Can the wan port be used as lan. Reassigning the WAN port to the LAN port in the router settings

Our short article today will be devoted to such an element of routers, which is called WAN. We will try to answer the questions of what it is and what functions it performs.
It is very likely that once you tried to set up a router yourself and turned to some forum for help. And it is even more likely that in such a situation you were advised there to connect the cable to WAN connector or go to the WAN tab and set the correct settings there.
As you might have guessed, there are two things on the router of the so-called WANs at once. Firstly, this is a connector that is located on the router case, into which it is actually connected internet via cable, padded internet provider. Using the example of different manufacturers, the back panel may look different:

In another way, such a connector is also called RJ-45. Most often WAN connector on routers it is colored blue. We have already dealt with the first WAN.

Under the second meaning of the word WAN hides nothing more than an item in the router settings. You probably already know how to enter the control panel from our previous publications. By the way, for some models of routers, in particular for TP-LINK, tab WAN called simply "Internet".

The settings that are actually in it and allow the router to connect to the Internet. I would even call it the most important point in the router settings. Therefore, very carefully enter the data given to you by the provider. Quite often, at this stage of configuration, mistakes are made, and then questions arise why the router does not function fully.

The two most popular types networks today are LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network). These two systems are generally classified based on their coverage area. Below are a few points that distinguish these two networks. Generally, LAN exists in the home or campus, while WAN exists throughout many office buildings separated by vast distances. Office buildings in the WAN may be located in different countries ah or even continents.

For example, the headquarters might be in Russia, the regional office might be in the UK, and the office might be in Italy. The workers in these three buildings are Wide Area Network , cooperate with each other. The Internet can also be considered as WAN, Ethernet is a classic example of a global network. Let's look at the differences between these two structures.

Differences

The following amenities are provided: LAN-WAN
Speed ​​1000Mbps 150Mbps
Transmission Bandwidth - High - Low
Transfer rate - High - Low
Geographic coverage - Small - Large
Equipment connection - 10Base-T cable - Leased lines or satellite
Technologies used - Token Ring And Ethernet ATM, Frame Relay, X.25
Transmission Errors - Multiple - Read More
Installation cost - Low - High
Maintenance costs - Less - Read more
Network Topology - Peer to Peer - Client-Server Model
Security - More secure than WAN open to threats
Standard - Ethernet T1
Signal degradation - No - Yes
Required equipment - Hub, Switch Router, Modem
Network Card Expansion - Using an Optional Router
Range 1 km - Up to 10,000 km
Printer Sharing - Yes, if on the same LAN - No

LAN structure

V LAN devices connected to a switch or hub. Common devices connected to a switch located in the city center. In the case of devices that need to be connected to the Internet, the switch connects to an ISP and thus to the Internet. Data common to all devices is stored on servers. If there are multiple devices to be added, an additional hub or switch can be added. Local Area Network (LAN) has a higher throughput, while being faster than WAN . The maximum speed of the local network can be up to 1000 megabits per second. Because LAN faster, it is preferable for sharing between computers on a network. LANs easy to install, most computers and laptops are made today with an RJ45 port built into the motherboard that is used to connect to the network. In the case of older machines that do not have this port, a separate NIC (Network Interface Card) must be installed. This card fits into the PCI slot of desktop computers, and the PCMCIA slot of laptops. The main advantage of using LAN is its ease of data exchange. A computer, if connected to the same LAN , can even share a printer. The biggest problem faced by firms in the process of connecting computers to LAN - traffic monitoring for the Internet. If there is too much load on only one computer or on a shared device, then this can reduce the data transfer rate in LAN .This can be circumvented by monitoring LAN traffic monitor, whose function is to monitor bandwidth usage. Based on setup and operation, installation cost LAN considered cheaper than WAN setup .

Wide Area Network

V WAN setup (WAN setup, computers that are present in different places and they are all interconnected. Devices connected to the router are interconnected through the T1 standard. This makes it difficult to expand the use Wide Area Network (WAN) , as it has a lower bandwidth, thereby slowing down the network. Speed WAN can reach up to 150 megabits per second. This means that the speed WAN equals one tenth the speed of the local network. Though WAN slower, it is widely used for data exchange. The best example is the global Internet. Internet data is available on different continents.However, WAN can't share peripherals like a computer in one country, can't use a printer in another country. To set up a WAN, you need a modem and a router. configured and connected to others on the network. Since the number of devices on the WAN is greater than those connected to the local network, there is a great need for device monitoring. Special computers are used for this, whose sole purpose is to send and receive data from the Internet. To connect devices in global network leased lines or satellites are used. While each of the two networks has its own advantages and disadvantages, this is a special factor that helps to choose between LAN and WAN setup (The WAN setting is the distance). If the places to be connected are far apart, then there is no point in considering setting LAN for all the benefits it has to offer, it's just not possible.

