XE104 User Guide © 2005 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved. September 2005. NETGEAR, Inc.
Trademarks NETGEAR is a trademark of Netgear, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. Statement of Conditions In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes to the products described in this document without notice.
Product and Publication Details Model Number: XE104 Publication Date: September 2005 Product Family: Product Family Product Name: XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch Home or Business Product: Home Language: English iii v1.
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Contents XE104 User Guide Chapter 1 About This Manual Audience, Scope, Conventions, and Formats ................................................................1-1 How to Use This Manual ................................................................................................1-2 How to Print this Manual .................................................................................................1-2 Chapter 2 Introduction Key Features ..............................................................
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting NETGEAR Product Registration, Support, and Documentation .....................................4-1 Basic Functioning ...........................................................................................................4-1 Power Light Not On ..................................................................................................4-2 HomePlug Light Not On ...........................................................................................
Chapter 1 About This Manual This chapter describes the intended audience, scope, conventions, and formats of this manual. Audience, Scope, Conventions, and Formats This reference manual assumes that the reader has basic to intermediate computer and Internet skills. However, basic computer network, Internet, firewall, and VPN technologies tutorial information is provided in the Appendices and on the Netgear website. This guide uses the following typographical conventions: Table 1-1.
XE104 User Guide Danger: This is a safety warning. Failure to take heed of this notice may result in personal injury or death. This manual is written for the XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch according to these specifications: Table 1-2. Manual Scope Product Version XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch Manual Publication Date September 2005 Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. Web site at http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/XE104.asp.
XE104 User Guide Each page in the HTML version of the manual is dedicated to a major topic. Use the Print button on the browser toolbar to print the page contents. • Printing a Chapter. Use the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left of any page. — Click the PDF of This Chapter link at the top right of any page in the chapter you want to print. The PDF version of the chapter you were viewing opens in a browser window.
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Chapter 2 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch. The XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch lets you completely network your home by simply plugging into your existing electrical wiring, so your network connection is as close as the nearest 110-volt electrical outlet. Now your high-speed cable/DSL connection can be available in every room. And you can also extend an existing Ethernet network to PCs in other rooms without any additional wiring.
XE104 User Guide Easy Installation and Management You can install, configure, and operate the XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch within minutes after connecting it to the network. The following features simplify installation and management tasks: • Browser-based management The setup utiliy allows you to easily configure your PowerLine switch from almost any personal computer running the Windows operating system.
XE104 User Guide The XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch The front panel of the XE104 contains the status lights described below. Figure 2-1 You can use the status lights to verify connections. Viewed from top to bottom, the table below describes the lights on the front panel. Table 2-1. Status Light Descriptions Label Power HomePlug Activity On Green Solid Blink Off Power is supplied to the XE104. Power on self test. Power is not supplied to the XE104.
XE104 User Guide Ethernet Ports The XE104 has four Ethernet ports: two on each side of the unit. Each port includes two embedded links, as shown in the following diagram.: 1. 2. Figure 2-2 Function Activity Description 1. Speed On Green Solid Off Speed is 100 Mbps. Speed is 10 Mbps or there is no link. 2. Link/ACT On Green Solid Blink Off Linked with no data activity. Linked with data activity.
Chapter 3 Installing the XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch This chapter describes how to set up the XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch on your local area network (LAN) and connect to the Internet. How the PowerLine Switch Fits in Your Network XE104 devices allow you to implement or extend an Ethernet local area network anywhere in your house using your existing electrical power line in place of a dedicated LAN wiring infrastructure.
XE104 User Guide Prepare to Install Your PowerLine Switch Check that these minimum requirements are met. • Your Ethernet network is set up and an Ethernet port is available on your router. • Your Internet connection is working. • Each computer and peripheral device to be used on your network has an Ethernet port. Connect an XE104 to the Router Internet Access Wireless Router XE104 Ethernet Network Figure 3-2 3-2 Installing the XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch v1.
