Glossary of Wired Networking Terms
43
hardware address of a device connected to a network. A
MAC address is unique (different) for every device.
NAT
Network Address Translation. This process allows all of the
computers on your home network to use one IP address.
Using the NAT capability of the Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL
Gateway Router, you can access the Internet from any
computer on your home network without having to purchase
more IP addresses from your ISP.
PPPoE
Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet. Point-to-Point Protocol
is a method of secure data transmission originally created for
dial-up connections; PPPoE is for Ethernet connections.
SPI
Stateful Packet Inspection. SPI is the type of corporate-grade
Internet security provided by your Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL
Gateway Router. Using SPI, the gateway acts as a "firewall,"
protecting your network from computer hackers.
Subnet Mask
A subnet mask, which may be a part of the TCP/IP
information provided by your ISP, is a set of four numbers
configured like an IP address. It is used to create IP address
numbers used only within a particular network (as opposed
to valid IP address numbers recognized by the Internet,
which must be assigned by InterNIC).
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is the
standard protocol for data transmission over the Internet.
WAN
Wide Area Network. A network that connects computers
located in geographically separate areas (i.e., different
buildings, cities, countries). The Internet is a wide area
network.