Gone are the days when a computer was connected to the internet with a cable. Today, wi-fi routers are firmly entrenched in our homes, thanks to which we can access the Internet at home from any device without connecting a special wire. On the reverse side of the wi-fi router, you can see several ports, one of which has the inscription WAN, and all the rest are LAN. At first glance, an inexperienced user will think that they are exactly the same, but they are not. So, let's take a closer look: WAN and LAN - what's the difference?

Understanding LAN and WAN Ports

The abbreviation WAN stands for a global network that connects millions of computers from all countries and continents.

The term LAN refers to a network that operates locally and unites a small number of machines, and in a limited area.

What is the difference between Local Area and Wide Area ports

The main difference between these two ports is the purpose of the networks. Wide Area - a global network, with the help of which groups of small networks, as well as computers, are combined, and their location does not affect the merging process in any way. Users whose machines are connected to the WAN network are able to communicate with each other from different parts of the world. The restriction on the process of interaction between subscribers is imposed only by the data transfer rate.

The world-famous Wide Area is the Internet, but it is far from the only external network in our world. LAN is an internal, local network, with which you can combine parts of the network, dedicated computers that are located relatively nearby. Work between them is provided by wired, wireless technologies.

Let's go back to the router. The main purpose of the WAN port is to connect the cable responsible for the Internet connection. The LAN ports, in turn, are necessary for connecting and configuring a computer and other devices.

Local area networks (LANs) cover only a few kilometers, and communication in the areas is maintained using high-quality cables that are characterized by high bandwidth (usually twisted pair).

The Global Wide Area is not limited to coverage of any territory, but such an organization uses telephone wires that cannot boast of either high quality or speed. But WAN-type connections can also be based on modern types of communication. Another difference between the two networks is the topology. LAN allows only direct topology, while WAN is based on mixed hierarchical topology.

As for the link layer, in local LANs, only one client uses one communication channel. Global ones differ in that one communication channel can be shared between several clients at once.

With the spread of broadband Internet access, wireless routers are becoming increasingly popular among home users, which allow organizing Internet access shared by several computers in an apartment. In addition, given the ability of routers to organize wireless communication channels, their use eliminates the need to lay network cables throughout the apartment. Today, there are many different models of wireless routers for home use. But how to make the right choice? Which router to prefer and, most importantly, how to configure it correctly? In this article, we will look at the main features of modern routers and give step-by-step instructions for configuring them.

A modern home computer is no longer conceivable without an Internet connection. Analog modems are irretrievably a thing of the past, and they have been replaced by high-speed Internet access technologies, and the tariffs for organizing unlimited access have become comparable to a monthly phone fee. Therefore, it is quite natural that after buying a home computer, users think about organizing Internet access.

When connecting to the Internet one home computer problems do not arise. This, of course, is not a trivial task for novice users, since it requires creating a new network connection and making the necessary settings for it, but with luck, all this will be done by engineers who will connect the computer to the Internet.

However, over time, you may have a second computer, laptop, or PDA with a wireless adapter. Of course, you'll want to connect all of these devices to the Internet as well. To do this, you already have to use a router that will act as a gateway between your local network in the apartment and the external Internet.

Naturally, the question arises about the choice of a router and its functionality.

We note right away that all modern routers aimed at home users combine many network devices and a router is only one of them, although the main one. That is why some manufacturers, in an effort to emphasize the orientation of their devices to home users, as well as their versatility, for marketing reasons, call them home Internet centers. True, this only introduces confusion into the classification of such devices, while their generally recognized name is broadband wireless routers.

Until recently, home routers did not have an integrated wireless access point. Now these devices are already morally obsolete and it is not worth focusing on them.

Functionality of wireless routers

So, a modern broadband wireless router is a multifunctional device that combines:

• router;
• Fast Ethernet network switch (10/100 Mbps);
• wireless access point;
• firewall;
• NAT device.

The main task assigned to wireless routers is to unite all computers on a home network into a single local network with the ability to exchange data between them and organize a high-speed, secure Internet connection for all home computers (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Using a wireless router to connect
home computers to the Internet

Currently, the most popular methods are connecting to the Internet via a telephone line using an ADSL modem and via a dedicated Ethernet line. Based on this, all wireless routers can be divided into two types:

• for connecting via a dedicated Ethernet line;
• for telephone line connection.

In the latter case, an ADSL modem is also built into the router.

According to statistics, the method of connecting via a dedicated Ethernet line is becoming more and more popular among providers. At the same time, the routers designed for this can also be used to connect to the Internet via a telephone line, but for this you will have to additionally purchase an ADSL modem.

In the future, we will consider only routers designed to connect to the Internet via a dedicated Ethernet line.

So, routers are network devices installed on the border of the internal local home network and the Internet, and therefore, they act as a network gateway. From a constructive point of view, routers must have at least two ports, one of which connects the local network (this port is called the internal LAN port), and the second is the external network, that is, the Internet (this port is called the external WAN port). Home routers have one WAN port and four internal LAN ports, which are combined into a switch (Fig. 2). Both the WAN and LAN ports have a 10/100Base-TX interface and can be connected to an Ethernet network cable.

