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Appendixes
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ESSID Broadcast
Many wireless network adapters currently on the market possess a feature
known as site survey. It scans the air for any available network and allows
each computer to automatically select a network from the survey. This
occurs if the computer’s SSID is set to “ANY”. Your Belkin Router can block
this random search for a network. If you disable the “ESSID Broadcast”
feature, the only way a computer can join your network is by its SSID being
set to the specific name of the network (like WLAN). Be sure that you know
your SSID (network name) before enabling this feature. It is possible to
make your wireless network nearly invisible. By turning off the broadcast of
the SSID, your network will not appear in a site survey. Obviously, turning
off the broadcast feature of the SSID helps increase security.
Encryption
Setting encryption can help keep your network secure. The Router
uses Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption to protect your data
and features two rates of encryption: 64-bit and 128-bit. Encryption
works on a system of keys. The key on the computer must match the
key on the Router, and there are two ways to make a key. The easiest
is to let the Router’s software convert a passphrase you’ve created
into a key. The advanced method is to enter the keys manually.
Virtual Servers
This function will allow you to route external (Internet) calls for services
such as a web server (port 80), FTP server (Port 21), or other applications
through your Router to your internal network. Since your internal
computers are protected by a firewall, machines from the Internet cannot
get to them because they cannot be “seen”. If you need to configure
the virtual server function for a specific application, you will need to
contact the application vendor to find out which port settings you need.
To manually enter settings, enter the IP address in the space provided
for the internal machine, the port type (TCP or UDP), and the LAN
and public port(s) required to pass. Then select “Enable” and click
“Set”. You can only pass one port per internal IP address. Opening
ports in your firewall can pose a security risk. You can enable and
disable settings very quickly. It is recommended that you disable
the settings when you are not using a specific application.