Kenwood MR-H1, User Manual

Page: 29 / 182

How Do I Connect Entré to My Home Network?
Complete Guide to Your Entré Entertainment Hub, ver. 2.0 17
How Do I Connect Entré to My Home Network?
Before you can take advantage of Entré’s sophisticated lookup features, you
must connect it to the Internet, either directly or through a home network.
You must have a compatible third-party Internet Service Provider (ISP) to use
Entré to access the Internet. Because free ISPs, AOL, and CompuServe do not
use standard methods of Internet connectivity and do not open their networks
to outside users, you cannot use these ISPs with Entré. If you do not currently
have a supported ISP, during the setup process you will be given a phone
number to call to set up an account with a supported ISP, or you can establish
an account on your own with a supported ISP.
Understanding the Different Connections
Understanding Home Networks
A home network connects the computers in your house to each other. Inside
most computers, built-in software controls how the computer identifies and
relates to the other computers.
Each computer on your network has its own ID number (kind of like a
computer “social security number”). This number lets the network know that
the computer is allowed to communicate inside the network. This number can
be automatically assigned each time you turn on the computer, or you can
specify it.
A home network typically contains most of the following elements:
• A DSL or cable modem that connects to the Internet
• A firewall (either hardware or software) that protects your home network
from unwanted intrusion
• A hub or router that allows multiple computers within your house to con-
nect to the firewall and/or DSL/cable modem
• one or more computers, connected to the hub or router via network cable
or wireless devices
Entré fits into this network as just another computer. It already contains software
to let the network know what it is and how to handle it. When you configure
the Internet Setup (see “How Do I Configure Internet Setup?” on page 25), you
identify Entré to this network.
However, your computer does not automatically contain software to let it
recognize Entré. If you want to share music files between your computer and
Entré, you must install Media Manager software on your computer. See “How
do I Install Kenwood Entré Media Manager Software?” on page 31.
Understanding Firewalls
Firewalls prevent computers that are outside your network from contacting your
system and doing damage to it (hacking). They are an effective way to prevent
viruses and other unwanted intrusion from harming the computers in your
house.
Firewalls can be hardware (a physical device, just like Entré) or software (a
computer program, like Internet Explorer). If you use a software firewall, it may
not protect any computer except the one it is installed on, and it may prevent
Entré from accessing your home network effectively. If you are having trouble
getting Entré to access the network, contact your firewall manufacturer’s
Customer Support hotline.
Because there are many different ways to set up a home
network, the connection diagrams that follow only show the
most common ways to connect Entré to the Internet.
Connection Advantages Disadvantages
Direct
Modem to
phone line
(see page 22)
• No additional equip-
ment required
• Slow connection speed
• Cannot add Axcess
units for Internet radio
• Entré will not be recog-
nized as part of your
home network
Ethernet to
DSL/Cable
Modem
(cabled or
wireless)
(see page 20)
• Fast connection speed • Entré must be located
near DSL/cable modem
hub (unless using a
wireless network)
• Cannot add Axcess
units for Internet radio
HomePNA to
phone line to
DSL/Cable
Modem
(see page 18)
• Can add Axcess units
for Internet radio
• Uses existing phone
lines for network access
• Phone lines must be
high quality