6

Safety precautions

Safety precautions

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Only use the mains adapter (12V 1A DC) that is supplied with the Gigaset SE551

WLAN dsl/cable. Comply with the connection values and ratings when connecting

the device to the mains power supply.

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Protect the device from damp.

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Never open the device. For reasons of electrical safety it may only be opened by

authorised service technicians.

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The device may affect medical equipment.

Your contribution to the environment (ECO)

We at Gigaset Communications GmbH make our products as environmen-

tally compatible as possible. Our goal is a sustainable process that makes it

easier for us to comply with the strict stipulations of the ISO standard 14001

for international environmental management.

Further advantages for the ecology

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Thanks to a switched-mode power supply, all our routers and repeaters use up to

60% less power and so offer higher energy efficiency.

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You can reduce the WLAN's transmitting power for all routers and repeaters and

some WLAN clients – depending on the device in question and your PC's operating

system.

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You can turn off the WLAN completely.

Trademarks

Gigaset Communications GmbH is a trademark licensee of Siemens AG.

Microsoft, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Internet

Explorer are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

Mozilla Firefox is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Organization.

Super G is a registered trademark of Atheros Communications, Inc.

7

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

Your Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable is a powerful but easily operated device for connect-

ing your PC (WLAN) or your local network (

LAN

) to the

Internet

without the need for

wires (via a

DSL

or cable modem).

You can connect your PC wirelessly to the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable and create a

wireless local network (

WLAN

). Thanks to Super G technology the transfer rate within

the local wireless network achieves up to 108 Mbps. For network security, wireless

transmission can be encrypted using the WPA standard or 64/128-bit WEP.

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable allows several users to access the Internet simulta-

neously. A single user account can be shared if your

Internet Provider

permits this.

If you want to surf the Internet at the lowest possible cost, then the Gigaset SE551

WLAN dsl/cable is a convenient and effective solution.

You can connect a

DSL

or cable modem to the WAN interface of your Gigaset SE551

WLAN dsl/cable.

Despite its extensive range of functions, the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable is simple to

handle. It can be configured and operational within a few minutes.

8

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

Local networks with Gigaset products

You can use the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable to set up a local network, e.g. a home

network. All the PCs in this network can communicate with each other and have access

to the Internet.

There are various ways in which you can set up the network with a Gigaset SE551 WLAN

dsl/cable. You can

u

set up a wired local network (

Ethernet

) and allow the connected PCs access to the

Internet (see page 9).

u

set up a wireless local network (

WLAN

) and allow the connected PCs access to the

Internet (see page 10).

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set up a local network comprising wireless and wired network components (see

page 12).

Internet

Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

Local Area Network

Windows 98 SE

Windows ME

Windows 2000

Windows XP

Modem

9

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

Wired local network (Ethernet)

In a wired local network, PCs communicate with one another via an Ethernet cable.

When the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable is used, it establishes the connection between

the PCs. For this it has four Ethernet LAN ports for connecting four PCs. The PCs have to

be equipped with a network socket (Ethernet). New PCs frequently already have this

socket. For older PCs you need to install an Ethernet network card. The PC and the Eth-

ernet LAN socket on the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable are connected using an Ethernet

cable (CAT5). There is one supplied. You can obtain additional Ethernet cables from your

retailer.

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable allows all PCs to access the Internet simultaneously.

Internet

Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

10

The Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable

Wireless local network (WLAN)

In a wireless local network (WLAN) PCs are linked without wires. For this the PCs

have to be equipped with a wireless network adapter (WLAN adapter) such as a

Gigaset PC Card 108 or a USB Adapter 108.

We generally differentiate between two types of wireless network:

u

Infrastructure mode

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Ad-hoc mode

Infrastructure mode

The infrastructure mode connects wireless and wired networks with one another. In

addition to the mobile stations, the infrastructure mode needs an access point such as

the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable. In infrastructure mode the stations in the network

always communicate via this access point. Each station that wants to be part of the wire-

less network must first register with the access point before it can exchange data.

The access point establishes the connection between the mobile stations of a wireless

network and a wired LAN (Ethernet) or the Internet. In this case this is described as the

device's router functionality. The router sends data packets that are not addressed to sta-

tions within the network "outside" and forwards data packets originating from "outside"

to the appropriate station within the network.

You can use the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable to connect

u

wirelessly networked PCs to the Internet and

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wirelessly networked PCs to an Ethernet network.

Infrastructure mode is the default configuration of the Gigaset SE551 WLAN dsl/cable.

This configuration is described in the quick guide enclosed with the router.

Ad-hoc mode

An ad-hoc network is a wireless network set up without an access point or router.

The mobile network components that communicate with each other directly and with-

out wire connections form the network "ad-hoc", i.e. as and when required. All the

stations in the network have the same rights. Ad-hoc networks are used wherever

communications networks have to be set up quickly and without any existing network

infrastructure, and where the participants are on the move.