D-Link DHP-310AV - User Manual

The D-Link DHP-310AV PowerLine AV Mini Adapter is a networking device designed to extend your home network using existing electrical wiring. This innovative adapter allows you to connect computers, networking devices, and gaming consoles through the most pervasive medium in your house – the electric power lines. With the DHP-310AV, you can access the Internet, transfer files, play games, and stream HD video without the need for new network cables.

Function Description

The primary function of the DHP-310AV is to transform your home's electrical outlets into network connection points. By plugging the adapter into an available AC wall outlet, it utilizes the electrical wiring to transmit network data. This creates a PowerLine network, enabling communication between devices connected to other DHP-310AV adapters within the same electrical circuit. The adapter supports speeds of up to 200Mbps, making it suitable for various bandwidth-intensive activities. It features one 10/100 Ethernet port, allowing you to connect any Ethernet-enabled device, such as a computer, game console, NAS device, media player, or wireless access point. The device is designed for plug-and-play, ensuring easy installation without complex setup procedures. It also incorporates Quality of Service (QoS) support, which helps prioritize Internet traffic, ensuring smoother performance for applications like online gaming or video streaming. For network security, the DHP-310AV supports 128-bit AES encryption, protecting your data from unauthorized access. A convenient push-button security feature simplifies the encryption setup process. Additionally, the adapter includes a power-saving mode to reduce energy consumption when not actively in use. Its compact size allows for discreet placement in any room.

Usage Features

Setting up and using the DHP-310AV is straightforward. To begin, simply plug the DHP-310AV into an AC wall outlet. The Power LED on the adapter will illuminate, confirming that it is receiving electrical power. Next, connect an Ethernet cable from the DHP-310AV's Ethernet port to your network device (e.g., router, switch, or PC). Once connected, the PowerLine and Ethernet LEDs on the DHP-310AV will illuminate, indicating network connectivity. For optimal performance, it is recommended to plug the adapter directly into a regular wall outlet, avoiding power strips or surge protectors, as these can adversely affect performance. Also, avoid outlets near high-power appliances like washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, or hair dryers, as electrical noise from these devices can interfere with the PowerLine network. If you encounter connection problems, temporarily plugging the adapters into outlets in the same room can help diagnose whether your home's electrical wiring is contributing to the issue. The PowerLine LED indicators will confirm if a connection is established.

For network security, the DHP-310AV uses an encryption key. By default, all D-Link PowerLine AV Mini Adapters share a common encryption key, HomePlugAV, allowing them to communicate with each other out of the box. However, it is highly recommended to create a private encryption key to secure your network from unauthorized access. This can be done using the push-button security feature. To create a private key, press the Simple Connect button on the DHP-310AV for two seconds. The Power LED will start blinking, indicating that the adapter is generating a private, randomly generated encryption key. If you are adding additional adapters to an existing PowerLine network with a private key, you must press the Simple Connect button on the new adapter within two minutes of pressing the button on an existing adapter in your network. Both buttons must be pressed within two minutes for the security settings to synchronize. After this process, your PowerLine network will be securely configured with the same encryption key, which the adapters will memorize even if unplugged. If you wish to change the private encryption key, you can reset the adapter to its default values by pressing the Reset button for one second and then follow the security setup procedure again.

The D-Link PowerLine AV Utility, provided on the included CD-ROM, offers additional configuration and management options. While optional, this utility is necessary for firmware upgrades and allows you to manually configure security/encryption settings, reset the adapter to default settings, and view information such as firmware version, security settings, and connection quality/speed. After installing the utility, you can double-click its icon on your desktop to access the configuration interface. The utility displays a list of discovered PowerLine devices, their location (local or remote), connection quality (indicated by squares for HD, SD, or data/Internet activity), link rate, MAC address, and firmware version. You can rename devices, perform a factory reset, or upgrade firmware through this utility. When upgrading firmware, you will need to browse for the new firmware file on your hard drive and confirm the upgrade.

Maintenance Features

The DHP-310AV is designed for minimal maintenance. The primary maintenance tasks involve ensuring optimal placement and, if necessary, using the provided utility for configuration or firmware updates. If you experience issues with the PowerLine AV utility not starting or not detecting the adapter, reinstalling the utility or ensuring the adapter is correctly plugged in and connected can resolve the problem. If you encounter errors when configuring parameters, verify that the adapter has not been unplugged during the process. If you change the connection cable to another Mini Adapter and the utility stops working correctly, restarting the utility after disconnecting and reconnecting the cable is often sufficient. For persistent network configuration problems, performing a factory reset on all Mini Adapters and reconfiguring them can help. To further diagnose if electrical wiring is the cause of issues, temporarily plug all PowerLine adapters into outlets in the same room to test connectivity. Regular firmware updates, managed through the PowerLine AV Utility, can improve the functionality and performance of your device. The device's robust design ensures that it retains security settings even after being unplugged, reducing the need for frequent reconfigurations.