MN-700 Base Station Configuration Guide

11

Local Area Network Settings

You can view and change your local area network settings on the

Local Area Network

page of the Base Station

Management Tool, shown in the following illustration. From this page, you can perform the following actions:

O

Set or change the base station name and IP address.

O

Enable or disable the base station DHCP server.

O

Set or change the IP address range and lease time for the DHCP server.

O

Enter the local domain name if your ISP provided one.

Before you configure your local area network settings, learn about the options available. The following sections

describe each of the local area network settings.

Base Station Name

The base station name identifies the base station on your local network and enables you to communicate with the

base station. For example, if the base station name is

HomeNetwork

, you can type

http://homenetwork

into the

address field of a Web browser from one of your networked computers, and the Base Station Management Tool

will open.

The base station name is particularly useful when you set the base station to access point mode. In this situation,

the base station obtains an IP address automatically by DHCP, so you can no longer communicate with the base

station by using its default IP address of 192.168.2.1. You must use the base station name to open the Base

Station Management Tool and to identify the access point on your network.

You may have established a base station name when you ran the Setup Wizard. If you did not run the Setup Wizard,

the default base station name is

MN-700

. For security purposes, it is recommended that you establish a unique

name for your base station. Do not use the default name.

Note

The base station name is a NetBIOS name. If the base station is connected to a Macintosh computer, you will not

be able to access the Base Station Management Tool by using the base station name.

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12

Base Station IP Address

The default IP address of your base station is 192.168.2.1. This address is reserved for private local networks; it is

not visible to the Internet. You can use the base station IP address to open the Base Station Management Tool from

a Web browser, unless you have set the base station to access point mode.

You do not need to change the base station IP address unless you have a specific reason to do so—for example, if

your modem IP address replicates the base station IP address. If you do change the IP address of your base station,

be sure to change it to another non-routable (private) IP address.

To change the base station name or IP address

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Local Area Network

.

2.

Type a new base station name in the

Base station name

textbox.

3.

Type a new IP address for the base station in the

IP address

fields.

4.

To save the changes, click

Apply

.

DHCP Server and IP Address Range

Your base station includes a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. The base station DHCP server

allocates IP addresses to the computers on your local network from a specific range of IP addresses. Each time a

computer on your network requests an IP address, it receives one within the specified IP address range. Typically,

the DHCP server will assign the same IP address to a client computer each time the client connects to the network.

The IP address range is derived from the base station IP address. The fourth number in the IP address can

be between 2 and 254, depending on the range you set. For example, when your base station IP address is set

to 192.168.2.1, the IP addresses included in the DHCP address range can be between 192.168.2.2 and

192.168.2.254.

The base station provides a default IP address range for the DHCP server to use. If you want, you can change the IP

address range.

Following are some tips for setting the DHCP address range:

O

Do not include the base station IP address in the IP address range.

O

Be sure to include enough addresses in the address range to provide IP addresses for all the devices on

your network.

O

Do not include any IP address in the address range that you want to use as a static IP address on your network.

For example, if you set up a virtual DMZ (demilitarized zone) on one computer in your network, you should assign

a static IP address to that machine and exclude the address from your IP address range.

To set the IP address range

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Local Area Network

.

2.

If it is not already selected, select the

Enable DHCP server

checkbox to enable the DHCP server on the

base station.

3.

If you do not want to use the IP address range specified by the DHCP server, type a starting IP address and an

ending IP address for the range. The DHCP address range must include a minimum of 50 addresses. Do not

include the base station IP address in the IP address range. For example, if you are using the default base

station IP address (192.168.2.1), the address range must be between 192.168.2.2 and 192.168.2.254.

4.

Select a lease time for the assigned IP addresses. The default time is two hours.

5.

To save your changes, click

Apply

.

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13

Wide Area Network Settings

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides the settings that enable you to establish an Internet connection on

your network. These are your wide area network (WAN) settings. These settings vary, depending on whether your

ISP account provides a static IP address, a dynamic Internet connection, or a Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet

(PPPoE) connection.

If you did not run the Setup Wizard to configure your base station, you can establish your Internet connection by

entering the settings provided by your ISP on the Wide Area Network page of the Base Station Management Tool,

shown in the following illustration. You can also update these settings, if, for example, you change ISPs or settings

for your current account change.

If you need assistance identifying your Internet connection settings, see Broadband Network Utility Help.

You also have the option to disable your network Internet connection from the Wide Area Network page,

if necessary.

The following sections describe each type of Internet connection and how to configure your base station for

that option.

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14

Dynamic Internet Connection

A dynamic Internet connection enables your base station to obtain an IP address from your Internet service provider

(ISP) automatically by Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

Note

The base station WAN IP address is the IP address visible to the Internet. Do not confuse this address with the

base station LAN IP address (192.168.2.1). The LAN IP address is visible only to your local network devices.

