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About Plug-and-Play PCI Technology
Introduction
The HomeLink Network Card is designed to run in 32-bit desktop PCs that
are PCI Version 2.1 compliant or higher. Most bus mastering PCs such as
Pentium 166 and higher meet this standard.
PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a technology that allows
special Plug-and-Play expansion cards to be automatically configured by a
computer's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) upon installation. Refer to
your computer's user guide for more information about its BIOS.
When a PCI card is used in a computer that supports Plug-and-Play, the card
is automatically configured each time the computer is booted. The card's
IRQ, I/O address, and other operating parameters are automatically assigned.
You can only change Plug-and-Play card settings like IRQs through your
computer’s BIOS menu(s). If the resources assigned to your HomeLink Card
seem to conflict with other devices in your PC, use your system's BIOS to
resolve the conflicts.
If you have problems configuring your BIOS or resolving IRQ or other hard-
ware conflicts, consult your computer manual or contact your PC's manufac-
turer for BIOS setup and configuration directions. For a list of Plug-and-Play
compliant BIOS, see page 42.
Here are some general guidelines to follow when installing a PCI card (like
the HomeLink Card) into your PC. These guidelines are not necessary under
normal installation procedures, but may prove useful in troubleshooting situa-
tions.
1. The HomeLink Card must be used in a 32-bit PCI slot that supports PCI
Bus Mastering, and will not work properly in a PCI Bus Slave slot. Most
PCs with a Pentium 166 and faster (or compatible) processor generally have
all PCI slots set to Master. Most newer PCs only have PCI Master slots,
whereas older PCs may have both. Some systems allow you to designate
slots as either Master or Slave slots, and others will already have the slots
labeled on the motherboard. See your PC or motherboard documentation for
more information on Master and Slave slots.
Phoneline Network Card & Network in a Box
Mode Selection
You can set the HomeLink Card to default to either a 10BaseT connection or
a phoneline connection. Since there are three ports, the card is set to auto
detect an active connection. Auto Detect will first search for a connection on
the 10BaseT port, and if one is not found, the card will default to the phone-
line connection. The Card can only be configured to use one connection type
at a time.
• 10/100 Ethernet (External) mode will force the card to use a 10/100 con-
nection, if one exists.
• 10BaseT Ethernet (Internal) mode will force the card to use a 10Mbps
connection, if one exists.
• Phoneline mode will force the card to use only the 1Mbps phoneline con-
nection.
Phoneline Configuration
The phoneline port can be set to operate in several modes. The phoneline port
defaults to Auto Config mode, which will automatically set the port to High
Power/High Speed mode.
These port settings will take effect only if the phoneline port is selected as
the default port, or if the card is in Auto Detect mode and the phoneline link
is active.
• Low Power/High Speed mode will allow full speed on the phoneline port
while the card operates at a lower power consumption rate.
• High Power/Low Speed mode will give you a 700Kbps transfer rate over
the phoneline connection, while still allowing the card to operate at full
power.
Linksys HomeLink Series
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