4. Appendix
AirLive WN-250R User’s Manual 148
The IP address is a 32-bit binary pattern, which can be represented as four cascaded
decimal numbers separated by “.”: aaa.aaa.aaa.aaa, where each “aaa” can be anything
from 000 to 255, or as four cascaded binary numbers separated by “.”:
bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb, where each “b” can either be 0 or 1.
A network mask is also a 32-bit binary pattern, and consists of consecutive leading
1’s followed by consecutive trailing 0’s, such as
11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000. Therefore sometimes a network mask can also be
described simply as “x” number of leading 1’s.
When both are represented side by side in their binary forms, all bits in the IP address that
correspond to 1’s in the network mask become part of the IP network address, and the
remaining bits correspond to the host ID.
For example, if the IP address for a device is, in its binary form,
11011001.10110000.10010000.00000111, and if its network mask is,
11111111.11111111.11110000.00000000
It means the device’s network address is
11011001.10110000.10010000.00000000, and its host ID is,
00000000.00000000.00000000.00000111. This is a convenient and efficient method for
routers to route IP packets to their destination.
ISP Gateway Address:
(see ISP for definition). The ISP Gateway Address is an IP
address for the Internet router located at the ISP's office.
ISP:
Internet Service Provider. An ISP is a business that provides connectivity to the
Internet for individuals and other businesses or organizations.
LAN:
Local Area Network. A LAN is a group of computers and devices connected together
in a relatively small area (such as a house or an office). Your home network is considered a
LAN.