ZyXEL Communications PLA4231 User Manual
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ZyXEL Communications PLA4231 User Manual

500 mbps powerline wireless n extender
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PLA4231
500 Mbps Powerline Wireless N Extender
Version 1.00
Edition 3, 10/2013
Quick Start Guide
User's Guide
Default Login Details
LAN IP Address
Password
SSID
www.zyxel.com
Wi-Fi Key
http://192.168.1.2
1234
ZyXEL
None
Copyright © 2013 ZyXEL Communications Corporation

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Summary of Contents for ZyXEL Communications PLA4231

  • Page 1 PLA4231 500 Mbps Powerline Wireless N Extender Version 1.00 Edition 3, 10/2013 Quick Start Guide User’s Guide Default Login Details LAN IP Address http://192.168.1.2 Password 1234 SSID ZyXEL www.zyxel.com Wi-Fi Key None Copyright © 2013 ZyXEL Communications Corporation...
  • Page 2 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Related Documentation • Quick Start Guide The Quick Start Guide shows how to connect the PLA4231 and access the Web Configurator. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Part I: Introduction .................... 7 Chapter 1 Introducing the PLA4231 ........................9 1.1 Overview .............................9 1.2 Expand Your Network with the PLA4231 ....................9 1.3 Ways to Manage the PLA4231 ......................10 1.4 Good Habits for Managing the PLA4231 ..................10 1.5 Powerline Security ..........................10 1.5.1 Powerline Passwords ......................
  • Page 4 7.1 Overview ............................53 7.2 Accessing the Web Configurator .......................53 7.2.1 Login Screen ...........................53 7.2.2 Password Screen ........................55 7.3 Navigating the Web Configurator ......................56 7.3.1 Title Bar ...........................57 7.3.2 Navigation Panel ........................57 7.3.3 Main Window ...........................58 Chapter 8 Dashboard ............................59 PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 5 11.3 What You Need To Know .........................83 11.3.1 LAN TCP/IP ...........................84 11.3.2 IP Alias ...........................84 11.4 LAN IP Screen ..........................84 11.5 IP Alias Screen ..........................85 Chapter 12 HomePlug ............................87 12.1 Overview ............................87 12.2 What You Can Do ...........................87 PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 6 14.4 Powerline Problems ........................102 14.5 RESET/ENCRYPT Button Problems ....................103 14.6 Wireless Connection Problems .....................104 14.7 PLA4231 Access and Login Problems ..................105 Appendix A Customer Support ......................108 Appendix B Pop-up Windows, JavaScript and Java Permissions ........... 115 Appendix C Legal Information ......................125 Index ..............................131...

  • Page 7: Part I Introduction

    Introduction...

  • Page 9: Introducing The Pla4231

    Figure 1 Expand Your Network with the PLA4231 Connect your PLA4231 to an Internet gateway such as a modem and plug it into an ordinary power outlet in your home. Plug a second PLA4231 into another power outlet and connect a computer to the PLA4231 for Internet access.

  • Page 10: Ways To Manage The Pla4231

    If you forget your password, you will have to reset the PLA4231 to its factory default settings. If you backed up an earlier configuration file, you would not have to totally re-configure the PLA4231.

  • Page 11: Powerline Passwords

    It’s easy and only requires you to change a network name. It’s a good idea to ensure privacy of your communication. When you use the PLA4231 and other powerline adapters, the electrical wiring in your home becomes an extension of your Ethernet network.

  • Page 12: Multiple Networks

    If you forget your password or IP address, or you cannot access the Web Configurator, you will need to use the RESET/ENCRYPT button at the side of the PLA4231 to reload the factory-default configuration file. This means that you will lose all configurations that you had previously saved, the password will be reset to “1234”...

