IOGear HomePlug to Ethernet Bridge GHPB42 manual

HomePlug to Ether net Bridge User Manual (GHPB42W6)[...]

Thank you f or purchasing one of the most user-friendly networking devices on the market. IOGEAR’ s HomePlug to Ether net Bridges and the Homeplug Networking Kit are fi rst-class networ king de vices designed to network your computers at home (or in y our small offi ce). This device allo ws you to set up your home netw or k via the most per vas[...]

T able of Contents W elcome ....................................................................................................................... ............... 3 Ov er vie w ...................................................................................................................................... 5 F eatures .........................[...]

5 Overview IOGEAR’ s HomePlug Ether net Bridge allows y ou to network your home computers through the most per v asiv e medium in your house - the electric pow er lines - and share Broadband Inter net connections, printers, transf er fi les, pla y games, and more . This unit can be used to HomePlug-enable one computer with a 10/100Base-T adapter[...]

6 Features • Extend your WiFi network through existing po werlines • Network your gaming de vices through powerlines to pla y games with a remote par tner • No e xtra wires required to create a network, simply use the most per vasiv e medium in your home – pow erlines • V er y easy and intuitiv e to install and set up • HomePlug P ow er[...]

7 • A vailab le AC po wer outlets in the room. • Standard home pow er line wiring. • Computers with 10/100Base-T adapters, or 10/100Base-T s witch/hub . • When used as a node: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP . • When used as a br idge: any operating system (OS transparent). Requirements System Requirements[...]

8 IOGEAR’ s HomePlug to Ether net Bridge allows y ou to network your computers via y our existing home pow er lines. It off ers a data transmission speed of up to 85 Mbps, and reaches up to 990 f eet through standard pow er lines. P ackage contents: F or GHPB42W6 (the kit): 2 Homeplug to Ether net bridge 2 CA T5 patch cable 6 f eet 1 User manual [...]

9 Intr oduction Front Vie w: 1. P owerline LED – lights up in green when other Homeplug de vices are detected on the same pow erline 2. Link/ACT – b links when data is sent through the Homeplug connection 3. Ether net por t- connecting to the Ether net of the computer or the de vices (router , wi-fi access point, gaming bo x, etc.) Back Vie w:[...]

10 Installation There are se veral w ays to network y our computers using the HomePlug Bridge. Before w e get star ted, please NO TE: Do not place HomePlug de vices under direct sunlight or near high heat emitting devices; Do not place HomePlug de vices near water or wet surf aces to av oid electr ic hazards; Do not place HomePlug de vices on any m[...]

11 5. There are sev eral wa ys to see whether the Homeplug bridge is functioning. One wa y is the obser ve the LED , the Link/A CT LED should star t blinking after y ou plug the br idge in the wall outlet. F or most of the Windows machines (as this Windows 2000 machine used to create this manual), y ou should see a message being prompted on the too[...]

6. Y ou can also go to “Control P anel”, select “Netw or k and Dial up and Connections. ” Click the “Local Area Connection” icon. 12 Installation[...]

13 Installation 7. Y ou can see the netw or k connection is already established. At this point, you can start communicating with the other computers or devices on the po werline. Please ref er to Networ k Confi guration section in ho w to set up networks for v ar ious pur poses. In order to add security and other utilities, you will need to instal[...]

14 1. Make sure that y our HomePlug br idge is NO T CONNECTED TO THE COM- PUTER bef ore you install the driv er . 2. Inser t the installation CD . If CD does not automatically load, run (CD Dr iv e Letter):setup .ex e. 3. Click Ne xt. Installation of the utility software[...]

15 Installation of the utility software Enter a user name and organization name, and contin ue installation. (User name and Organization ha v e no impor tance in device oper ation. This window might look slightly dif- f erent on other platforms.) 4.[...]

16 Click “Ne xt” to contin ue. 5. Installation of the utility software[...]

17 Installation of the utility software Click “Install” to star t the Installation Wizard 6.[...]

The f ollowing window will be prompted to indicate that the installation is successful. 7. T o uninstall the driver , simply go to your Add/Remov e programs control panel and remov e the IOGEAR P owerline Confi guration Utilities. Then restor t your computer to complete the uninstall. 18 Installation of the utility software[...]

