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Section 1 Overview
1-4 WR850
Understanding Functions
Before installing your wireless router, please take a few minutes to review the wireless
networking functions described in this section.
Router
Generally, routers connect two networks together. The WR850 connects your home
network with the Internet, which can be thought of as a very large network. Routers provide
bandwidth security by keeping data out of your home network.
The router’s firewall inspects each packet of data as it flows through the port before
delivering it to the appropriate PC. Network Address Translation (NAT) translates one set of
IP addresses, usually private, to another set, usually public. This is how your network
remains protected and private on the Internet.
LAN
Local Area Network. A local area network provides a full-time, high-bandwidth connection
over a limited area such as a home, building, or campus. Ethernet is the most widely used
LAN standard.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) comprises the backbone of the
Internet. IP moves packets of data between nodes while TCP verifies delivery from client to
server. Every device you hook up to your wireless router identifies itself with an IP address.
You are able to assign devices on your network with either a static or dynamically assigned
IP address.
Static IP Address
A static IP address is a fixed address that is assigned manually to a device on the network.
Static IP addresses must be unique and cannot be shared, therefore they are used in
situations where the address should never change, like print servers or PC servers.
If you are using your wireless router to share an Internet connection, your Internet Service
Provider (ISP) might have assigned you a static IP address, which you will use when
configuring your router. See Section 3: Configuration.