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Broadband
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Q1:
What is Virtual Private Networking? |
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A:Typically,
a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is defined as a group of two or more
computer systems connected to a private network with limited public-network
access that communicates securely over a public network, such as the
internet: Security experts agree that VPNs include encryption, authentication
of remote users or hosts, and mechanisms for hiding or masking information
about private network topology from potential attackers on the public
network: |
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Q2:
What is encryption? |
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A:Encryption
is a mathematical operation that transforms data from standard text
to cipher text. Usually the mathematical operation requires that an
alphanumeric key be supplied along with the standard text. The key
plus standard text is processed by the encryption operation, which
produces secure scrambled text. Decryption is the opposite of encryption;
it is the mathematical operation that transforms cipher text to standard
text. |
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Q3:
Why
do I need a router? |
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A:The
increased reliance on computers to store valuable information and
the development of applications that share information over the internet
through networked personal computers, in combination with the advent
of computer hacking, has made information and network security an
important issue. Typical analog modems and/or the higher-speed cable/DSL
modems do not provide the necessary security to prevent someone from
hacking into a computer. Having a device that provides network address
translation (NAT) capability provides a simple solution to the hacking
issue. |
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Q4:
What is NAT? |
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A:Network
Address Translation is used in a router to prevent hacking into the
local area network (LAN). NAT substitutes a "private" IP
address of devices located on the LAN side of the router with a new
"public" IP address that is visible on the internet side
of the router. By virtue of this simple implementation, any of up
to 253 devices located on the LAN will be hidden from internet hackers.
Only the router's IP address is visible on the internet. |
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Q5:
Isn't NAT the same as "firewall"? |
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A:No.
Though the term "firewall" has been used when describing
a router's ability to hide the LAN IP addresses, a true firewall employs
a technology called Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI). Firewalls provide
a greater level of security and are generally more expensive than
a NAT router. Firewalls give the administrator the ability to set
up specific IP addresses or domain names that are allowed to be accessed,
while refusing any other attempt to access the LAN. This is often
referred to as filtering. Firewalls can also allow remote access to
the private network through the use of secure login procedures and
authentication certificates (VPN). Firewalls are used to prevent Denial
of Service (DoS) attacks and can use software to provide content filtering
to deny access to unwanted web sites. |
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Q6:
Can the Access Point act as my DHCP Server? |
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A:No.
The Access Point is nothing more than a wireless hub, and as such
cannot be configured to handle DHCP capabilities. |
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Q7:
Can
I run an application from a remote computer over the wireless network? |
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A:This
will depend on whether or not the application is designed to be used
over a network. See the application's user guide to determine if it
supports operation over a network. |
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Q8:
What
is Ad-hoc? |
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A:An
Ad-hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with a WLAN adapter,
connected as an independent wireless LAN. An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is
applicable at a departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation. |
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Q9:
What is Infrastructure? |
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A:An
integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration.
Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access
to a central database, or wireless application for mobile workers. |
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Q10:
What is WEP? |
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A:WEP
is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40-bit
shared-key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard. |
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Q11:
How do I reset the Access Point? |
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A:Press
the Reset button on the back of the Access Point for about ten seconds.
This will reset the unit to its default settings. |
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Q12:
Does the Access Point function as a firewall? |
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A:No.
The Access Point is only a bridge from wired Ethernet to wireless
clients. |
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Q13:
What is the maximum number of users the Access Point facilitates? |
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A:No
more than 65, but this depends on the volume of data and may be less
if many users create a large amount of network traffic. |
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