19 Double clic k the IOGear P owerline Utility icon to star t the P ow erline Confi guration Utility . The utility is used to confi gure the Homeplug unit” 1. P owerline Confi guration Utility[...]

20 The Main tab shows the HomePlug units that are connected to the current computer and other de vices on the networ k. It will also tell Mac Address of each de vice. It will refresh the window , if you change de vices, and also will allow y ou to connect to different netw orks if multiple units are connected to y our computer . The connection qual[...]

21 The Main tab shows all the other HomePlug units on your po werline networ k. It will represent them by MA C Address, and will also show the a vailab le bandwidth to each unit (Units f ar ther aw ay from the current computer might hav e a lower Data Rate , since the distance is f ar ther). If you add or subtract units from your home netw or k, yo[...]

22 P owerline Confi guration Utility Note: If a Unit shows MA C Address of all 0’ s, this unit might not hav e a solid connection, or might not connect at all. If this is the case please contact technical suppor t Note: If there are units in your home , that you do not see in this Network scan, tr y to unplug all de vices, and plug them back in [...]

23 P owerline Confi guration Utility Press Enter P assw ord button to put in the DEK (De vice Encr yption Ke y) found on the pac kage or de vice. Enter this key into the P assw ord area. Click OK. Add all the DEK k eys f or each unit in your house . Note: The DEK is unique f or EACH HomePlug de vices. T o use this you will need to input the DEK f [...]

24 P owerline Confi guration Utility After putting in the pass word, click on Set Local De vices Only to ensure all data that is sent from this unit are encr ypted using 56-bit data encr yption standard and isolated from the other computer on the network. Users ma y also use different network name f or each HomePlug de vice attached to a computer [...]

25 P owerline Confi guration Utility The Diagnostics tab will allow users to see the de vices that are currently av ailable on the pow erline network 6. This screen displa ys the version number of the utility . Click Close to complete the confi gur ation. ” 7.[...]

26 Networking T erms What is a node? A node is any giv en device that resides or is connected onto an e xisting network. A computer with a networ k card connected to a s witch is a node. The same thing applies to a Mac connected to a hub. What is a bridge? A bridge is used when connecting one side of the network with another networ k. Previously , [...]

27 Netw ork Confi guration Can I use both in the same network? Y es . It is perf ectly right to hav e both nodes and br idges on a network as long the maximum is not e xceeded. It is also fi ne to hav e USB nodes on the same network with Ether net nodes. How do I decide whether I need a USB adapter or Ethernet bridge as a node? It should be deter[...]

28 a. Using the HomePlug Ether net Br idge (Node Mode) (Several HomePlug Bridges can be used) Netw ork Confi guration[...]

29 Netw ork Confi guration b . Using the HomePlug USB Adapter AND Ether net Bridge (Node Mode)[...]

30 c. Using the HomePlug Ether net br idge to mak e a sub network HomePlug ready to communicate with the other HomePlug nodes. Netw ork Confi guration P owerline[...]

31 Netw ork Confi guration d. Using the HomePlug Ether net br idge to e xtend the WiFi network and eliminate dead spots.[...]

32 Netw ork Confi guration e. Using Homeplug bridge to share Broadband Inter net access through the whole house.[...]

33 Netw ork Confi guration f . Using the HomePlug Ether net bridge to play game remotely .[...]

34 Prior to installing HomePlug, you ma y hav e had some ideas about using your new netw or k. This section will help you get started on those ideas or ev en give y ou some new ones. It will go through the process of sharing fi les, printing from any computer on the netw ork, or accessing the Inter net on multiple computers with one connection. Pl[...]

35 1. Click “Next” in the window(right) for the Network Setup Wizard. Netw orking Basics[...]

36 2. Read and follo w the instr uctions in the f ollowing window and then clic k “Ne xt”. Netw orking Basics[...]

37 3. In the follo wing window , select among the 3 options which best describe this computer and then click “Ne xt”. If your computer connects to a broadband router/gatew ay , select the second Netw orking Basics[...]