XE104 User Guide NO FFO 1. First, connect a XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch to a LAN port on the router so that the PowerLine network can gain access to the internet. WARNING! Figure 3-3 Do not connect the XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch to a power strip, extension cord, or surge protector as this may prevent them from working properly or degrade the network performance. a. Plug the blue Ethernet cable that came in the box into a LAN port on your router or switch in your network.
XE104 User Guide c. Plug the other end of blue Ethernet cable that came in the box into the XE104. • Power: The power light should turn solid green. If it does not, see Chapter 4, “Troubleshooting”. • HomePlug: The HomePlug port light should blink to indicate that though the device is connected to the power line, no other devices have been detected at this stage. • Ethernet: The Ethernet light should be blinking to indicate activity.
XE104 User Guide Install the XE104 PowerLine Encryption Utility (Highly Recommended) The utility provides you with the option of setting your own unique encryption PowerLine network password. Important features: • The encryption password is case sensitive. • Each device must be set to exactly the same encryption password—if they are to communicate on the same network. PowerLine devices on different networks will not be able to communicate.
XE104 User Guide 1. Insert the XE104 Resource CD into one of the CD-ROM drives on the computer that is connected to your router1. The CD should start automatically. The following screen should be displayed. Figure 3-5 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 XE104 Resource CD or • Select the CD-ROM drive and click on the Autorun.exe executable file. 1.
XE104 User Guide 2. Click the topmost button, labelled Install Software. A Welcome screen should appear. Figure 3-6 3. Click Next and follow the instructions on the screen. Figure 3-7 Installing the XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch v1.
XE104 User Guide 4. Enter your user name and organization and click Next. Figure 3-8 5. Either select Change to change the location where files will be saved on your hard drive, or select Next to accept the default location. 6. If you choose to change the destination location for the files, the following screen will be displayed: Figure 3-9 Type a new folder name or select another location using the folder options, and then click OK. 3-8 Installing the XE104 Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch v1.
XE104 User Guide 7. The InstallShield Wizard will indicate the program is ready to install. Figure 3-10 Click the Install button to trigger the installation. 8. When the installation is complete, click the Finish button. Set Your Network Password The fastest and most reliable way to set the network password is to set the password for all devices at once. To do this, you need the device password recorded on the back label of each of the remote PowerLine devices.
XE104 User Guide b. Start the PowerLine encryption utility and ensure that the Main tab is selected. Figure 3-11 c. Check that the utility lists all the remote PowerLine devices d. Select a PowerLine device and, if more than one remote device is listed, identify it from the MAC address. e. Click the button labelled Enter Password. Figure 3-12 f. Enter the password recorded from the label on the back of the selected PowerLine device. g. Click OK.
XE104 User Guide h. Repeat this step for all devices that you want attached to your network. 2. Set the network password. a. Select the Security tab. Figure 3-13 b. Type a password in the Private Network Password text box. c. Click Set All Devices. The utility should display a pop-up window indicating that the operation was successful.
XE104 User Guide Adding a New Device from a Locally Connected Computer 1. Plug the new PowerLine device into an available AC power outlet and connect a device port to an Ethernet port on the computer. 2. Start the PowerLine encryption utility and select the Security tab. 3. Type the network password into the Private Network Password text box and click the button labelled Set Local Device Only. 4. Select the Main tab and check that the other devices in the PowerLine network appear in the device list.
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting This chapter gives information about troubleshooting your XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch. After each problem description, instructions are provided to help you diagnose and solve the problem. NETGEAR 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://kbserver.netgear.
XE104 User Guide Power Light Not On Make sure that, if power to the AC power outlet is controlled by a wall switch, the wall switch is in the on position. Verify that the wall socket is live by disconnecting the XE104 85 Mbps Wall-Plugged Ethernet Switch and plugging in some other electrical product, such as a lamp or a hairdryer. If the error persists and you have confirmed the power outlet you are using is live, you have a hardware problem and should contact technical support.