  • Page 13: Chapter 2 The Wps Button

    The WPS Button 2.1 WPS Overview Your PLA4231 supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), which is an easy way to set up a secure wireless network. WPS is an industry standard specification, defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance. WPS allows you to quickly set up a wireless network with strong security, without having to configure security settings manually.
  • Page 14 Chapter 2 The WPS Button PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 15: The Reset/Encrypt Button

    • set up a new powerline network. • separate an existing powerline network into multiple networks. • reset the PLA4231 to the factory defaults. 3.2 Set Up a HomePlug AV Network with ENCRYPT You can connect a number of devices on a powerline network, but you can use the RESET/ ENCRYPT button on only two devices at a time.
  • Page 16 Repeat step in this section for the other powerline device you wish to connect. This must be done within 120 seconds of pressing the RESET/ENCRYPT button on the PLA4231. Note: Check the lights on the two powerline devices. The power ( ) and HomePlug ( lights should be blinking while the devices are connecting.

  • Page 17: Setting Up Multiple Networks

    This sets up your powerline network between your powerline devices. 3.3 Setting Up Multiple Networks You can use the RESET/ENCRYPT button to set up multiple powerline networks using your existing powerline network. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 18 Check the LEDs on both (A) and (C). When the power ( ) and HomePlug ( ) lights stop blinking and the power ( ) light shines steadily, the devices are connected. Figure 5 Two Separate Powerline Networks PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 19: Reset/Encrypt Button Behavior

    See Troubleshooting in Chapter 14 on page 103 for suggestions on problems with the RESET/ ENCRYPT button and the lights. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 20 Chapter 3 The RESET/ENCRYPT Button PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 21: Part Ii: Configuration Utility

    Configuration Utility...

  • Page 23: Installing The Utility

    H A PT ER Installing the Utility This chapter guides you through the installation of the configuration utility for your PLA4231. 4.1 Windows This section uses the Windows XP screens as an example to show you how to install the Windows vesion of the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility.
  • Page 24 If WinPcap 4.1.3 is already installed on your computer, the following screen appears. Click Cancel and go to step 5. Otherwise, the WinPcap setup wizard runs automatically. Click Next to continue. Review the license agreement, and click I Agree to proceed. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 25 Select I want to manually reboot later, and click Finish to exit the wizard. A prompt appears asking you to install the .NET Framework version 4. Review Microsoft’s License Agreement, select I have read and accept the license terms. and click Intall to proceed. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 26 Chapter 4 Installing the Utility Note: If you already have .NET Framework version 4 installed on your computer this step can be skipped. The next screen allows you to see the progress of the installation. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 27 Chapter 4 Installing the Utility Click Finish to close the window. The utility installation wizard runs automatically. Click Yes or Next to continue through the initial screen. Click Cancel only if you want to abort the installation. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 28 Chapter 4 Installing the Utility Click Install to install the utility to the default folder. Figure 6 Install Destination Folder 10 The screen shows you the progress of the installation. Figure 7 Utility Installation Process PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 29: Macintosh (Mac)

    • Mac OS X 10.7 • Mac OS X 10.8 4.2.2 Installing the Utility Follow the steps below to install the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility on your Mac computer. Insert the included CD into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 30 Double-click the PLA Utility 1.0.0.mpkg file on the CD to run the installation program. When it opens, follow the on-screen instructions. Click Install to install the utility to the default folder, or click Change Install Location ... to specify a different location on your computer. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 31 Utility has been successfully installed to your computer. Click Close. After installing the utility, you can find the utility icon in your Applications folder. If you are running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, you can also see the utility icon in the Launchpad screen. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 32: The Configuration Utility

    This chapter shows you how to use the ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration utility (or utility) to secure, manage and set up Quality of Service (QoS) on your powerline network. The PLA4231 is designed as a plug-and-play network expanding solution. This means that once you complete your hardware connections, the PLA4231s in your network (without additional configuration) are able to communicate with each other by sending and receiving information over your home’s electrical wiring (A).