Rice. 2. LAN and WAN ports of the router

The wireless access point integrated into the router allows you to organize a wireless network segment, which for the router belongs to the internal network. In this sense, computers connected to the router wirelessly are no different from those connected to the LAN port.

The task of the firewall integrated into the router is to ensure the security of the internal network. To do this, firewalls must be able to mask the protected network, block known types of hacker attacks and information leakage from the internal network, and control applications that access the external network.

In order to implement these functions, firewalls analyze all traffic between the external and internal networks for its compliance with certain established criteria or rules that determine the conditions for the passage of traffic from one network to another. If the traffic meets the specified criteria, then the firewall passes it through itself. Otherwise, that is, if the established criteria are not met, the traffic is blocked. Firewalls filter both incoming and outgoing traffic and allow you to control access to certain network resources or applications.

By their purpose, firewalls resemble a checkpoint of a guarded facility, where the documents of all those entering the territory of the facility and all those leaving it are checked. If the pass is in order, access to the territory is allowed. Firewalls operate similarly, only network packets act as people passing through the checkpoint, and the pass is the correspondence of the headers of these packets to a given set of rules.

All modern routers with built-in firewalls are NAT devices, that is, they support the NAT (Network Address Translation) network address translation protocol. This protocol is not an integral part of the firewall, but it helps to improve network security. Its main task is to solve the problem of the shortage of IP addresses, which is becoming more and more urgent as the number of computers grows.

The NAT protocol defines how network address translation takes place. The NAT device translates IP addresses reserved for private use on local networks into public IP addresses. Private addresses include the following IP ranges: 10.0.0.0-10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0-172.31.255.255, 192.168.0.0-192.168.255.255. Private IP addresses cannot be used on the WAN, so they can only be used freely for internal purposes.

In addition to the listed functionality, some models of wireless routers have a number of additional ones. For example, they can be equipped with USB 2.0 ports, to which you can connect external devices with the ability to organize shared network access to them. So, when connected to a printer router via a USB 2.0 interface, we also get a print server, and when an external hard drive is connected, we get a network storage device such as NAS (Network Attached Storage). In addition, in the latter case, the software used in routers even allows you to organize an FTP server.

There are models of routers that have not only USB ports, but also a built-in hard drive, and therefore can be used for network storage, as FTP servers for access both from the outside and from the internal network, and even serve as multimedia centers.

Router setup

Despite the seeming similarity in functionality of broadband wireless routers, there are significant differences between them, which ultimately determine whether a particular router is suitable for your purposes or not. The fact is that different ISPs use different types of Internet connections. If we are talking about connecting a single computer (without using a router), then there are no problems, since user operating systems (for example, Windows XP / Vista) contain software tools that support all types of connections used by providers. If a router is used to connect the home network to the Internet, then it is necessary that it fully supports the type of connection used by the provider (we will consider connection types in the section on configuring the WAN interface).

Almost all routers aimed at home users have built-in quick setup software (setup wizards) or auto-configuration tools - for example, Quick Setup, Smart Setup, NetFriend, etc. However, you need to keep in mind that there can always be a provider that does not will support the automatic configuration function of a specific router. In addition, the presence of such functions does not mean at all that by pressing one "magic" button you will immediately cope with all the problems and configure your router. After all, even in order to get to this “magic” button, you will have to perform some network interface settings on your computer.

For the above reasons, we will not rely on the automatic configuration capabilities of the router and will consider the most universal way to manually configure it step by step.

It is advisable to configure the router in the following sequence:

• Gaining access to the web interface of the router.
• Configuring the LAN interface and built-in DHCP server.
• Setting up a WAN interface with the organization of an Internet connection for all computers on the local network.
• Setting up a wireless network (if there are wireless clients).
• Firewall setting.
• Configuring the NAT protocol (if required).

The first step in configuring the router is to get network access to its settings via the web interface (all routers have a built-in web server).

Let's take a closer look at the steps for configuring the LAN interface and the built-in DHCP server, as well as configuring the WAN interface. We will not talk about setting up a wireless network, firewall and NAT protocol in this article - separate publications will be devoted to these issues.

Getting access to the web interface of the router

To access the web interface of the router, you need to connect a computer (laptop) to the LAN port. The first thing you need to find out is the IP address of the LAN port of the router, the default login and password. Any router, being a network device, has its own network address (IP address). In order to find out the IP address of the LAN port of the router and the password, you will have to scroll through the user manual. If the router has not been used before, then its settings are the same as the default (factory) settings. In most cases, the IP address of the LAN port of the router is 192.168.1.254 or 192.168.1.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and the password and login are admin. If the router has already been used and the default settings have changed in it, but you do not know the IP address of the LAN port, or the login and password, then the first thing to do is reset all settings (return to factory settings). To do this, all routers have a special recessed reset button (Reset). If you press it (when the router is powered on) and hold for a few seconds, the router will reboot and restore its factory settings.

