Linksys RTP300 manual Introduction, Welcome

Chapter 1: Introduction

Welcome

Thank you for choosing the Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports. This Router will allow your computers to share a high-speed Internet connection as well as resources, including files and printers. And after you have set up your Internet phone service, you will be able to make phone or fax calls using the Internet.

How does the Router do all of this? By connecting your computers and peripherals, including phones or fax machines, to the Router and connecting the Router to your cable or DSL modem, then the Router can direct and control communications for your network.

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. With Internet phone service, your Internet access can now be shared by your phones or fax machines as well. You will be able to make phone calls using the account you set up with your Internet phone service provider, 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. 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”.

To create your network, install and set up the Router. To guide you through the process, Linksys strongly recommends that you run the Setup Wizard on the Setup CD-ROM. If you prefer to manually set up the Router,

Chapter 1: Introduction

Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports

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.

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Welcome