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10 | Chapter 1. Installation and Basic Configuration
XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter User Manual
Understanding Powerline Network Security
A Powerline network consists of two or more Powerline adapters using the same network
encryption key. Securing your network is crucial. By encrypting the information you send over
the Powerline XAV5501 Adapter, you help to keep it secure from hackers. If you do not set up
security on your network, anyone nearby with a Powerline network can potentially use their
connection to gain access to your network and information you send over the Internet. This is
especially relevant in settings such as apartment buildings, office buildings, dorm rooms, and
other more populated areas.
Powerline devices connected to the same network must use an identical encryption key. The
security used by Powerline XAV5501 Adapters is similar to the SSID and encryption keys
used in wireless networks, but you do not need software to configure Powerline XAV5501
Adapters.
There are two ways to secure your Powerline network.
• Use the Security button located on the Powerline adapter to automatically generate a
random encryption key. See
Set the Encryption Key .
• Use the XAV5501 Powerline Utility to configure your Powerline network with an
encryption key that you specify. If you are already using Powerline or HomePlug devices
then you will need to use the Powerline Utility. If not already installed, the Powerline Utility
should be installed on your computer. See
Installing the XAV5001 Powerline Utility on
page 12.
For information about using the XAV5501 Powerline Utility to configure Powerline security
or to prioritize Powerline network traffic using the Quality of Service (QoS) feature, see
Chapter 2.
Note: To return the XAV5501 Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter to its factory
default settings, see Reset a Device to Factory Settings on page 17.
Set the Encryption Key
You can use the Security button to change the default encryption key and set a private
encryption key instead. The default encryption key is HomePlugAV.
Note: Before you change the Encryption key, you need to install the
Powerline adapters and get them up and running. Otherwise, they
might not be able to communicate with each other.