Chapter 1: Introduction; Welcome - Linksys Wrt54gx2 User Manual

Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200

Chapter 1: Introduction

Welcome

Thank you for choosing the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200. The Router will allow you to
network wirelessly better than ever, sharing Internet access, files and fun, easily and securely.
How does the Router do all of this? A router is a device that allows access to an Internet connection over a
network. When you use the Router, this access can be shared over the four switched ports or via the wireless
network.
The Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200 combines smart antenna technology with standards-based
Wireless-G (802.11g) networking. By overlaying the signals of two Wireless-G compatible radios, the "Multiple In,
Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology effectively doubles the data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking
technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range
and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless
connections up to two times farther than standard Wireless-G.
With SRX, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get, and SRX200 works great with standard
Wireless-G and -B equipment, and other flavors of Linksys SRX. But when both ends of the wireless link are
SRX200, the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds
up to six times as fast as standard Wireless-G. But unlike other speed-enhanced technologies, SRX200 can
dynamically enable this double-speed mode for SRX200 devices, while still connecting to non-SRX200 wireless
devices at their respective fastest speeds. And SRX200 is a "good neighbor", always checking for other wireless
devices in the area before gobbling up the radio band.
In addition, the Router can encode all wireless transmissions with industrial-strength WPA encryption to help
protect your data and privacy. The whole network is protected by a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall and
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 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.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome
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
802.11b: an IEEE wireless networking standard
that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of
11Mbps and an operating frequency of 2.4GHz.
802.11g: an IEEE wireless networking standard
that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of
54Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and
backward compatibility with 802.11b devices.
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