3Com OfficeConnect 3C857, User Manual

Page: 11 / 120

1
I
NTRODUCING THE
G
ATEWAY
Welcome to the world of networking with 3Com
®
. In the modern
business environment, communication and sharing information is crucial.
Computer networks have proved to be one of the fastest modes of
communication but, until recently, only large businesses could afford the
networking advantage. The OfficeConnect
®
product range from 3Com
has changed all this, bringing networks to the small office.
The products that compose the OfficeConnect range give you, the small
office user, the same power, flexibility, and protection that has been
available only to large corporations. Now, you can network the
computers in your office, connect them all to a single Internet outlet, and
harness the combined power of all of your computers.
OfficeConnect
Cable/DSL Gateway
and Wireless
Cable/DSL Gateway
The OfficeConnect Cable/DSL Gateway and the OfficeConnect Wireless
Cable/DSL Gateway are designed to provide a cost-effective means of
sharing a single broadband Internet connection amongst several wired
and wireless computers. The Gateway also provides protection in the
form of an electronic “firewall” preventing anyone outside of your
network from seeing your files or damaging your computers.
As you can see in the example in Figure 1 , without a Gateway only one
computer is connected to the Internet. This computer must always be
powered on for the other computers on the network to access the
Internet.