  • Page 33: Device Access Key (Dak)

    Figure 11 ZyXEL PLA Series Configuration Utility Icon (Mac) 5.3 Network Info Screen Use the Network Info screen to see the rates at which a specific PLA4231 is communicating with other powerline adapters on your powerline network. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 34: Icon View

    The Info screen also shows you how fast the selected powerline adapter sent information to or receive information from this device. For example, if the Local powerline adapter is selected, a Remote powerline adapter’s Info screen also displays the rates of transmission from the PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 35: List View

    Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility powerline adapter connected to the computer running the configuration utility to all the Remote powerline adapters. Figure 13 Network Info Screen (Icon) > Info 5.3.2 List View Figure 14 Network Info Screen (List) PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 36 Local, if it is the PLA4231 directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility. • Remote, if it is a PLA4231 in your powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the configuration utility. MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of your powerline adapter. The MAC address of your powerline adapter can be found by looking at the label on your device.

  • Page 37: Configuration Screen

    MAC Address This is a read-only field which shows the MAC address of the powerline adapter you are configuring. You can find the MAC address of your PLA4231 displayed on a sticker on the bottom of your device. FW version This is a read-only field which shows the firmware version of the powerline adapter in your network.

  • Page 38: Advanced Screen

    The default network name (sometimes called a network password or network membership (NMK) key (NMK)) of the PLA4231 is “HomePlugAV”. HomePlug compatible devices use the same network name to recognize and communicate with each other over the powerline network. If you change the network name of one device on the network, it will no longer be recognized as part of that network.
  • Page 39 • Although device E receives audio or movie files, it does not send a lot of traffic, so the powerline adaptor attached to it can be set to a low priority. Figure 16 Priority Settings PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 40 MAC Address This is a read-only field which shows the MAC address of the powerline adapter you are configuring. You can find the MAC address of your PLA4231 displayed on a sticker on the bottom of your device. Standby mode...

  • Page 41: About Screen

    Chapter 5 The Configuration Utility 5.6 About Screen Use the About screen to view information regarding the configuration utility version of the PLA4231 you are connected to. Click the icon in the top right corner of the utility to view the About screen.

  • Page 42: Powerline Network Setup Tutorial

    See the product specifications in the User’s Guide for a list of hardware and software compatible with the utility. Note: The PLA4231 in this tutorial is an example only. Your powerline adapter may be different. 6.2 Important Terms...

  • Page 43: Accessing Your Powerline Adapter

    • See Section 6.6 on page 47 to set up a second network with your existing adapters. 6.4 Adding a Powerline Adapter This section shows you how to add a new powerline adapter to expand your existing network. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 44 Go to the Configuration screen. On this screen in the Site column your new powerline adapter should appear as Local (A). Check the Local adapter’s MAC address (B). It should match the MAC address listed on the label on the back of your powerline adapter. Figure 22 Adding a New Adapter PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 45: Setting Up A New Network With A New Adapter

    The figure below shows two powerline networks in a house. The first network (1) shows the home computer connected to a printer and access to the Internet. The second network (2) has no PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 46 Figure 26 Making a New Network with the New Adapter After you have set up a new network, you are ready to connect each powerline adapter on your new network to devices, for example, a computer or a games console. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 47: Splitting A Network Into Two Networks

    • Select the Remote adapter you want to add (A) and type the DAK Password in the DAK Password field (B). • Then type the new network name in the Network Name field (C). PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 48 Figure 29 Incorrect DAK or No DAK • If you have correctly entered the DAK Password, click OK on the pop-up. Figure 30 Correct DAK The adapter will disappear from the table of your existing network. Figure 31 Adapters on Your Existing Network PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 49: Troubleshooting

    • Make sure the adapter is plugged in to a power socket and the power socket is turned on. • Check you have entered the correct network name for your network. • Check your powerline adapter is connected to the same electrical circuit as other powerline adapters on your network. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 50 Chapter 6 Powerline Network Setup Tutorial PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 51: Part Iii Web Configurator

    Web Configurator...

  • Page 53: Introducing The Web Configurator

    7.2 Accessing the Web Configurator Connect your computer to the LAN port of the PLA4231. The default IP address of the PLA4231 is “192.168.1.2”. In this case, your computer must have an IP address in the range between “192.168.1.3” and “192.168.1.254”.
  • Page 54 24-hour format, for example 15:00 is 3:00 PM. 7.2.1.1 Weather Edit You can change the temperature unit and select the location for which you want to know the weather. Click the icon to change the weather display. Figure 34 Change Weather PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 55: Password Screen

    7.2.1.2 Time/Date Edit One timezone can cover more than one country. You can choose a particular country in which the PLA4231 is located and have the PLA4231 display and use the current time and date for its logs. Click the icon to change the time and date display.

