmit an SDTV channel. The STATUS LED will be RED as shown in the following figure: Set Top Box video server data flow AP/STBY AP/STBY ETHERNET ETHERNET STATUS STATUS CONFIG CONFIG RESET RES ET STBY Powerline Ethernet STBY Powerline Ethernet Adapter with Filt er...

  • Page 16: Point To Multipoint Network

    Set Top Box video server data flow AP/STBY AP/STBY ETHERNET ETHERNET STATUS STATUS CONFIG RES ET CONFIG RESET STBY Powerline Ethernet Adapter with Filt er STBY Powerline Ethernet Adapter with Filt er Status indicator blinking GREEN adapter  adapter  Estimated throughput <  Mbps Point to Multipoint Network In the case where the PLC network is composed of three or more adapters, similar situations could arise as with a point-to-point network.

  • Page 17: Neighboring Networks

    the status LED in PLC adapter 3 could show the level with reference to the PLC adapter 1 link, as shown in the following figure. video server Set Top Box Estimated throughput >  Mbps AP/STBY data flow  AP/STBY ETHERNET ETHERNET STATUS STATUS CONFIG CONFIG RESET RES ET STBY Powerline Ethernet STBY Powerline Ethernet Adapter with Filt er...
  • Page 18 sees a new neighbouring network (network 2), and a new evaluation of throughput is made to show the user that channel conditions have changed and available bandwidth has decreased: PLC NETWORK  Set Top Box video server data flow AP/STBY AP/STBY ETHERNET ETHERNET STATUS STATUS CONFIG RESET CONFIG RESET...

  • Page 19: Chapter 5 - Web User Interface

    Chapter 5 - Web User Interface The web-based user interface (WUI) provides information about your PowerGrid 902 units and can also be used to configure or reset their settings. The WUI is accessed using a JavaScript enabled web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. The instructions that follow assume the PowerGrid network has been configured correctly (i.e. according to the instructions in Chapter 3 or...
  • Page 20 STEP 1: Turn on your computer (and login, if necessary). STEP 2:From the desktop (as shown below), click on the Start button and select Network Connections. Next, double-click Local Area Connections to open its window and then click the Properties button. NOTE:You may also access this window by double-clicking the Local Area Connection icon on your taskbar. STEP 3:Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button.
  • Page 21 STEP 4:Check the settings in the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box (shown on the far right in the figure above). Make sure to record all the settings you see here, as you will need to reset them later. STEP 5:If the “Obtain an IP address automatically” radio button is selected, then your PC is configured in DHCP mode.
  • Page 22 Click OK STEP 7: Close the previous two windows. Since you made changes, click OK, but not Cancel! You then must wait for the LAN connection to reset. After the connection recovers, you should check the connection status on the support tab of the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, as shown below.

  • Page 23: Dhcp Server

    5.1.2 DHCP Server Now that we have configured the computer IP configuration, we now need a DHCP server to provide IP addresses to the PowerGrid units. We recommend using TFTPd32, which is free software you can use for this purpose. It is available on the Internet at http://tftpd32.jounin.net. A screenshot of the website is shown below with the download link indicated.
  • Page 24 Once you have downloaded and installed this software please proceed with the instructions on the next page: STEP 1:There should now be a new TFTPd32 program icon on your desktop or in the All Programs folder found in the Windows START menu. Open TFTPd32 by clicking this icon. STEP 2:Various functions are accessible from tabs in the Tftpd32 window.
  • Page 25 STEP 4:Restart Tftpd32 and return to the DHCP server tab, as shown. You will now (or very soon) see several items listed in the box at the bottom. Look for any devices with a MAC address starting with “00:1D:20”.
  • Page 26 In the example above, there are two PowerGrid units: MAC address: 00:1D:20:20:0D:15 with an IP of 10.0.0.1 MAC address: 00:1D:20:20:0D:12 with an IP of 10.0.0.3 Every PowerGrid 902 unit has a small label on the plug-side of the unit, with address listed under...

  • Page 27: Login Screen

    your router from the network and reset the affected units (by holding down the CONFIG/ RESET button for 15 seconds. You may also need to close and restart the Tftpd32 program to make the DHCP server search once more for the missing units. Login Screen Perform the following steps to login to the WUI: STEP 1:Start the Internet browser and enter the IP...

  • Page 28: Wui Homepage

    following screen will appear. In this case, refresh the browser window (press F5 key) and try again. NOTE: You will also return to the screen above if you leave the WUI unattended for too long after login. In this instance, you must login again. WUI homepage If login is successful, you will arrive at the WUI homepage.

  • Page 29: Advanced Information

    See the table below for details. PLC Connections PLC PORT The PLC data connection port This is a code that identifies each PowerGrid unit. It can be found on MAC Address the back label of the unit below the barcode. Physical Transmission / Reception Phy Tx/Rx Throughput is a measure of network Throughput...

  • Page 30: System Information Screen

    5.4.1 System Information Screen This screen is shown above and details are provided in the table below. This shows the length of time the PowerGrid Uptime unit has been active. Firmware This shows PowerGrid installed Version firmware version. 5.4.2 Network Screen This screen shows the TCP/IP settings for this PowerGrid unit.

  • Page 31: Mac Screen

    Subnet Mask PowerGrid unit on the local area network. The IP address of the router that forwards Default Gateway traffic to a destination that is out of reach IP Address of the PowerGrid 902 unit. 5.4.3 MAC Screen This screen provides information for identification of the AP unit (MAC Address), in addition to PowerGrid network encryption details. This is a code that identifies each MAC Address PowerGrid unit.