In addition to the ability to quickly reset to factory settings, most routers have a built-in DHCP server that is enabled by default. This makes it easy to connect to the router, because the computer connected to the LAN port of the router will automatically be assigned an IP address on the same subnet as the LAN port of the router itself, and the IP address of the default gateway will be set to the IP address of the router. router LAN port address. But in order to use this feature, you need to make sure that the network connection properties of the computer used to connect to the router's LAN port have the Obtain IP address automatically function set. It is enabled by default for all network interfaces, and if, after installing the operating system, network connections on the computer were not specially configured, then most likely you will be able to access the router settings immediately after connecting to its computer LAN port.

Attention! If your computer was already connected to the Internet, then it is likely that you are using network connection settings other than the default settings. Before changing anything, write down all settings.

If it is not possible to connect to the router in such a simple way, then you will have to first configure the network interface of the computer connected to the router. The meaning of the setting is that the network interface of the computer that connects to the LAN port of the router and the LAN port of the router have IP addresses that belong to the same subnet. Let's say the router's LAN port has an IP address of 192.168.1.1. Then the network interface of the connected computer must be assigned a static IP address 192.168.1.x (for example, 192.168.1.100) with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. In addition, you must specify the IP address of the router's LAN port as the default gateway IP address (in our case, 192.168.1.1).

Naturally, the configuration of the computer's network interface depends on the operating system used. We will show how to make such a setting using the most popular operating system Microsoft Windows XP SP2 (English version) and the operating system Microsoft Windows Vista (Russian version).

Configuring the network interface of a PC running Microsoft Windows XP SP2

If you are using the Microsoft Windows XP SP2 operating system, to assign a static IP address to the computer's network interface, click the icon My Network Places(Network Neighborhood) right-click and in the context menu that opens, select Properties(Properties). In the opened window network connection(Network connections) select icon Local Area Connection(LAN) and by right-clicking on it, go to the item again Properties. After that, a window should open Local Area Connection Properties(Network connection properties), which allows you to configure the network adapter (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Local Area Connection Properties Dialog Box

On the tab General highlight the protocol Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on the button Properties. A window will open allowing you to set the computer's default IP address, subnet mask, and gateway. Check the box in this dialog box. Use the following IP address: and enter the IP address and subnet mask in the appropriate text fields (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Setting a static IP address, subnet mask
and gateway IP addresses

After the computer's network interface has been configured, you can access the settings of the router itself. To do this, enter the IP address of the access point (192.168.1.1) in the address field of the web browser. If everything is done correctly, the access point (router) settings dialog box will open. You may first need to enter a username and password (they are in the documentation).

Configuring the network interface of a PC running Microsoft Windows Vista

If you are using the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system to assign a static IP address to your computer's network interface, click the icon Net right-click and in the context menu that appears, select Properties. In the opened window Network connections Network connections(Fig. 5), which displays all network adapters installed on the computer.

Rice. 5. Network connections window with a list of network adapters

After selecting in this window the network adapter (if there are several) with which the computer is connected to the LAN port of the router, right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that opens. Properties(Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Select the network adapter connected to the router,
and right click on it

In the properties window of the selected network adapter that opens (Fig. 7), on the tab Net item needs to be highlighted Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and press the button Properties. Next, a window will open that allows you to set the computer's IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway IP address. Check this box Use the following IP address: and enter the IP address, subnet mask and gateway IP address in the corresponding text fields (Fig. 8).

Rice. 7. Network adapter properties window

Rice. 8. Setting a static IP address, subnet mask
and gateway IP addresses

After the computer network interface has been configured, in the window Network and Sharing Center you can make additional settings for the newly created local network. Initially, this network is given the name default (Private network) - fig. 9.

Rice. 9. Display properties of the newly created LAN

If you select a link Setting opposite the name of the local network, then in the window Network location setup(Fig. 10) you can specify the name of the created network connection (for example, home network), select an icon for this connection and a network location type ( public or Private). In the case of a home network, it is better to set the location type Private, because it will allow your computer to discover other computers and devices on the local network and make it possible for them to discover your computer.

Rice. 10. Setting the properties of the created network connection

After the network properties are set, in the window Network and Sharing Center you can view the full network map by clicking on the link View full map. Since in our case only one computer is connected to the router (gateway), and the Internet connection has not yet been configured, the network map will look like that shown in Fig. 11. If you move the mouse pointer over the computer or gateway icon on this map, the tooltip will display the IP and MAC addresses of the network adapter or LAN port of the router, respectively.

Rice. 11. Scheme of the created network

After setting up the connection between the computer and the LAN port of the router, you can access its settings. This is done in the same way as in the case of the Microsoft Windows XP SP2 operating system: the IP address of the access point (192.168.1.1) is entered in the address field of the web browser.