To establish a dynamic Internet connection

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Wide Area Network

.

2.

Under

Internet Connection Type

, click

Dynamic

.

3.

Specify a host name if your ISP requires one. The host name identifies the computer connected to your modem

when you established your Internet connection. If you do not know the name of that computer, contact your ISP.

4.

Specify a MAC address, or click

Clone MAC Address

, if necessary. You should only complete this step if your ISP

recorded the MAC address of one of the devices on your local network when you established your Internet

connection. For more information, see “MAC Addresses.”

5.

If your ISP requires a DNS primary and secondary address, make sure that

Automatically

is selected in the

Obtain DNS Address

drop-down list, unless you want to enter the addresses manually. In this case, select

Manually

in the

Obtain DNS Address

drop-down list, and then type the DNS addresses in the appropriate fields.

6.

To save the WAN settings, click

Apply

.

MAC Addresses

A media access control (MAC) address is a unique alphanumeric identifier for a hardware device, such as a base

station or adapter. You can find the MAC address for your Microsoft base station and any Microsoft network

adapters you are using printed on the label of each device.

Some ISPs record the MAC address of the adapter that you use when you first establish your Internet connection.

Depending on your ISP account, you might experience problems if the ISP later detects that the MAC address of

your base station is different from the MAC address originally recorded.

One way to avoid this problem is to provide the MAC address recorded by your ISP along with your other WAN

settings or to clone the MAC address of the adapter installed in the computer connected to your base station. When

you clone the modem or adapter MAC address, it replaces the base station MAC address, so that each device on

your network, including the base station, appears to have that MAC address.

To clone a MAC address

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Wide Area Network

.

2.

In the

MAC address

box, type the MAC address recorded by your ISP.

-or-

Click

Clone MAC address

to clone the MAC address of the adapter used by the computer connected to your

base station.

3.

To save the MAC address settings, click

Apply

.

It is a good idea to record the MAC address of the adapter that you clone, so that if you lose your settings or no

longer have the adapter, you do not lose your ability to connect to the Internet.

Static Internet Connection

If your ISP account provides a static (fixed) IP address for your base station, you should configure the WAN settings

on your base station for a static Internet connection.

You should request a static IP address from your ISP in the following situations:

O

You want to host a Web or FTP server on your network.

O

You want to register a domain name for a personal Web site hosted on your network.

O

You want to use remote desktop to connect to your network from an external network.

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15

To establish a static Internet connection

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Wide Area Network

.

2.

Under

Internet Connection Type

, click

Static

.

3.

Under

Static Connection

, type the static IP address provided by your ISP in the

IP address

fields.

4.

Type the subnet mask, default gateway IP address, and DNS addresses (if provided) in the appropriate fields.

5.

To save the WAN settings, click

Apply

.

PPPoE Internet Connection

If your ISP uses a PPPoE connection, you should configure the WAN settings on your base station for a PPPoE

connection.

A PPPoE Internet connection functions like a dial-up connection in that your user name and password are passed to

the ISP for authentication to establish an Internet connection. This interaction happens automatically when the

base station is turned on.

Unlike a dial-up connection, a PPPoE Internet connection is persistent unless any of the following events occur:

O

You disable the connection;

O

The base station is turned off or loses power;

O

You specify a maximum idle time, and this time elapses.

To establish a PPPoE Internet connection

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Wide Area Network

.

2.

Under

Internet Connection Type

, click

PPPoE

.

3.

Under

Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)

, type your user name and password.

4.

Type a service name if your ISP supplied it.

5.

Type a maximum idle time, if your ISP instructs you to. You will be disconnected from the Internet if the time that

you specify elapses without activity.

6.

Select the

Auto-reconnect

checkbox if you want the base station to reconnect to the service automatically after

being disconnected.

7.

If your ISP requires a DNS primary and secondary address, make sure that

Automatically

is selected in the

Obtain DNS Address

drop-down list, unless you want to enter the addresses manually. In this case, select

Manually

in the

Obtain DNS Address

drop-down list, and then type the DNS addresses in the appropriate fields.

8.

To save the WAN settings, click

Apply

.

Disabled Connection

You can disable your Internet connection at any time. You might want to disable your Internet connection in the

following situations:

O

When you suspect that an unauthorized individual is accessing your network.

O

When you want to limit your children’s access to the Internet.

O

When you want to limit the exposure of the devices on your network to the Internet.

Disabling your Internet connection does not affect your Internet connection settings in any way. When you

reestablish your connection, your original settings are intact.

To disable the Internet connection

1.

Open the Base Station Management Tool, and then click

Wide Area Network

.

2.

Under

Internet Connection Type

, click

Disabled

.

3.

To disable your Internet connection, click

Apply

.