Home Plugs

[Dave Davison]

Just purchased a pair of TP-LINK [PA211kit] home plugs seeing I do not have a wireless router & thought the idea of using the house ring main to connect to our new smart TV might be worth trying. Trouble is even when following the simple instructions to the letter a message on the tv screen say "No network connection". Would appreciate any comments that might enlighten me as to what else I can do other than (as the box says) "Simply plug & play setup in seconds". Yesterday I took them back to the computer shop- at his request- & the owner simply plugged the adapter into a multisocket extension [which the instruction advises against by the way] connected an ethernet cable to his wireless router and the other to another computer and hey presto it worked instantly, when I mentioned the instruction to press the "Pair" button on the base of the plug for 2-8 seconds then repeat the same action on the second plug within 120 seconds, he poo pooed the suggestion but I wonder if the set up is slightly different for transmitting to a TV set as opposed to another computer? Has anyone installed these adapters & that can enlighten me please? Thanks Dave.

[John Gray]

All the ones I use/have used simply worked when I connected the wires and plugged them in.

TVs are an unknown quantity, and this is where I would look at the "smart" TV's manual...

[Dave Davison]

Thanks John, was just going off the advice of the guy in the shop that sold them to me, seems he too must only use them for the purpose of plugging in an extra laptop anywhere in the house where there is power point. Cheers Dave.

[stuck]

Look in your TV's manual, under network set up. You will have to enter your WPA key. Alternatively, connect the TV to the plug with a cable.

Ken

[Dave Davison]

Hi Ken..........well, I've just done the first thing you suggest and find that one needs a PHD in Sciences to understand the jargon. These things were certainly not designed with ordinary minded folk in mind. I found my way to the "Settings" page and was confronted with 5 check boxes for (1) Connection test which has a green tick in it; (2)Check I.P address so I entered that; (3) Check for other devices using the same I.P address which again has a tick in it; (4) Check for Gateway connection [haven't a clue what that means or where to look for the info. (5) Check for VIERA ????? The message after that last item reads; Home network found no gateway response -check connections and setting. I clicked on the "Manual" option and yet another set of 7 tick boxes confronts me. The 1st is, IP/DNS Settings manual. (2) I.P address; (3) Subnet mask, ..... ..... ..... ..... ; (4) Default gateway; ????? (5) Acquired DNS address Manual; (6) DNS Address ...... ...... ...... ..... : (7) Proxy settings ???????? I suspect for the average aged adult this is like sitting A level exams. Maybe I need to go the night school and getup to date with the world of I.T. If anyone has a Panasonic smart TV and uses these plugs I sure would like to hear from them. Cheers Dave.
ps Ken WPA key stands for what please?

[viking33]

WPA stands for Wi-Fi protected Access.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WPA.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jonwallace]

Hi Dave,
Just to confirm.
You have two homeplugs
one is plugged into the mains and connected to your router via an ethernet cable
one is plugged into the mains and connected to your tv via an ethernet cable

If this is the case, then on the TV setup menus, you want to select "Wired" as the setup type and auto in "Acquire IP Address". When you do this, if the network is ok, then as John says above, it should just connect and work. You may have to press the pair buttons on the homeplug units.
I don't think you need to anything in the Connection test box, as this seems to be for diagnostic purposes.

To troubleshoot the homeplugs, I would be, or borrow a laptop and plug it into the plug nearest the tv with an ethernet cable and see if the laptop establishes a connection.

HTH

[stuck]

...VIERA...

So it's a Panasonic, which model?

I've got a Panasonic too (can't remember which one though as I sit here at work). I will have a look in my TV manual when I get home this evening and see what it says that compares to what you've posted here.

I do know that my particular Panasonic TV does NOT have a built-in wifi adaptor. I could have bought an official Panasonic wifi dongle and plugged that into one of the USB ports on the TV but they sell at the crazy price of over £70. Google searching showed that cheaper non-Panasonic branded alternatives which were guaranteed to work with the TV were virtually non-existent. So I bought a very long Ethernet cable (only about £5), plugged one end into the router and the other into the Ethernet socket on the TV.

Once I had done that it was simply a matter of working through the TV menu option for a wired network setup as set out in the TV manual. It just worked.

Ken
edited to add: Your WPA key is the security password that protects your wifi network. You will have set this somewhere in your router's setup page.

[Dave Davison]

Hi guys, appreciate the bother you go to in throwing me some lifelines to latch on to. I have just gone through the set up procedure again with the intention of taking some photos of what is on screen to throw some light on the matter. First Bob, thanks for explaining what WPA stands for. Jon, I have done what you suggested up to pushing the “Pair” buttons on both plugs for 2-8 seconds with the result as shown on the “Connection test” screen shot. Selecting the “Manual” button resulted in another list of settings see attached.
I have already asked a family member to bring her laptop over - which incidentally she uses with a wireless router – with a view to checking if the plugs are performing as designed. I expect they are as the screenshot confirms in the first tick box that the connection is OK. The last attachment seems also to confirm the connection is made as it implies the program is loading BUT that’s how the screen stays. Ken, how chuffed I would have been if the same had been my experience. After all -as I said- In bold letters it says on the box, PLUG & PLAY "Simply plug & play, setup in seconds". Seems that's true but how many seconds is the question. Frustrated!!! Dave.