  • Page 32: Phy Screen

    In Fixed AP mode, it shows a key in ASCII Encryption Key or HEX format. In AP mode it shows as Disabled. The possibilities are 3DES or 128/256 bit Encryption Type AES (Fixed AP) or None (AP mode) 5.4.4 PHY Screen This screen summarizes the physical parameters of the PLC network. This function minimizes the transmission power of each PowerGrid unit while Power Control maintaining data throughput performance.

  • Page 33: 5.5 Change Configuration

    Stop Frequency The notch stop frequency. (KHz) 5.5 Change Configuration This submenu provides network configuration functions and is further subdivided into the following screens: Network, Mac, Phy, Security, Hardware Reset and Upgrade. These are accessed with links located at right (as outlined in red below). 5.5.1 Network Screen The screen shown above provides options to configure the IP configuration of this PowerGrid 902 unit. The IP Configuration drop-down box has two options: DHCP and FIXED.

  • Page 34: Mac Screen

    5.5.2 MAC Screen This screen provides options to configure the AP unit MAC characteristics and network encryption mode. MAC Type In-Home AV is the only option at this time. There are only 2 kinds of nodes either Node Type Fixed AP or EP. This field is used in Fixed AP mode to identify the network.

  • Page 35: Phy Screen

    NOTES:In 3DES mode, the Encryption Key can be up to 24 ASCII characters or 42 hexadecimal numbers. In AES mode, it can be up to 8 ASCII characters or 14 hexadecimal numbers (256 bit mode). Hexadecimal encryption is stronger. 5.5.3 PHY Screen This screen provides options to configure the physical parameters of the network. This is set to Enabled by default and Notches cannot be altered.

  • Page 36: Security Screen

    Notch Customization Add/Remove notches in this section. Start Frequency (KHz) The notch start frequency. Stop Frequency (KHz) The notch stop frequency. 5.5.4 Security Screen This screen allows you to change the configuration password and perform a factory reset to recover default settings. To change the configuration password, notice that you must enter it twice; first in the New password field and then again in the Confirm new password field. The password can be up to 20 text characters in length. Click OK to make this change.

  • Page 37: Hardware Reset

    5.5.5 Hardware Reset This screen allows for a hardware reset which will reboot the device but not erase the configuration settings. It performs the same function as holding down the Config/ Reset button on the front panel of the unit. You must perform a hardware reset of the device to enable certain settings, such as the IP mode (DHCP/FIXED). 5.5.6 Upgrade This screen provides a method to upgrade the flash memory in the PowerGrid unit from a remote server using FTP or TFTP protocol. The flash memory is divided into three sections: the firmware, a boot-loader and...
  • Page 38 See the table below for more details. Reports the current status of the flash Status upgrade. Upgrade the firmware, loader or factory Flash Section settings. Upgrade Protocol FTP or TFTP This will be provided by your service Server IP Address provider. Enter the user name and password if FTP User / Password required.

  • Page 39: Chapter 6 - Help

    Chapter 6 - HELP This PowerGrid unit has been designed to be a reliable and easy-to-use home networking device. However, should you experience any problems, please refer to the troubleshooting and FAQ sections below to resolve your issue. Troubleshooting FACTORY RESET To reset a unit to factory default settings, simply press the CONFIG/RESET button for 15 seconds. The adapter will reset its configuration to factory default settings...
  • Page 40 seconds). At that point the adapter has been designated as a Fixed AP if its AP/STBY LED is GREEN. There MUST only be one Fixed AP in a network. Verify that this is the case by examining the AP/STBY LED for all adapters. If there is more than one AP in the network, it means that the key exchange process has failed.
  • Page 41 4. N ETWORK PERFORMANCE If the network is performing slowly or not at all, try the following: • Check the ETHERNET LED on every PowerGrid 902 unit. • If the ETHERNET LED on any unit is OFF, check that the PowerGrid unit is connected securely. The ETHERNET LED on every unit should be GREEN.

  • Page 42: Faq

    Frequency Interference). Every house has different wiring set ups, and it is impossible to say which anti-surge protectors will work with the PowerGrid 902 and which will not. Our test lab and user experience has shown that the more expensive strips with EMI/RFI filters are more likely to prevent the PowerGrid 902 working than the basic strips. The Status LED will show red if there is...
  • Page 43 3.What if the flat next door has PowerGrid units as well? In this case, make sure to configure the units according to the procedure in this user manual. That way, each pair of PowerGrid units will have its own unique security key and your connection will be secure. 4. Is it safe to leave the PowerGrid units on all the time? PowerGrid units are CE certified and completely safe to leave plugged in all the time.
  • Page 44 and plug them in next to each other. Often the best place to find a double plug socket is in your kitchen. Alternatively plug them into a trailing extension strip (but not an anti-surge strip). When plugged in, after 10-40 seconds, the PowerGrid units will configure themselves so that each has a GREEN STATUS LED and one of the pair has an AP/STBY LED that is GREEN. If the PowerGrid units don’t configure themselves as above, you need to follow the FACTORY RESET procedure in the Troubleshooting section. NOTE: When your PowerGrid adapters are connected to your V- Box the Ethernet light should light up. When you’re using the service the Ethernet light will flash. You may notice...

  • Page 45: Appendix A - Acronyms

    Appendix A - Acronyms The following is a list of acronyms referenced in this manual. Acronym Expanded 3DES Triple DES AES Advanced Encryption Standard Access Point DES Data Encryption Standard End Point HDTV High Definition TV Internet Service Provider Personal Computer Powerline Communications SDTV Standard Definition TV STB Set Top Box Web User Interface...

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