38 4. Fill in the information in the follo wing window as y ou desire and then click “Ne xt”. Netw orking Basics[...]

39 5. Enter the W or kgroup name as you wish and then clic k “Ne xt”. (V er y impor tant: All computers on your netw or k should hav e the same W or kgroup . Netw orking Basics[...]

40 6. Revie w the setting in the follo wing screen, and click “Ne xt” to contin ue. If you w ant to change any settings, y ou need to click “Back” and star t ov er again. Netw orking Basics[...]

41 7. Please wait while the Network Setup Wizard applies the changes and confi gures the computer . Netw orking Basics[...]

42 8. When the confi guration is done, the f ollowing screen will come up . Select one of the 4 options according to your needs . (In this e xample, the last choice was selected.) Clic k “Ne xt. ” Netw orking Basics[...]

43 Netw orking Basics 9. Then click “Finish” on this ne xt window .[...]

44 10. The new setting will tak e eff ect after you restar t the computer . Click “Y es” to restar t the computer . Congratulations , you ha v e completed confi gur ing this computer! After setting up networks on all your computers on the network, you will be ab le to use your HomePlug network to share fi les, printers, and Internet connectio[...]

45 T opic 2: Checking IP ad- dresses in Windo ws XP/2000 Go to Star t>Programs>Accessories> Command Prompt. Netw orking Basics[...]

46 1. T ype “ipconfi g” at the prompt, then press Enter . Y ou will see the IP address of this computer . Netw orking Basics[...]

47 T opic 3: Assigning a Static IP Address (Note: If you use DHCP-capab le gatew a y/router , you don’t need to assign any static IP addresses because the gatew ay/router will automatically assign IP ad- dresses to the computers on the network.) Go to Star t>Settings>Control P anel>Networ k Connections>Local Area Connection Right clic[...]

48 1. At the follo wing window , select “Use the f ollowing IP address:”, and fi ll in the desired IP address and subnet mask (it is recommended to use the def ault subnet mask as shown in the f ollowing window . Subnet mask must be the same f or all the computers on the network.) If you need to enter DNS address , you must enter the address o[...]

49 2.Click “Close” on the Local Area Connection Proper ties window . Y ou hav e completed static IP address assignment. Netw orking Basics[...]

50 T opic 4. Sharing Disks/Folders Once the network has been check ed / confi gured, you can access other systems via “My Network Places”. T o allow other systems to access data on y our disks / in your f olders, you ha ve to giv e per mission to share your disks and/or f olders. 1. Select the disk (or the folder) to be shared (f or e xample i[...]

51 Netw orking Basics Once you ha ve selected the f older to be shared, r ight- click to select “sharing and security . ”[...]

52 Netw orking Basics 2. In the follo wing window , click to select “Share this f older”. Then click on “P er mission”.[...]

53 Netw orking Basics 3. Please note that by def ault, all users defi ned on your XP Prof essional system will hav e full per missions. Y ou can reduce the per missions (f or example to allo w only Read-access) and/or you could add a diff erent group of users to ha ve access per mission (b ut then you should delete the group “Everyone” from th[...]

54 Netw orking Basics 4. Click OK on the original Shar ing and Security window to conclude the process . 5. Once a disk or folder is shared, the icon will show it via the “holding hand. ”[...]

55 Netw orking Basics T opic 5. Share Printers Y ou may no w share any installed print- ers connected to this computer with other computers on your netw or k. 1. Using the computer that has the printer already connected to it, go to: Star t > Control P anel > Pr inters and F ax es. Click on the printer y ou want to share with others on the ne[...]

56 2. In the follo wing window , click on “Share this Printer” and type in the share name you w ould like. After this is done, clic k on “Apply” and then “OK”. Netw orking Basics[...]

57 Netw orking Basics Now when y ou go to “Printers and F ax es” in the Control P anel, you will see the sup- por ting hand under neath the printer , which means that the printer is being shared in the network.[...]

58 Netw orking Basics F or a computer to access a Networ k Printer , the device driv er or software f or that printer must be installed and pointed to the proper location of the printer . This is done similarly to the wa y you installed the printer on the computer it is con- nected to . 1. Go to a computer that is not connected to the printer and s[...]