Configuring the LAN interface and built-in DHCP server

The first thing we recommend to do after gaining access to the router settings is to configure its LAN interface. It is considered good manners when, when a new computer is connected to the router (both via a wired and wireless interface), its network interface is configured automatically. To do this, you need to configure the DHCP server built into the router and set the default gateway IP address used for connecting PCs.

In addition, when configuring the LAN interface, you can change the default IP address and subnet mask of the router's LAN port. However, it only makes sense to change these router settings when there are good reasons for doing so. In most cases, changing the IP address and subnet mask of the LAN port of the router is not required, which means that configuring the LAN interface consists only in configuring the DHCP server and setting (if it is not set automatically) the IP address and subnet mask of the default gateway, which will be used for computers connected to the router.

The LAN interface of the router is configured in the IP config section. Its name may be different, so you just need to find the section in which you configure the network interfaces (WAN and LAN) of the router. As a rule, in the same section there is a subsection that allows you to configure the DHCP server settings (in our example, it is called DHCP Server).

The DHCP server is configured in the following sequence:

• Allow the use of a DHCP server for computers connected to the router.
• Specify the pool of IP addresses reserved for allocation.
• Set the time interval during which the dynamic IP address allocated to the computer does not change.
• Specify the default gateway IP address that computers connecting to the router will use.
• Assign IP addresses to DNS and WINS servers.

Different router models may have a different range of IP addresses reserved for the DHCP server. But do not think that the more it is, the better. It is unlikely that you will ever need to connect more than ten computers to a router at home, so for home routers, the range of IP addresses reserved for the DHCP server is absolutely uncritical. In any case, it includes more than 30 addresses, which is quite enough. If we are talking about using a router in an office, then it is desirable that this range be 253 IP addresses (there is no more within the same subnet, since one IP address is reserved by the router itself). For example, these can be addresses from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254. Naturally, all IP addresses reserved for the DHCP server will belong to the same subnet as the LAN port of the router. Moreover, if you change the IP address of the LAN port of the router, then the pool of IP addresses reserved for allocation will also change - thus, both the IP address of the LAN port of the router and all reserved addresses will always belong to the same subnet.

The use of a DHCP server on the router does not mean at all that you cannot set static addresses on computers connected to the router and manually configure the network interface. Just in this case, the address assigned to the network interface of the computer connected to the router will not be used by the DHCP server for dynamic allocation.

After permission to use the DHCP server on the router (usually this option is enabled by default), all that remains is to register the IP address of the default gateway (Default Gateway), which must be set to the IP address of the LAN port of the router (in our example - 192.168.1.1 ). There is no point in changing other settings.

An example of configuring a DHCP server is shown in fig. 12 (using the ASUS WL-566gM wireless router as an example). After making all the changes, be sure to reboot the router (otherwise the changes will not take effect). To do this, different models of routers use different buttons - for example, Finish or Apply and Restart, etc.

Rice. 12. Setting up a DHCP server in ASUS WL-566gM router

After configuring the LAN interface and DHCP server in the router, you can return to the network interface settings of the computer connected to the router.

In the properties window of the network adapter, which allows you to set the computer IP address, subnet mask and IP address of the default gateway, check the box Obtain an IP address automatically(Fig. 13). This example uses the Windows Vista operating system. For the Windows XP SP2 operating system, the settings are made in the same way.

Rice. 13. Setting the network adapter to automatic
getting an IP address from the router's DHCP server
(when using Windows Vista)

When the changes take effect, the computer will briefly lose connection with the router, but then it will be restored and the router settings will become available again.

Naturally, the question arises: why did we spend so much time setting up a DHCP server on the router, if we already had access to the router settings? The fact is that in order to gain access to the router, we had to configure the network interface of the connected computer. If there is only one computer, then you don’t have to configure the DHCP server, but if there are two or more computers, then in order to combine them into a local network based on a router, you will have to perform a similar configuration of the network interfaces of all computers and at the same time not get confused in IP addresses in order to Do not assign multiple computers the same network address. It is much easier to configure the DHCP server on the router once, and on all computers connected to it, activate the function of automatically obtaining an IP address (it is activated by default). Then all computers connected to the router will be automatically assigned IP addresses. In addition, if in the future you have to reinstall the operating system on any computer, you will not need to remember all the settings of the network controller, since they will be made automatically when connected to the router.

In conclusion, we note that the DHCP server function extends to computers connected to LAN ports not only via network cables, but also via a wireless interface, that is, through a wireless access point integrated in the router.

WAN interface setup

The next step in configuring the router is to configure the WAN interface, which will provide Internet access. There are quite a few options for configuring the WAN interface, and in each case it is determined by the type of connection that the Internet provider uses. Consider all the popular connection types used by providers.

There are more than 300 home network providers in Moscow that connect end users to the Internet. Sometimes up to ten providers can provide Internet connection services in one home. Unfortunately, on the websites of home network providers, the settings they use are not indicated. Therefore, when choosing a provider (if there are several in your area), you should call the technical support service and find out about all the nuances of connecting.

