User’s Manual for the NETGEAR Super AG Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WG111U
In order to share the Internet connection among several computers, your router takes the place of the single computer, and you need to configure it with the TCP/IP information that the single computer would normally use. When the router’s Internet port is connected to the broadband modem, the router appears to be a single computer to the ISP. The router then allows the computers on the local network to masquerade as the single computer to access the Internet through the broadband modem. The method used by the router to accomplish this is called Network Address Translation (NAT) or IP masquerading.
Are Login Protocols Used?
Some ISPs require a special login protocol, in which you must enter a login name and password in order to access the Internet. If you normally log in to your Internet account by running a program such as WinPOET or EnterNet, then your account uses
When you configure your router, you need to enter your login name and password in the router’s configuration menus. After your network and router are configured, the router will perform the login task when needed, and you will no longer need to run the login program from your computer. It is not necessary to uninstall the login program.
What Is Your Configuration Information?
More and more, ISPs are dynamically assigning configuration information. However, if your ISP does not dynamically assign configuration information but instead used fixed configurations, your ISP should have given you the following basic information for your account:
•An IP address and subnet mask
•A gateway IP address, which is the address of the ISP’s router
•One or more domain name server (DNS) IP addresses
•Host name and domain suffix
For example, your account’s full server names may look like this: mail.xxx.yyy.com
In this example, the domain suffix is xxx.yyy.com.
If any of these items are dynamically supplied by the ISP, your router automatically acquires them.
Appendix | Preparing Your Network to Work with a Router |