59 2. Click on “Add a pr inter”. Netw orking Basics[...]

60 Netw orking Basics 3. Select the network pr inter option and click Ne xt.[...]

61 4. Find the pr inter you w ould like to share and clic k Next. Netw orking Basics[...]

62 Netw orking Basics Decide if you w ould like to choose this printer as a default printer and click Ne xt.[...]

63 Y ou hav e now added the printer to your computer , click Finish. Now y ou may use the Netw ork Printer as if it was directly con- nected to the computer . Make sure that the computer which is directly connected to the printer is on. Netw orking Basics[...]

64 T opic 6. Sharing Internet Access So how can the Internet connection be shared among other computers on the HomePlug network? Since neither the HomePlug Bridge nor USB Adapter are capable of routing at this time, a router is neces- sar y in order to share an Inter net connection. Future versions of the HomePlug Bridge or USB Adapter ma y feature[...]

65 Please f ollow these steps f or setting up Inter net Sharing: Sharing Internet Access[...]

66 Sharing Internet Access a. Make sure that the DSL/Cab le modem is connected to the Router (using the W AN por t on the router .) b . Connect the HomePlug Bridge to the Router (using the Uplink por t on the router .) c. Check the link light on the HomePlug Bridge. It must light up green. d. Make sure that the computers that need access to the Int[...]

67 Checking Router Settings: Please make sure that the f ollowing settings on y our router are set: (The setup windows will depend on the router man uf acturer’ s software.) A) The IP should be obtained automatically; B) DHCP must be enab led; C) Release DHCP and then Renew DHCP to reset the IP Ad dresses. It is recom- mended that y ou verify tha[...]

68 Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions/T r oubleshooting 1. Will HomePlug work in my house or apar tment? If the house or apar tment was b uilt under U .S. building standards using copper wiring, then it will work. 2. What types of security problems will I be f acing? If your house is on the same po wer grid as your neighbor , the[...]

69 network. Node mode operates b y connecting the Ether net br idge (GHPB42W6) to one computer (ONL Y) and installing drivers onto the computer , allowing it to set the de vice into Node Mode. The advantage with Node Mode operation is there is no limitation to the number of nodes that can oper ate on a HomePlug network. 5. Will HomePlug operate on [...]

70 7. What OS does the HomePlug utility software fully suppor t? Windows 98SE, ME, XP , and 2000. Windows NT and Mac are only suppor ted by the HomePlug Ethernet Bridge (Without installing the HomePlug software with def ault operating mode as BRIDGE, not NODE) 8. What is the Range of HomePlug? Appro ximately 990 feet (300 meters) in w all pow er li[...]

71 T o help IOGEAR® customers obtain the highest lev el of perf or mance from their HomePlug de vices, the IOGEAR® Ser vice Suppor t team is av ailable to ans wer y our technical ques- tions. Do not hesitate to call if y ou are having troub le getting your de vice to work correctly . IOGEAR® Ser vice Suppor t can be reached by phone from 9am to [...]

72 T echnical Support 1) What is the purchase date and serial number of the product? 2) W ere any messages displa yed on the screen when the error occurred? If so , what was the e xact wording of the message? 3) What type of Computer are you using? 4) When does the problem occur? 5) Can the problem be reproduced? If so , what are the steps necessar[...]

73 Specifi cations[...]

74 Limited W arranty IN NO EVENT SHALL THE DIRECT VENDOR’S LIABILITY FOR DIRECT , INDIRECT , SPECIAL, INCI- DENT AL OR CONSEQUENTIAL D AMA GES RESUL TING FR OM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT , DISK, OR ITS DOCUMENT A TION EXCEED THE PRICE P AID FOR THE PRODUCT . The direct v endor makes no w arranty or representation, e xpressed, implied, or statutor y w[...]

75 Radio & TV Interference Statement W ARNING!!! This equipment generates , uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, ma y cause interf erence to radio communications. This equipment has been tested and f ound to comply with the limits for a Class B computing de vice pu[...]

23 Hubb le • Ir vine, CA 92618 • (P) 949.453.8782 • (F) 949.453.8785 • www .iogear .com Contact inf o.[...]