18 | Chapter 2. Using the XAV1601 Powerline Utility
XAV1601 Powerline AV+ 200 Nano User Manual
Add a Device to a Powerline Network
If you are adding a device to a Powerline network, and the network encryption key has been
left at its default setting, all you need to do is plug the new device into a power outlet.
If the network encryption key has been customized, there are two ways to set the security:
• You can use the Security button to add the new device to your network. See Adding
Adapters to Your Network on page 9.
• You can use the XAV1601 Powerline Utility to add the new device to the network, as
described in the following sections.
The procedure for setting the network encryption key depends on whether the computer
running the XAV1601 Powerline Utility is connected directly to the new Powerline adapter
(local) or is connected to a different device in the Powerline network (remote).
To add a device from a locally connected computer:
1. Plug the new Powerline adapter into an available AC power outlet.
2. Connect the Ethernet cable that came with the adapter to the adapter’s Ethernet port and an
Ethernet port on the computer.
3. Start the XAV1601 Powerline Utility, click the Refresh button, and wait for the utility to detect
the new device.
4. From the Device Name column select the device.
5. Re-name the device if you wish (see Change the Name of a Powerline Device on page 15).
6. Set the device’s Security option from the drop-down menu.
7. Click the Apply Security to Selected Devices button.
8. Click Close.
Verify that the devices in the Powerline network appear in the device list by clicking the Refresh
button on the Powerline Utility main screen. It might take a minute or two for all devices in the
network to be detected.
Set Up Quality of Service (QoS)
The Quality of Service (QoS) function helps you prioritize your Powerline network traffic.
By default, all types of traffic on the Powerline network are assigned the same priority. For
most applications, this works fine. However, there are situations where performance
improves if you assign a higher priority to certain types of traffic, such as multimedia files.
To prioritize by general application type:
If your network traffic is a mix of multimedia and document/database traffic you might want to
give priority to a particular traffic type. If it is important that your multimedia playback is
smooth, even while document files are being transferred over the network, then give priority
to multimedia traffic. Conversely, if it is more important for your network to be responsive to
database applications, give priority to this type of application over multimedia applications.