  • Page 56: Navigating The Web Configurator

    Chapter 13 on page 91 to change this). Simply log back into the PLA4231 if this happens. Right after you log in, the Dashboard screen is displayed. See Chapter 4 on page 81 for more information about the Dashboard screen.

  • Page 57: Title Bar

    Click About to open the about window, which provides information of the boot module and driver versions. 7.3.2 Navigation Panel Use the menu items on the navigation panel to open screens to configure PLA4231 features. The following tables describe each menu item. Table 12 Navigation Panel: Access Point Mode...

  • Page 58: Main Window

    Use this screen to backup and restore the configuration or reset your Restore PLA4231 to the factory defaults. Restart System This screen allows you to reboot the PLA4231 without turning the power Restart off. Language Language This screen allows you to select the language you prefer.

  • Page 59: Chapter 8 Dashboard

    H A PT ER Dashboard The Dashboard screens display when you log into the PLA4231, or click Dashboard in the navigation menu. Use the Dashboard screen to look at the current status of the device, system resources, and interfaces. The Dashboard screens also provide detailed information about system statistics, associated wireless clients, and logs.
  • Page 60 This shows the LAN port’s DHCP role - Client or None. WLAN Information WLAN OP Mode This is the device mode to which the PLA4231’s wireless LAN is set - Access Point Mode. MAC Address This shows the wireless adapter MAC Address of your device.
  • Page 61 For the LAN ports, this displays the port speed or N/A when the line is disconnected. For the WLAN, it displays the maximum transmission rate when the WLAN is enabled and N/ A when the WLAN is disabled. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 62 Chapter 8 Dashboard PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 63: Chapter 9 Monitor

    Monitor 9.1 Overview This chapter discusses read-only information related to the device state of the PLA4231. Note: To access the Monitor screens, you can also click the links in the Summary table of the Status screen to view the packets sent/received as well as the status of clients connected to the PLA4231.

  • Page 64: Packet Statistics

    Click the Packet Statistics (Details...) hyperlink in the Dashboard screen or Monitor > Packet Statistics. Read-only information here includes port status, packet specific statistics and the "system up time". The Poll Interval(s) field is configurable and is used for refreshing the screen. Figure 41 Monitor > Packet Statistics PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 65: Wlan Station Status

    Click the WLAN Station Status (Details...) hyperlink in the Dashboard screen or Monitor > WLAN Station Status. View the wireless stations that are currently associated to the PLA4231 in the Association List. Association means that a wireless client (for example, your network or computer with a wireless network card) has connected successfully to the AP (or wireless router) using the same SSID, channel and security settings.
  • Page 66 Chapter 9 Monitor PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 67: Chapter 10 Wireless Lan

    (such as the printer) or with the Internet. Your PLA4231 is the AP. 10.1.1 Powerline Extended Wireless LAN The PLA4231 is a wireless Powerline Extender (PE) that allows you to extend your original wireless network, connected to a compatible Powerline Adapter (PA) over a power cable. This is the key for...

  • Page 68: What You Can Do

    PLA4231 wireless network is open (no Wi-Fi key) and vulnerable. • Copy the AP settings to the PLA4231 using the WPS button. When using WPS to copy wireless settings, the PLA4213 must be within 5 meters of the AP. After a successful copy, position them where you want them in your Powerline network.

  • Page 69: What You Should Know

    Some wireless devices, such as scanners, can detect wireless networks but cannot use wireless networks. These kinds of wireless devices might not have MAC addresses. Hexadecimal characters are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, and F. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 70: General Wireless Lan Screen

    Use this screen to enable or disable the WLAN, enter the SSID, select the channel and configure wireless security settings. Note: If you are configuring the PLA4231 from a computer connected to the wireless LAN and you change the PLA4231’s SSID, channel or security settings, you will lose your wireless connection when you press Apply to confirm.
  • Page 71 This option is only available if Auto Channel Selection is disabled. Auto Channel Select the check box to have the PLA4231 automatically scan for and select a channel Selection which is not used by another device.