In general, choosing a provider is by no means a trivial task. V this case it is necessary to take into account not only tariffs, but also factors such as the quality of the communication channel, the type of communication, the availability of home network resources, and much more. For example, home network providers still operate in Moscow, whose contracts stipulate that the user is prohibited from using a router to connect several home computers to the Internet. So what, you say, how does he know? Elementary! The fact is that any router is also a NAT device, therefore, by analyzing network packets (and the structure of the packets sent by a NAT device differs from the packets sent by a regular network controller), the provider will easily determine whether you are using a router or not. As a rule, on the websites of such providers you can find prices for connecting a second computer to the Internet. What can be said here? It is better not to deal with such providers at all.

Another circumstance that must be taken into account when choosing a provider is the provision of access to the resources of the home network. It is produced for free (which is important if you do not have an unlimited plan) and at full network interface speed (100 Mbps). Home networks contain collections of movies and music, game servers and servers with various software, file-sharing networks between users of the home network. In addition, many home networks are pooling their local resources, giving users even more options. Therefore, in no case should one neglect such an opportunity as the use of local resources of the home network.

I would also like to draw the attention of readers to the fact that some unscrupulous providers are engaged in banal deception of users. For example, instead of the promised bandwidth of 4 Mbps, they can actually limit traffic to 2 Mbps. Often the promised bandwidth is realized only in one direction - from the provider to the user, and the traffic in the opposite direction is cut.

However, there are many more examples of how providers "throw" users. Fortunately, there are many forums where all this is discussed. However, back to the main topic of our article.

So, if we talk about the main types of connection, we can note the following:

• allocating a dynamic IP address;
• allocation of a static IP address (usually bound by MAC address);
• Internet connection using the PPPoE protocol;
• Internet connection using the PPTP protocol;
• Internet connection via L2TP protocol.

Let's consider each connection type in more detail.

Allocation of a dynamic IP address

From the user's point of view, the easiest way to connect to the Internet using a single computer is to allocate a dynamic IP address to the user. However, if you have a router, the connection procedure is somewhat more complicated.

When only one computer is connected to the Internet without using a router, no configuration of the computer's network interface is actually required, because with the default settings of the network controller, the computer immediately gets access to the Internet. Recall that, by default, the network interface is configured to automatically obtain an IP address, subnet mask, gateway IP address, DNS and WINS server IP addresses. In this case, the WAN port of the router is configured automatically using the provider's DHCP server. True, in some cases it may be necessary to manually set the IP addresses of the DNS server and gateway (although this is rare).

If you use a router to connect to the Internet, its WAN port is configured in the same way as the network controller of a computer connected to the Internet without using a router. That is, in the settings of the WAN interface of the router, you must specify the Dynamic IP connection method (this type of connection is supported by all routers). The problem, however, is that most routers, unlike PC network controllers, cannot automatically obtain the IP addresses of the default gateway and DNS servers (primary and secondary). Therefore, these addresses, most likely, will have to be registered manually. An example of such a setting in the Gigabyte GN-B49G router is shown in fig. 14.

Rice. 14. Configuring the WAN interface of the router when using the connection type
with dynamic IP allocation

Naturally, the question arises: where to get these IP addresses of the gateway and DNS servers? After all, in the case of dynamic settings, providers focus on connecting to the Internet using just one computer, which is able to receive all the settings automatically. But routers for the most part cannot automatically receive settings. In order to find out the IP addresses of the default gateway and DNS servers, you must first set up an Internet connection for one PC (without using a router). Next, you need to run the ipconfig / all console command. To do this, launch the command console on the computer (in the window Run(Run) type cmd) and type ipconfig /all. This command will display a list of all network controllers installed on the computer (if there are several) with their settings (network addresses) and MAC addresses (Fig. 15). In the same window, you can find out the IP addresses of the gateway (Default Gateway) and DNS server. It remains only to write down these addresses, so that later you can use them when configuring the router.

Rice. 15. Finding out the network settings of the controller

After all the necessary IP addresses are registered in the router, all computers connected to the router via LAN ports and via a wireless interface will gain access to the Internet. Moreover, the Internet connection is activated immediately after turning on the computer (if only the router was turned on). Note that if your provider, in addition to accessing the Internet, provides a connection to the resources of the home network, then there are no problems with the simultaneous use of both the Internet and the resources of the home network (we will talk about such problems later).

Another problem with using a dynamic IP address is that very often this type of connection is combined with MAC address binding. A MAC address is a unique identifier for a network device. No two MAC addresses are the same - no matter what type of network equipment you are talking about. Binding by MAC address means that the provider controls the MAC addresses of network controllers of computers from which access to the Internet is performed, that is, a MAC address filter is configured on the provider's side. If, for example, the Internet connection was initially configured on one computer and the MAC address was bound, then an attempt to access the Internet from another computer (for example, you bought a new PC) will no longer be successful. The problem, of course, is solved, but for this you need to tell the provider the MAC address of the new computer.

