Chapter 1: Introduction
Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports
Welcome
Thank you for choosing the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports. This Router will allow you to network wirelessly better than ever, sharing Internet access, files and fun, easily and securely. Plus, after you have set up your Internet phone service, you can make phone or fax calls using your Internet connection.
How does the Router do all of this? A router is a device that allows access to an Internet connection over a network. With the Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports, this access can be shared over the three switched ports or via the wireless broadcast at either up to 11Mbps for Wireless-B or up to 54Mbps for Wireless-G. In addition, the WPA standard provides greater security opportunities while the whole network is protected through NAT technology. All of these security features, as well as full configurability, are accessed through the easy-to-use browser-based utility.
But what does all of this mean?
Networks are useful tools for sharing Internet access and computer resources. Multiple computers can share Internet access, so you don’t need more than one high-speed Internet connection. After you set up your Internet phone account, you can also use your Internet access to make Internet phone or fax calls, even while you’re surfing the Internet. Plus, you can access one printer from different computers and access data located on another computer’s hard drive. Networks are even used for playing multiplayer video games. All the while, the Router protects your networks from unauthorized and unwelcome users. So, networks not only are useful in homes and offices, but also can be fun.
PCs on a wired network create a LAN, or Local Area Network. They are connected with Ethernet cables, which is why the network is called “wired”.
wpa (wi-fi protected access): a wireless security protocol using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) encryption, which can be used in conjunction with a RADIUS server.
nat (network address translation): NAT technology translated IP addresses of a local area network to a different IP address for the Internet.
mbps: one million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.
browser: an application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web.
lan (local area network): the computers and networking products that make up the network in your home or office.
ethernet: an IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium.