DEVICE CONNECTS COMPUTERS TO ONE ACCOUNT
A little over two and a half years ago, I wrote about what a router does and explained how such a device, of interest only to technicians and network engineers, had become more of a mainstream accessory. And while computer technology continues to become more commonplace in our homes and offices, much of my reader mail still continues to ask me how to network more than one computer in a single home or small office. I believe that's in direct response to the growing demand for high-speed Internet access and users wanting to share that access with more than one computer. So I think it's time to take another look at what a router actually does and also introduce to you a brand new router model from Netgear.
What do you do when you run out of power sockets on the wall? You add one of those multiple A/C sockets. What do you do when you need to connect additional USB peripherals such as a printer and scanner to your computer when you run out of USB ports? You add a little box called a "hub" that contains several additional USB ports into which you can attach more USB devices. Hubs are fairly commonplace since many computers still only have two built-in USB ports.
Looking much like a hub, a router sports several plugs into which you can plug your additional computers and devices to be connected to the Internet. And one special plug on the router called a WAN connects to your single DSL or cable modem connection. But unlike your multiple A/C plug and to some extent the hub, a router is a far more complex and sophisticated device and must do a lot more than just distribute one source to the connected many.
Depending on the authentication method, every computer or device that connects to the Internet via your broadband connection must be identified by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) via a unique user name and password, or hardware MAC address. Many ISPs still only allow one of these identifiers per account so having several computers and devices would not be given access. The router literally fools the ISP by pretending to be the one authorized code for everything that's attached to it. This process is called "spoofing" and in this application is perfectly legal.
 NETGEAR has just introduced their 4-port WGR614 router ($74.89) that's easy to connect and set up. Smaller than a paperback book, the WGR614 has been designed with the non-technical end user in mind. Using any web browser, the built-in setup wizard walks you through the one time configuration. It even has the ability to automatically retrieve much of what's needed. I was able to hook up and configure the WGR614 in just over 5 minutes. The WGR614 includes additional items not normally found in routers such as parental controls that prevent little eyes from seeing bad things as well as maintaining logs of places visited, the ability to implement restrictions based on the time of day and it can even send email alerts on browser activity if violations are attempted. Comprehensive anti-virus protection ensures safety for your networked computers. Auto-sensing chooses the fastest connections possible on your 10/100 Mbps wide area network and four local area network ports. Double Firewall advanced security provides maximum protection from professional hackers
The other new addition to this router is its built-in wireless ability. The WGR614 supports the 802.11b and faster 802.11g protocols. Wireless access is achieved via the WGR614's short antenna that sticks out a few inches behind the unit. The WGR614 supports up to 128-bit WEP encryption so that other unauthorized computers in the area will not be able to access your Internet account. Netgear also makes several other router models that do not have built in wireless access in case you have no wireless demands.
If you're ready for broadband access to the Internet and you wish to bring your whole family with their own computers along for the ride, I predict that there's a router in your future. You'd do well to check out the offerings from Netgear.
www.netgear.com |