[stuck]

Set up your system as previously suggested by Jon, namely:
Router in one room, home plug 1 in same room and an Ethernet cable connecting these two items
AND
TV and home plug 2 in another room and an Ethernet cable connecting these two items

THEN :
in your TV's menu choose Setup
then Network Setup
then make sure Network Type is set to Wired
then select IP/DNS Settings and make sure that:
Acquire IP Address and Acquire DNS are set to Auto
Proxy settings should be left alone, i.e. if you access that sub menu Proxy should be empty and Proxy Port set to 0

Finally return to the Network Setup menu and use the Connection Test option. It should just work.

Ken

[Dave Davison]

Thank you Ken.........on my way out shortly, will report back ASAP to let you know how I get on. Regards Dave.

[StuartR]

The IP address you show is very unusual, and is probably the cause of your problem. Addresses starting 81.10 belong to a company in Egypt. Your router should be giving out address that start 10. or 192.168.

The display shows that the IP address has been configured manually. You need to find where this is configured on the TV and change it to automatic, then power cycle the TV and it should get a valid IP address from the router.

[Dave Davison]

Hi Ken......returned to the fray, I followed your concise instructions and think I am down to the final hurdle. As the two screen shots show, it appears there is some sort of connection but the final red cross stands in the way of complete success. Seems some setting to do with VIERA needs tweaking so it's back to search the manual to see if I can locate the change required. Just to say the caption saying "The service is now loading" is a positive but I waited 25 minutes and nothing further happened so there is obviously something else that needs setting. Getting there though, thanks to help from you lounge experts. Thanks Dave

[StuartR]

Viera connect is a Panasonic specific thing. I think this means that the TV can't talk to the Panasonic server on the Internet that it needs to use. Try waiting a while and then power cycling the TV again.

[stuck]

As Stuart has said, Viera Connect is actually a Panasonic server that allows your TV to reach a limited selection of websites. Limited is the key word there, e.g. you can get BBC iPlayer through Viera Connect but you can't get ITV Player! I do not think you need a functional Viera Connect connection to view the Freewiew channels that you are interested in watching.

Having said that, my best guess on why Viera Connect is not working is that the software in your TV is not up to date. Somewhere in the TV menu system (I'm at work again so I can't check on my TV) there is an option to let you update it. It is easy to do but it is ESSENTIAL that the power does NOT go off during the download and update installation. The TV gives on screen instructions, including telling you it might take some time. It will pay you to have read the relevant section of the TV before you start on this update and to have those instructions in front of you as you step through the update process.

Ken

[Dave Davison]

THANKS again, Stuart; the matter of the I.P.address, I'm pretty sure that set of numbers appeared in that field when I selected the "Auto" option but will recheck as my I.P address does -as you say- begin with 192.168......... as for leaving the selection for a while, I tried that at the last session leaving it 25 minutes but nothing progressed. KEN; I must admit to spending very little time in front of the TV set -rather in front of the computer monitor- which means the majority of T.V. viewing is done by others in the house and seeing there is -in their opinion- a load of rubbish & repeats on offer, they would appreciate being able to watch some of the programs on two specific Christian channels which are available on free view but an on-screen message said an internet connection is required to receive them hence the plugs route. Regarding the software update issue, I will explore that advice and see if anything updates. Will of course be delighted to report back if and when I resolve the blockage. Dave.

[stuck]

...I'm pretty sure that set of numbers appeared in that field when I selected the "Auto" option...

On my Panasonic, which has it's network setup set to 'Auto', all the IP and DNS addresses are greyed, no numbers visible at all. In other words, the numbers are more likely to have appeared if you had selected 'Manual'.

I still don't think you need a working Viera Connect connection to view the channels you are interested in because those channels are not hosted on the Viera Connect platform. In other words, you shouldn't have to worry about that fail on the Connection Test screen.

Have you checked that you are trying to view the channels while they are 'on air'? I doubt they transmit 24hrs a day. Perhaps the reason the service fails to load is because there is nothing there to load. Have you visited the website that's given on on the screen shot you posted? The message does say visit it to get more info.

Ken

[Leif]

Have you checked that you are trying to view the channels while they are 'on air'? I doubt they transmit 24hrs a day.

Errrr... the 'screenshot' does say "24hrs a day on Freeview HD"

[stuck]

[Leif]

What I can't understand is why there should be a requirement for an internet connection.

Dave - all you have said is that you have a Panasonic 'smart TV' - have you checked it is included in the list of Christian TV_devices?

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Have you tried connecting directly to your broadband connection without using the 'Home Plugs'?