Linksys PLUSB10 manual Appendix C I P Addressing, Appendix D Specifications

Instant PowerLineTM Series

Appendix C: I P Addressing

What’s an IP Address?

IP stands for Internet Protocol. Every device on an IP-based network, includ- ing PCs, print servers, and routers, requires an IP address to identify its “loca- tion,” or address, on the network. Since the Internet is simply one huge global network, every PC that logs on to the Internet also needs an IP address.

There are two ways of assigning an IP address to your network devices.

Static IP Addresses

A static IP address is a permanent IP address that you assign manually to a PC or other device on a TCP/IP network. Since a static IP address remains valid until you disable it, static IP addressing insures that the device assigned it will always have that same IP address. Static IP addresses are commonly used with network devices such as server PCs or print servers.

Dynamic IP Addresses

A dynamic IP address is automatically assigned to a device on a TCP/IP net- work, such as PCs and print servers. These IP addresses are called “dynamic” because they are only temporarily assigned to the PC or device. After a certain time period, they expire and may change. Dynamic IP addresses are typically assigned by a DHCP server, which can be a computer on the network or anoth- er piece of hardware, such as a router.

If a PC logs on to the network (or the Internet) and its dynamic IP address has expired, the DHCP server will assign it a new dynamic IP address.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

DHCP is software that automatically assigns IP addresses to client stations log- ging onto a TCP/IP network. DHCP frees you from having to manually assign permanent IP addresses to every device on your network. DHCP software typ- ically runs on servers and is also found on network devices such as routers.

PowerLine USB Adapter

Appendix D: Specifications

Standards:	USB Spec. 1.1, HomePlug 1.0
Ports:	One USB Port
Cabling Type:	Standard USB Cable
Speed:
Powerline	Up to 14Mbps
USB	Up to 12Mbps
LEDs:	Activity, Link, Collision
Encryption:	56-Bit Data Encryption with Key Management,
	Network Password to secure local powerline
	networking

28 29