  • Page 72: Wireless Security

    You can select from the following: • 802.11b: allows either IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g compliant WLAN devices to associate with the PLA4231. In this mode, all wireless devices can only transmit at the data rates supported by IEEE 802.11b. •...

  • Page 73: Wep Encryption

    Both the wireless stations and the access points must use the same WEP key. Your PLA4231 allows you to configure up to four 64-bit or 128-bit WEP keys but only one key can be enabled at any one time.
  • Page 74 A passphrase functions like a password. In WEP security mode, it is further converted by the PLA4231 into a complicated string that is referred to as the “key”. This key is requested from all devices wishing to connect to a wireless network.

  • Page 75: Wpa-Psk/Wpa2-Psk

    The preceding "0x", that identifies a hexadecimal key, is entered automatically. Key 1 to Key 4 The WEP keys are used to encrypt data. Both the PLA4231 and the wireless stations must use the same WEP key for data transmission.

  • Page 76: Mac Filter

    Click Cancel to reload the previous configuration for this screen. 10.6 MAC Filter The MAC filter screen allows you to configure the PLA4231 to give exclusive access to devices (Allow) or exclude devices from accessing the PLA4231 (Deny). Every Ethernet device has a unique MAC (Media Access Control) address.
  • Page 77 Select Allow to permit access to the PLA4231, MAC addresses not listed will be denied access to the PLA4231. Select Deny to block access to the PLA4231, MAC addresses not listed will be allowed to access the PLA4231. MAC Filter Summary This is the index number of the MAC address.

  • Page 78: Wireless Lan Advanced Screen

    Tx Power Set the output power of the PLA4231 in this field. If there is a high density of APs in an area, decrease the output power of the PLA4231 to reduce interference with other APs.

  • Page 79: Wps Screen

    DESCRIPTION WMM QoS Select Enable to have the PLA4231 automatically give a service a priority level according to the ToS value in the IP header of packets it sends. WMM QoS (Wifi MultiMedia Quality of Service) gives high priority to voice and video, which makes them run more smoothly.
  • Page 80 Disable, you cannot create a new PIN number. PIN Number This is the WPS PIN (Personal Identification Number) of the PLA4231. Enter this PIN in the configuration utility of the device you want to connect to the PLA4231 using WPS.

  • Page 81: Wps Station Screen

    Use this screen to set the times your wireless LAN is turned on and off. Wireless LAN scheduling is disabled by default. The wireless LAN can be scheduled to turn on or off on certain days and at certain times. To open this screen, click Network > Wireless LAN > Scheduling tab. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 82 If you have chosen Off earlier for the WLAN Status the Wireless LAN will turn off between the two times you enter in these fields. Apply Click Apply to save your changes back to the PLA4231. Cancel Click Cancel to reload the previous configuration for this screen.

  • Page 83: Chapter 11 Lan

    The LAN screens can help you manage IP addresses. 11.2 What You Can Do • Use the IP screen (Section 11.4 on page 84) to change the IP address for your PLA4231 and DNS server information. • Use the IP Alias screen (Section 11.5 on page 85) to have the PLA4231 apply IP alias to create LAN subnets.

  • Page 84: Lan Tcp/Ip

    Ethernet interface with the PLA4231 itself as the gateway for each LAN network. 11.4 LAN IP Screen Use this screen to change the IP address for your PLA4231. Click Network > LAN > IP. Figure 57 Network > LAN > IP (Access Point or Universal Repeater)

  • Page 85: Ip Alias Screen

    Click Cancel to reload the previous configuration for this screen. 11.5 IP Alias Screen Use this screen to have the PLA4231 apply IP alias to create LAN subnets. Click LAN > IP Alias. Figure 58 Network > LAN > IP Alias...
  • Page 86 DESCRIPTION IP Alias Check this to enable IP alias. IP Address Type the IP alias address of your PLA4231 in dotted decimal notation. IP Subnet Mask The subnet mask specifies the network number portion of an IP address. Apply Click Apply to save your changes back to the PLA4231.

  • Page 87: Chapter 12 Homeplug

    87) to secure, manage and set up Quality of Service (QoS) on your powerline network. 12.3 HomePlug Screen Use this screen to change the powerline settings for your PLA4231. Click Network > HomePlug. Figure 59 Network > HomePlug PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 88 MAC Address This is a read-only field which shows the MAC address of the powerline adapter you are configuring. You can find the MAC address of your PLA4231 displayed on a sticker on the bottom of your device. DAK Password DAK (Device Access Key) password is used to verify that you are authorized to perform changes on a remote device.
  • Page 89 Local, if it is the PLA4231 directly connected to the computer running the Web Configurator. • Remote, if it is a PLA4231 in your powerline network but not directly connected to the computer running the Web Configurator. MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of your powerline adapter. The MAC address of your powerline adapter can be found by looking at the label on your device.
  • Page 90 Chapter 12 HomePlug PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 91: Maintenance

    92) to change your PLA4231’s system password. • Use the Time screen (Section 13.5 on page 92) to change your PLA4231’s time and date. • Use the Firmware Upgrade screen (Section 13.6 on page 94) to upload firmware to your PLA4231.

  • Page 92: Password Screen

    Click Cancel to reload the previous configuration for this screen. 13.4 Password Screen It is strongly recommended that you change your PLA4231's password. If you forget your PLA4231's password (or IP address), you will need to reset the device. See Section 13.8 on page 97 for details Click Maintenance >...
  • Page 93 (yyyy/mm/dd) When you select Manual, enter the new date in this field and then click Apply. Get from Time Select this radio button to have the PLA4231 get the time and date from the time Server server you specified below.

  • Page 94: Firmware Upgrade Screen

    (usually) uses the system model name with a “*.bin” extension, e.g., “PLA4231.bin”. The upload process uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and may take up to two minutes. After a successful upload, the system will reboot.
  • Page 95 Click this button to get the latest firmware information, such as the version number, release Firmware Now date, release note and file size from the ZyXEL website. Make sure your PLA4231 has Internet access. Click this button to download and install the latest firmware in your PLA4231.

  • Page 96: Configuration Backup/Restore Screen

    Chapter 13 Maintenance 13.7 Configuration Backup/Restore Screen Backup configuration allows you to back up (save) the PLA4231’s current configuration to a file on your computer. Once your PLA4231 is configured and functioning properly, it is highly recommended that you back up your configuration file before making configuration changes. The backup configuration file will be useful in case you need to return to your previous settings.

  • Page 97: Restart Screen

    Chapter 13 Maintenance Note: If you uploaded the default configuration file you may need to change the IP address of your computer to be in the same subnet as that of the default PLA4231 IP address (192.168.1.2). 13.8 Restart Screen System restart allows you to reboot the PLA4231 without turning the power off.
  • Page 98 Chapter 13 Maintenance PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 99: Leds And Troubleshooting

    The following sections describes the lights on the PLA4231. The following figure is the front panel of the PLA4231. Use the lights to determine if the PLA4231 is behaving normally or if there are some problems on your powerline network.

  • Page 100: Power And Light Problems

    Chapter 14 LEDs and Troubleshooting The following table describes the behavior of the lights on the PLA4231. Table 36 PLA4231 LIGHTS ICON COLOR STATUS DESCRIPTION POWER Green The PLA4231 is on and receiving power. It also indicates a successful connection using the RESET/ENCRYPT button.
  • Page 101 Check the Ethernet adapter on your computer and make sure it’s enabled and working properly. If the PLA4231 is connected to an Ethernet switch or router, make sure the device is working correctly, and that the LAN network is working and configured correctly as well.

  • Page 102: Configuration Utility Problems

    The PLA42xx Series Configuration Utility does not display all or any of my devices. • Inspect the LEDs on your PLA4231 and make sure that the ETHERNET and HomePlug LEDs are on or blinking. See Section 14.1 on page 99...