If multiple computers are connected to the Internet using a router, the binding must be made to the MAC address of the WAN port of the router. In principle, you can call the provider and ask to enter a new MAC address, but you can do it easier. Almost all modern routers have a function such as MAC address spoofing. That is, the WAN port can be assigned any MAC address. If the router is installed after the Internet connection was configured using one computer, then it is enough to assign the WAN port of the router to the MAC address of the network controller that was used in the computer to configure the Internet connection.

The MAC address of the network controller can be found in the same window where the IP addresses of the default gateway and DNS server are indicated (see Figure 15).

After opening the web interface of the router, you need to assign a new MAC address to the WAN port. Note that this function can be implemented in the router not in the settings (IP config) section of the LAN and WAN interfaces of the router, but in some other section. For example, in Gigabyte wireless routers, this function is located in the Change WAN MAC section (Fig. 16).

Rice. 16. Changing the MAC address of the WAN port of the router using the example of a router
Gigabyte GN-B49G

A final issue to mention about connecting to the Internet using a dynamic IP address is that the default gateway and DNS server IP addresses used by the ISP can change from time to time. Therefore, if you suddenly lost the Internet, do not rush to call the technical support service. It is possible that you just need to change the gateway and DNS server IP addresses on the router. Of course, periodically reconfiguring the router is an extremely unpleasant task, but what to do - in some cases this is the only possible way. The good news is that the IP addresses of the gateway and DNS server of the provider change quite rarely. In addition, some router models, like the PC network controller, are able to automatically obtain the IP addresses of the default gateway and DNS servers.

Allocating a static IP address

The connection method with the allocation of a static IP address (Static IP), from the user's point of view, is also very simple, although the number of settings that have to be done is slightly more than in the case of a dynamic IP address. Actually, there is no difference between these connection methods, except that in the first case, the provider's DHCP server is used to configure the network interface and the configuration occurs automatically, and in the second, all settings must be entered manually.

After selecting the connection type with allocation of a static IP address in the settings of the WAN interface of the router, you must specify the WAN port IP address, subnet mask, gateway IP addresses, and primary and secondary DNS servers. All this data is provided by the provider when connecting to the Internet. An example of such a configuration on a Gigabyte GN-B49G router is shown in fig. 17.

Rice. 17. Configuring the WAN interface of the router when using the connection type
with static IP allocation

Almost always, when using a connection type with a static IP address allocation, MAC address binding is used. What additional settings need to be made in the router in this case, we have already described. It remains only to note that when using this type of connection, the user does not have problems with the simultaneous use of both the Internet and local resources of the home network.

Connecting to the Internet using the PPPoE protocol

PPP (Poin-to-Point Protocol) is also quite commonly used by home network providers. It is supported by all routers, which means that there is no problem of router incompatibility with connection type.

The use of a PPPoE connection opens up wide opportunities for providers to account for user access to the network. Thanks to this technology, the provider can easily restrict users' access to the Internet and keep track of their traffic. PPPoE technology runs a PPP session over an Ethernet network.

At the same time, user authentication using the PAP and CHAP protocols, dynamic allocation of IP addresses to users, assignment of gateway and DNS server addresses, etc. are supported.

The principle of operation of PPPoE is based on the establishment of a point-to-point connection over a common Ethernet environment. The PPPoE operation process is divided into two stages: first, the devices communicate their addresses to each other and establish an initial connection, and then the PPP session is started.

All clients are allocated private addresses and are invited to log in via PPPoE.

From the user's point of view, setting up a PPPoE connection cannot be called simple. Even if you set up an Internet connection on just one computer (without using a router), you will have to open a lot of dialog boxes. In principle, the process of setting up an Internet connection on a computer using the PPPoE protocol is similar to the process of setting up an Internet connection using an analog modem.

In addition, the PPPoE protocol has another inconvenience for the user. The fact is that in order to simultaneously access the Internet and access to the local home network, it is necessary to make additional (and by no means trivial for novice users) settings. That is, with the usual setup of an Internet connection, simultaneous access to the Internet and to the resources of the home network is not possible. However, we will talk about these subtleties later, but for now we will consider setting up an Internet connection via the PPPoE protocol when using one computer (without a router).

Setting up a PPPoE connection using one computer

The sequence of settings and the appearance of dialog boxes depend on the operating system used, so we will consider two options for setting up the connection - for Microsoft Windows XP SP2 (English version) and Microsoft Windows Vista (Russian version).

For Microsoft Windows XP SP2 operating system

When using the Microsoft Windows XP SP2 operating system, to create a new network connection, you must run New Connection Wizard Start > Programs > Accessories > Communications > New Connection Wizard(Fig. 18).

Rice. 18. Launching the Network Connection Creation Wizard

New Connection Wizard(New Connection Wizard) click on the button Next and go to section New Connection Type(Type of network connection). In this window, check the box Connect to the Internet(Connect to the Internet) - fig. nineteen.

