Chapter 1: Introduction; Welcome - Linksys WCG200 - Wireless-G Cable Gateway Wireless Router User Manual

Wireless-G Cable Gateway

Chapter 1: Introduction

Welcome

The Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway is the all-in-one solution for Internet connectivity in your home. The Cable
Modem function gives you a blazing fast connection to the Internet, far faster than a dial-up, and without tying up
your phone line.
How does the Wireless-G Cable Gateway do all of this? A gateway is a device that allows access to a cable
Internet connection over a network. With the Gateway, this access can be shared to wireless clients 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 a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall and NAT
technology.
The Gateway's firewall protects your network of PCs so users on the public, Internet side cannot "see" your PCs.
This is how your local network remains private. The Gateway protects your network by inspecting the first packet
coming in through the Cable port before delivery to the final destination in the local network. The Gateway
inspects Internet port services like the web server, ftp server, or other Internet applications, and, if allowed, will
forward the packet to the appropriate PC on the LAN side. All of these security features, as well as full
configurability, are accessed through the easy-to-use browser-based utility.
You can also connect your computer to the Wireless-G Cable Gateway via USB, or use the built-in 4-port 10/100
Ethernet Switch to start your home network. You can connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs
and switches to create as big a network as you need.
But what does all of this mean?
Networks are useful tools for sharing computer resources. 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 are not only useful in homes and offices, they can also 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".
PCs equipped with wireless cards and adapters can communicate without cumbersome cables. By sharing the
same wireless settings, within their transmission radius, they form a wireless network. This is sometimes called
a WLAN, or Wired Local Area Network. The access point bridges wireless networks of both 802.11b and 802.11g
standards and wired networks.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome
spi (stateful packet inspection) firewall: a technology
that inspects incoming packets of information before
allowing them to enter the network.
firewall: Security measures that protect the
resources of a local network from intruders.
nat (network address translation): NAT technology
translates IP addresses of a local area network to a
different IP address for the Internet.
lan (local area network): The computers and
networking products that make up the network in
your home or office.
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