  • Page 103: Reset/Encrypt Button Problems

    • The POWER light on some powerline devices do not blink as part of the ENCRYPT process. Check your powerline device is a PLA4231. • For PLA4231, you cannot use the RESET/ENCRYPT button when it is in Low Power mode. Connect the PLA4231 to a computer/router then try again.

  • Page 104: Wireless Connection Problems

    Make sure your computer (with a wireless adapter installed) is within the transmission range of the PLA4231. Check that both the PLA4231 and your computer (with a wireless adapter installed) are using the same wireless and wireless security settings. PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 105: Pla4231 Access And Login Problems

    If you changed the IP address and have forgotten it, • and your PLA4231 is a DHCP client, you can find your IP address from the DHCP server. This information is only available from the DHCP server which allocates IP addresses on your network.
  • Page 106 Appendix B on page 115. Make sure your computer is in the same subnet as the PLA4231. (If you know that there are routers between your computer and the PLA4231, skip this step.) • If there is a DHCP server on your network, make sure your computer is using a dynamic IP address.
  • Page 107 This can happen when you fail to log out properly from your last session. Try logging in again after 5 minutes. Disconnect and re-connect the power adaptor or cord to the PLA4231. If this does not work, you have to reset the device to its factory defaults. See Section 1.7 on page...

  • Page 108: Appendix A Customer Support

    • Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it. Corporate Headquarters (Worldwide) Taiwan • ZyXEL Communications Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com Asia China • ZyXEL Communications (Shanghai) Corp. ZyXEL Communications (Beijing) Corp. ZyXEL Communications (Tianjin) Corp. • http://www.zyxel.cn India • ZyXEL Technology India Pvt Ltd • http://www.zyxel.in Kazakhstan •...
  • Page 109 • ZyXEL Singapore Pte Ltd. • http://www.zyxel.com.sg Taiwan • ZyXEL Communications Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com Thailand • ZyXEL Thailand Co., Ltd • http://www.zyxel.co.th Vietnam • ZyXEL Communications Corporation-Vietnam Office • http://www.zyxel.com/vn/vi Europe Austria • ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH • http://www.zyxel.de Belarus • ZyXEL BY • http://www.zyxel.by...
  • Page 110 Appendix A Customer Support Belgium • ZyXEL Communications B.V. • http://www.zyxel.com/be/nl/ Bulgaria • ZyXEL България • http://www.zyxel.com/bg/bg/ Czech • ZyXEL Communications Czech s.r.o • http://www.zyxel.cz Denmark • ZyXEL Communications A/S • http://www.zyxel.dk Estonia • ZyXEL Estonia • http://www.zyxel.com/ee/et/ Finland • ZyXEL Communications •...
  • Page 111 • ZyXEL Communications Poland • http://www.zyxel.pl Romania • ZyXEL Romania • http://www.zyxel.com/ro/ro Russia • ZyXEL Russia • http://www.zyxel.ru Slovakia • ZyXEL Communications Czech s.r.o. organizacna zlozka • http://www.zyxel.sk Spain • ZyXEL Spain • http://www.zyxel.es Sweden • ZyXEL Communications • http://www.zyxel.se Switzerland •...
  • Page 112 • http://www.zyxel.com/ec/es/ Ecuador • ZyXEL Communication Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com/ec/es/ Middle East Egypt • ZyXEL Communication Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com/homepage.shtml Middle East • ZyXEL Communication Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com/homepage.shtml North America • ZyXEL Communications, Inc. - North America Headquarters • http://www.us.zyxel.com/ PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 113 Appendix A Customer Support Oceania Australia • ZyXEL Communications Corporation • http://www.zyxel.com/au/en/ Africa South Africa • Nology (Pty) Ltd. • http://www.zyxel.co.za PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 114 Appendix A Customer Support PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 115: Appendix B Pop-Up Windows, Javascript And Java Permissions