Rice. 19. Setting the type of network connection

Getting Ready(Preparation in progress) select the method of creating a network connection. Here it is necessary to note the point Set up my connection manually(Set connection manually) - fig. twenty.

Rice. 20. Setting the network connection setting method

Let's move on to the section internet connection(Internet connection) - fig. 21, which sets the type of equipment for connecting to the Internet, and select the item Connect using a broadband connection that requires a user name and password(Via a high-speed connection requiring a username and password).

Rice. 21. Selecting the type of equipment for the Internet connection

In the next section titled connection name(Connection Name) you must specify the connection name (ISP Name). In principle, this name can be anything, for example, the connection can be called Internet (Fig. 22).

Rice. 22. Set the name of the Internet connection

Further in the section Internet Account Information(Internet account details) you must enter the data received from the provider, that is, the user name (User Name) and password (Password). To avoid errors, the password is entered twice: in the field Password(Password) and in the field Confirm Password(Confirmation) - fig. 23. If you are the sole owner of the computer, that is, if there are no other users with other profiles, or if you want this Internet connection to be available to all users of this computer, then you can check the box Use this account name and password when anyone connects to the Internet from this computer(Use the following username and password when connecting any user). If only one Internet connection is used on the computer (which is most likely), then we also mark the item Make this the default Internet connection(Make this connection the default Internet connection).

Rice. 23. Setting a username and password

At the final stage of creating an Internet connection, you can check the item (Add a connection shortcut to the desktop) - fig. 24.

Rice. 24. Adding an icon of the created Internet connection to the desktop

After completing the creation of a new connection using New connection wizards you need to make its additional configuration so that you can use it to access the Internet. To do this, left-click on the icon of the created connection and in the Internet connection window that opens, enter the username and password again (Fig. 25). In order not to repeat this procedure every time you access the Internet, check the box (Save username and password) and check the box Anyone who uses this computer(For any user).

Rice. 25. Internet connection setup

Operating system Microsoft Windows Vista

If you are using the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system to create a PPPoE Internet connection, click the icon Net right-click and in the context menu that opens, select Properties. In the window that appears Network and Sharing Center select the link on the left side by clicking on it with the left mouse button. After that, a window should open Connect to the network(Fig. 26), in which you need to select the item Internet connection.

Rice. 26. Launching the Internet Connection Establishment Wizard

In the next step, select the type of Internet connection - High speed with PPPoE(Fig. 27) and in the next window enter the username and password received from the provider (Fig. 28). It remains only to press the button To plug, after which an attempt to connect to the Internet will be made. Actually, this completes the creation of a new Internet connection.

Rice. 27. Selecting the type of Internet connection

Rice. 28. Setting a username and password

Next in the window Network and Sharing Center select the link on the left side Connect to the network by clicking on it with the left mouse button. After that, a window should open Connect to the network, which displays the created Internet connection. Having selected the created Internet connection in this window, right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that opens. Properties(Fig. 29).

Rice. 29. Go to the Properties window of the created Internet connection

On various window tabs Properties created Internet connection, you can check if the settings are correct.

As we have already noted, from the user's point of view, the main problem of connecting via the PPPoE protocol, in addition to complicated settings, is that the created Internet connection does not provide simultaneous access to both the Internet and the resources of the local home network. Another network connection is created to access local network resources. The process of creating it is quite simple and is no different from connecting with a dynamically allocated IP address using the provider's DHCP server (how such a connection is configured has already been described in the corresponding section). As a result, the user has two connections: to the Internet and to local network resources, but they cannot be used at the same time, that is, you can access either the Internet or the provider's home network. Of course, this is inconvenient, especially when connecting multiple devices to the Internet. This problem can be solved by using one Internet connection for simultaneous access to the Internet and to the resources of the local home network. To do this, you need to create a so-called static routing table.

Before you start creating a static routing table, you need to find out the IP address of the default gateway that is used when connecting to the Internet. To do this, run the ipconfig command in the command console, after which a list of all connections with their settings will be displayed. After you choose to connect to local resources, make a note of the IP address of the Default gateway.

The command syntax is as follows:

ROUTE -p ADD ,

where destination- IP address of the host (server) in the provider's local home network; netmask- netmask for the IP address of the host in the provider's local home network; gateway- IP address of the default gateway.

thanks to the key -p, the routes will be remembered and restored after restarting the computer. However, if you make a mistake, you risk disrupting the connection to both the Internet and the local network. If this happens, enter the reset routes command route -f and restart your computer. After a reboot, you can try running the ROUTE command again.

The specific IP addresses of the provider's local network servers can be obtained from the provider itself, for example, on its website.

As an example, we will give commands for adding static routes used in the Konkovo.Net network:

• ROUTE -p ADD 192.168.0.0 MASK 255.255.0.0 the addressgateway> ;
• ROUTE -p ADD 10.0.0.0 MASK 255.0.0.0 the addressgateway> .

In order to check the added routing table, type the ROUTE PRINT command (Fig. 30).