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Dynamic IP Address
A dynamic IP address is one that is automatically assigned to a PC. These IP addresses are
“dynamic” because they are only temporarily
leased to the PC when it connects to the
network. This is the most convenient and common way of managing IP addresses in a
network. The Server that manages this pool of IP addresses is called the DHCP Server. The
product has a DHCP Server built-in to simplify the network management.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
The PC obtaining an IP address from the Server is called the DHCP Client. If there is already a
DHCP Server running on your network, you must disable one of the two DHCP servers.
Running more than one DHCP server together will cause network problems!
Wireless LAN Basics
A Wireless LAN (WLAN) is a computer network that transmits and receives data with radio
signals instead of using cables. WLANs have become common in homes, offices, airports and
public Hotspots. WLAN can support the same applications and software that run on a wired
network (LAN). Besides supporting the same software and functions, WLAN brings greater
convenience and eliminates the need to lay Ethernet cables in a home or office.
WLAN networking involves a few additional parameters to be configured:
SSID
The SSID is the “network name” for the WLAN network. The SSID is any name, and can be
any set of characters or numbers. The Client sniffs the radio frequencies for an AP with the
same SSID with itself. The client locks onto the AP and they are “
associated
”.
To enable plug-and-play convenience, most client cards can sniff the frequencies to extract the
available SSIDs to let the user choose from.
Encryption
WLAN traffic can be captured by anybody to be read! The solution is to use encryption to
make the traffic appear as random characters to the eavesdropper. Both the AP and client
must use the same encryption standard and key to enable them to decode the “rubbish”. If
the encryption settings are mismatched, the client and AP cannot associate. WEP (Wired
Equivalent Privacy) is the most common WLAN encryption standard.
Channel
There are a total of 13 channels in the 2.4GHz band. Depending on regulation, not all the
frequencies may be available in every country. Frequency is configured on the AP only. The
client searches for the AP and locks it into that AP’s channel.