    You can also check if pop-up blocking is disabled in the Pop-up Blocker section in the Privacy tab. In Internet Explorer, select Tools, Internet Options, Privacy. Clear the Block pop-ups check box in the Pop-up Blocker section of the screen. This disables any web pop-up blockers you may have enabled. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 116 Enable Pop-up Blockers with Exceptions Alternatively, if you only want to allow pop-up windows from your device, see the following steps. In Internet Explorer, select Tools, Internet Options and then the Privacy tab. Select Settings…to open the Pop-up Blocker Settings screen. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 117 Type the IP address of your device (the web page that you do not want to have blocked) with the prefix “http://”. For example, http://192.168.167.1. Click Add to move the IP address to the list of Allowed sites. Figure 72 Pop-up Blocker Settings PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 118 Click the Custom Level... button. Scroll down to Scripting. Under Active scripting make sure that Enable is selected (the default). Under Scripting of Java applets make sure that Enable is selected (the default). Click OK to close the window. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 119 From Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options and then the Security tab. Click the Custom Level... button. Scroll down to Microsoft VM. Under Java permissions make sure that a safety level is selected. Click OK to close the window. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 120 JAVA (Sun) From Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options and then the Advanced tab. Make sure that Use Java 2 for <applet> under Java (Sun) is selected. Click OK to close the window. Figure 76 Java (Sun) PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 121 You can enable Java, Javascript and pop-ups in one screen. Click Tools, then click Options in the screen that appears. Figure 77 Mozilla Firefox: TOOLS > Options Click Content to show the screen below. Select the check boxes as shown in the following screen. Figure 78 Mozilla Firefox Content Security PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 122 Open all pop-ups. Figure 79 Opera: Allowing Pop-Ups Enabling Java From Opera, click Tools, then Preferences. In the Advanced tab, select Content from the left- side menu. Select the check boxes as shown in the following screen. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 123 Appendix B Pop-up Windows, JavaScript and Java Permissions Figure 80 Opera: Enabling Java To customize JavaScript behavior in the Opera browser, click JavaScript Options. Figure 81 Opera: JavaScript Options Select the items you want Opera’s JavaScript to apply. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 124 Appendix B Pop-up Windows, JavaScript and Java Permissions PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 125: Appendix C Legal Information

    This publication is subject to change without notice. Trademarks NetUSB is a trademark of ZyXEL Communications, Inc. Other trademarks mentioned in this publication are used for identification purposes only and may be properties of their respective owners.

  • Page 126: Regulatory Information

    You can download the latest firmware at www.zyxel.com. To obtain the source code covered under those Licenses, please contact support@zyxel.com.tw to get it. Regulatory Information European Union The following information applies if you use the product within the European Union. PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 127 Questo prodotto è utilizzabile in tutte i paesi EU (ed in tutti gli altri paesi che seguono le direttive EU 1999/5/EC) senza nessuna limitazione, eccetto per i paesii menzionati di seguito: PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 128 2. The regulatory limits for maximum output power are specified in EIRP. The EIRP level (in dBm) of a device can be calculated by adding the gain of the antenna used(specified in dBi) to the output power available at the connector (specified in dBm). PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 129: Safety Warnings

    This power unit is intended to be correctly orientated in a vertical or floor mount position. • You must plug in the PLA4231 vertically, so that the ventilation holes are not facing up or down. Your product is marked with this symbol, which is known as the WEEE mark. WEEE stands for Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment.
  • Page 130 Appendix C Legal Information PLA4231 User’s Guide...

  • Page 131: Index

    HomePlug HomePlug AV standard 32, 37 DAK (Data Access Password) Data Access Password, see DAK Daylight saving disclaimer installation documentation procedure related 23, 29 InstallShield wizard introduction IP Address IP alias electrical and cable wiring PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 132 See web configurator. receive rate Media access control registration Memory usage product multiple networks related documentation Reset button Reset the device Restore configuration Roaming network example RTS/CTS Threshold 68, 78 network information PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 133 SSID Wireless station status Wireless security System General Setup overview System restart type wireless security WPA compatible WPS button Time setting trademarks transfer rates transmit rate troubleshooting utility launching warranty note Web Configurator how to access Overview PLA4231 User’s Guide...
  • Page 134 Index PLA4231 User’s Guide...

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