1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome
Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports
Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome
Thank you for choosing the Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports. This Router can direct and control
communications for your wired and wireless networks, sharing Internet access, files and fun, easily and securely.
Plus, after you have set up your Internet phone service, make phone or fax calls using your Internet connection.
How does the Router do all of this? A router is a device that allows access to an Internet connection over a
network. With the Wireless-G Broadband Router, this access can be shared over the four switched ports or via the
wireless broadcast 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 NAT technology.
Full configurability, including these security features, are accessed through the easy-to-use, web-based utility.
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. After you set up your Internet
phone service, you can also make Internet phone or fax calls, 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. All the while, the Router protects your networks from
unauthorized and unwelcome users. 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”.
PCs equipped with wireless cards or adapters can communicate without cumbersome cables. By sharing the
same wireless settings, within their transmission radius, they form a wireless network, which is sometimes
called a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The Router bridges wireless networks of both 802.11b and 802.11g
standards and wired networks, allowing them to communicate with each other.
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, use
the instructions in the Quick Installation or this User Guide to help you. These instructions should be all you need
to get the most out of the Wireless-G Broadband Router.
ethernet: an IEEE standard network protocol that
specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from
a common transmission medium
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
browser: an application program that
provides a way to look at and interact with all
the information on the World Wide Web
mbps: one million bits per second; a unit of
measurement for data transmission
nat (network address translation): NAT
technology translated IP addresses of a
local area network to a different IP address
for the Internet
wpa (wi-fi protected access): a wireless
security protocol using TKIP (Temporal Key
Integrity Protocol) encryption, which can be
used in conjunction with a RADIUS server
NOTE: If you want to sign up for Internet phone service or activate your account, visit
http://www.att.com/linksys after you have installed and configured the Router. Refer to
“Chapter 6: Signing up for AT&T CallVantage
sm
Service” for more information.