Plug into Powerline
By Victor Dominguez, Vice President of Sales at DS2
Home media is so big today. Whether it’s downloading videos from YouTube, or downloading audio from iTunes or just looking at your own digital photos, you need a network solution to move all this great digital content throughout the home for easy, instant and convenient viewing. UPA powerline products allow you to build or extend a home network to reach any area of your home. The network medium is the household electric wiring. Once you plug one UPA powerline product into a power outlet, any other outlet on the same circuit can then be used to make a network connection by just plugging another adapter into another outlet and connecting the adapters to the devices you want to network.
Using today’s high speed powerline communications technology you can connect any network device - router, computer, Xbox, media server, game console, in fact any device with a network port can link up to a powerline network to build a network connection anywhere in the home. UPA based powerline adapters provide whole home coverage instantly and can be used to:
- Set up and build your home network from scratch, or:- - Extend an already installed wired or wireless network throughout the home.
You won’t need much hardware, and you won’t need any drills or new cables. Configuration is easy. You don’t need a PC but if you use one then it helps to know that UPA powerline adapters work with any OS –Mac, Windows or others.
Avoid earlier 14Mbps and 85Mbps powerline technology. These are not compatible with today’s 200Mbps powerline devices which are 4 times faster than standard wireless networks.
Plug into Powerline with UPA label Plug tested Powerline product for the highest grade network security and to ensure full interoperability for the future.
Step 1 - What do I need?
You need a minimum of two powerline adapters to establish your network, but it helps to first decide how many and which devices you want to connect. The following questions will help you define your network requirements:
Do you want to connect your set-top box (Xbox, game console, Apple TV, media server etc) to Internet?
- UPA label Powerline Starter pack that contains two high-speed Powerline adapters. Plug one powerline device into an available power outlet and connect this to your ADSL router and another one to your set-top Box. Look for two outlets close to both devices.
Do you want to connect your set-top box (Xbox, game console, Apple TV, media server etc) to your PC central storage
- UPA label Powerline Starter pack that contains two high-speed Powerline adapters. Plug one powerline device into an available power outlet and connect it to your PC central storage. Connect another powerline adapter to your set-top box. Look for two outlets close to both devices.
Do you want to connect your set-top box (Xbox, game console Apple TV, media server etc) to another set-top Box (Xbox, game console Apple TV, media server etc)?
- UPA label Powerline Starter pack that contains two high-speed Powerline adapters. Plug in one powerline device and connect it to the first set-top box. Plug a second powerline device in an available outlet and connect the second set-top box to this second powerline modem. Look for two outlets close to both devices.
Do you want to connect a set-top box, Internet and PC central storage?
- Three UPA label Powerline Adapters. Plug in one powerline device and connect it to the set-top box, plug another powerline device in an available outlet and connect it to ADSL router and plug a third powerline device in a third outlet and connect it to the PC Central Storage. Now all of your devices will be connected to each other.
Most UPA vendors sell a Powerline Starter Pack that consists of two Powerline adapters (also known as wall plugs or modems), 2 Ethernet cables and a CD that contains a software pack known as the Utility tool. You don’t need this tool to set up your network but if you want to take advantage of advanced features it guides you through the steps required.
Once you have decided on what you want to connect and the number of powerline adapters you will need, the following check list will help you make a speedy and successful purchase. You will need:
- - Ethernet power-line adapters carrying the Universal Powerline Association Plug Tested logo (remember you need a minimum of two and one for each extra device that you add to your network)
- - A spare power outlet (if you purchase the latest powerline adapters that come with a pass through socket you will not lose an outlet)
- - Check that the devices you want to connect have an Ethernet port
- - Depending on what the type of network you want to establish, you may need an Internet connection
Step 2. Setting up your UPA powered home network
Figure 1: UPA enabled Powerline Network using Powerline adapters. Powerline modems based on DS2´s DH10PF Powerline Modem save your wall outlet.
Figure 1 shows a complete UPA Powerline Communications based home network. Room 1 depicts the Home Office, Room 2 the Bedroom or Family room and Room 3 the Living or TV Room. Only 3 Powerline adapters are required to connect all these devices regardless of where they are located in the home. The Internet connection is received via the DSL modem located in Room 1.
Setting up a Powerline Network is really simple.
- 1. Plug an UPA certified adapter into an existing power outlet and connect the adapter to your router or modem using the network cable supplied by the powerline adapter manufacturer. The household wiring sends the data signal through the power circuit.
- 2. To receive the signal you repeat this process by connecting a second adapter close to where the other network devices are located on the same circuit. LED indicators (available on the latest UPA Powerline Communications products) will indicate an active connection.
There is no functional limit for UPA network coverage since any modem can act as a repeater to extend the signal in very large homes or in public buildings such as hotels allowing you to expand the network throughout the building.
Step 3 - Securing your UPA powered home network
UPA based products provide the highest security algorithms at the touch of a button. DS2´s newest chipsets have 256 AES which is more than twice as secure as that provided by other powerline communications vendors.
Set-up is simple. At the touch of a button the modems establish a network ID randomly. Once activated your network is your network.
Some powerline vendors don’t provide security configuration buttons but you network can still be made your network. You can set up your own Network ID and encryption key using the Utility tool on the CD provided.
Step 4 (optional) - Extending a wireless connection
If you have wireless coverage problems in your home, you can use powerline to Wi-Fi UPA products to extend the range of your wireless network.
- 1. Plug one Powerline to Wi-Fi UPA product into an outlet near your Wi-Fi router. Connect the adapter into your existing Wi-Fi connection using the Utility tool on the CD
- 2. Plug another Powerline to Wi-Fi UPA product in another outlet where you need Wi-Fi coverage. Connect the adapter into your existing Wi-Fi connection with the Utility tool on the CD
Advanced options
While UPA Powerline Adapters are designed for reliable and easy-to-use home networking even for those that do not own a PC, the CD provided with the powerline adapters includes the Utility Tool that is ideal for users who want to control every aspect of their powerline adapters and their home network: from coverage to connectivity from network speed to security. The easy to follow instructions allow full network visibility and facilitate firmware upgrades for advanced users.
Plug into Powerline with UPA Products
The following is a list of UPA powerline product suppliers worldwide.
Buffalo (available in Japan)
PL-UPA-L1
http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/network/pl-upa-l1/
Conceptronic (available in retail stores in Europe and online)
CPNP200P - 1-2-3 Powerplug 200Mbps Network Starter Pack
http://www.conceptronic.net/site/desktopdefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=200&Cat=40&grp=4040&ar=383&Prod_ID=1941&Prod=CPNP200P
Comtrend (available through BT shop online)
BT Comtrend Powerline HD Ethernet Female Kit
http://www.shop.bt.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4Z2J
Corinex Communications (available in retail in US and Canada online in Germany)
AV200 Powerline Ethernet Wall Mount F
AV200 Powerline Ethernet Wall Mount
AV200 Powerline Ethernet Adapter
Powerline Ethernet Adapter
GameNet
https://www.corinex.com/web/pcx.nsf/Doc3
DLink (available online and in retail stores worldwide)
DHP-301: Powerline HD Network Starter Kit
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=533
Logitec (available in Japan)
LPLTX – PLC LAN
http://www.logitec.co.jp/products/plc.html
Netgear (available online and in retail stores worldwide)
HDXB101: Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter
http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/HDX101.aspx
HDXB111: Powerline HD Plus Ethernet Adpater Kit
http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/HDXB111.aspx
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