Frequently Asked Questions - Linksys SPA2102-NA User Manual

Phone Adapter with Router

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Internet phone calls if my Internet connection is down?
No. When you make Internet phone calls, your high-speed Internet connection must be active.
Can I make calls while I'm browsing the Internet?
Yes. You can make calls while browsing the Internet. However, your web browsing may affect the quality of your
Internet calls, depending on the amount of upstream data traffic passing through your Internet connection.
What is the maximum number of IP addresses that the Phone Adapter will support?
The Phone Adapter will support up to 253 IP addresses.
Where is the Phone Adapter installed on the network?
In a typical environment, the Phone Adapter is installed between the cable/DSL modem and the local area
network (LAN). Plug the Phone Adapter into the cable/DSL modem's Ethernet port.
Does the Phone Adapter support IPX or AppleTalk?
No. TCP/IP is the only protocol standard for the Internet and has become the global standard for
communications. IPX, a NetWare communications protocol used only to route messages from one node to
another, and AppleTalk, a communications protocol used on Apple and Macintosh networks, can be used for LAN
to LAN connections, but those protocols cannot connect from the Internet to the LAN.
What is Network Address Translation and what is it used for?
Network Address Translation (NAT) translates multiple IP addresses on the private LAN to one public address that
is sent out to the Internet. This adds a level of security since the address of a PC connected to the private LAN is
never transmitted on the Internet. Furthermore, NAT allows the Phone Adapter to be used with low cost Internet
accounts, such as DSL or cable modems, when only one TCP/IP address is provided by the ISP. The user may
have many private addresses behind this single address provided by the ISP.
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Appendix A: Troubleshooting
Frequently Asked Questions