NBG-418N v2 User’s Guide

76

C

HAPTER

7

WAN

7.1

Overview

This chapter discusses the NBG-418N v2’s

WAN

screens. Use these screens to configure your NBG-

418N v2 for Internet access.

A WAN (Wide Area Network) connection is an outside connection to another network or the

Internet. It connects your private networks (such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and other

networks, so that a computer in one location can communicate with computers in other locations.

Figure 55

LAN and WAN

See the chapter about the connection wizard for more information on the fields in the WAN screens.

7.2

What You Need To Know

The information in this section can help you configure the screens for your WAN connection, as well

as enable/disable some advanced features of your NBG-418N v2.

7.2.1

Configuring Your Internet Connection

Encapsulation Method

Encapsulation is used to include data from an upper layer protocol into a lower layer protocol. To set

up a WAN connection to the Internet, you need to use the same encapsulation method used by your

ISP (Internet Service Provider). If your ISP offers a dial-up Internet connection using PPPoE (PPP

over Ethernet) or PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), they should also provide a username

and password (and service name) for user authentication.

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WAN IP Address

The WAN IP address is an IP address for the NBG-418N v2, which makes it accessible from an

outside network. It is used by the NBG-418N v2 to communicate with other devices in other

networks. It can be static (fixed) or dynamically assigned by the ISP each time the NBG-418N v2

tries to access the Internet.

If your ISP assigns you a static WAN IP address, they should also assign you the subnet mask and

DNS server IP address(es) (and a gateway IP address if you use the Ethernet or ENET ENCAP

encapsulation method).

DNS Server Address Assignment

Use Domain Name System (DNS) to map a domain name to its corresponding IP address and vice

versa, for instance, the IP address of www.zyxel.com is 204.217.0.2. The DNS server is extremely

important because without it, you must know the IP address of a computer before you can access

it.

The NBG-418N v2 can get the DNS server addresses in the following ways.

1

The ISP tells you the DNS server addresses, usually in the form of an information sheet, when you

sign up. If your ISP gives you DNS server addresses, manually enter them in the DNS server fields.

2

If your ISP dynamically assigns the DNS server IP addresses (along with the NBG-418N v2’s WAN

IP address), set the DNS server fields to get the DNS server address from the ISP.

WAN MAC Address

The MAC address screen allows users to configure the WAN port's MAC address by either using the

factory default or cloning the MAC address from a computer on your LAN. Choose

Factory Default

to select the factory assigned default MAC Address.

Otherwise,

click

Clone the computer's MAC address - IP Address

and enter the IP address of

the computer on the LAN whose MAC you are cloning. Once it is successfully configured, the

address will be copied to configuration file. It is recommended that you clone the MAC address prior

to hooking up the WAN Port.

7.3

Internet Connection Screen

Use this screen to change your NBG-418N v2’s Internet access settings. Click

Network

>

WAN

.

The screen differs according to the connection type you choose.

7.3.1

Ethernet Encapsulation

This screen displays when you select

Ethernet

encapsulation.

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Figure 56

Network > WAN > Internet Connection: Ethernet Encapsulation

The following table describes the labels in this screen.

Table 31

Network > WAN > Internet Connection: Ethernet Encapsulation

LABEL

DESCRIPTION

ISP Parameters for Internet Access (Ethernet Static)

Connection Type

Choose the

Ethernet (Static)

option when the WAN port is used as a regular Ethernet.

IP Address

Enter your WAN

IP address

in this field.

IP Subnet

Mask

Enter the

IP Subnet Mask

in this field.

Gateway IP

Address

Enter a

Gateway IP Address

(if your ISP gave you one) in this field.

MTU Size

Type the

MTU

or maximum size of each data packet, in bytes, that can move through this

interface. If a larger packet arrives, the NBG-418N v2 divides it into smaller fragments.

Allowed values are 576 to 1500. By default this value is 1500

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7.3.2

PPPoE Encapsulation

The NBG-418N v2 supports PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet). PPPoE is an IETF

standard (RFC 2516) specifying how a personal computer (PC) interacts with a broadband modem

First DNS Server

Second DNS

Server

Enter the first and second DNS server's IP address in the fields.

WAN MAC Address

The MAC address section allows users to configure the WAN port's MAC address by either using the NBG-418N

v2’s MAC address, copying the MAC address from a computer on your LAN or manually entering a MAC

address.

Factory default

Select this option to use the factory assigned default MAC Address.

Clone the

computer's MAC

address - MAC

Address

Select this option to clone the MAC address of the computer (displaying in the screen)

from which you are configuring the NBG-418N v2. Once it is successfully configured, the

address will be copied to the rom file. It will not change unless you change the setting or

upload a different ROM file.

Set WAN MAC

Address

Select this option and enter the MAC address you want to use.

ISP Parameters for Internet Access (Ethernet DHCP)

Connection Type

Choose the

Ethernet (DHCP)

option when the WAN port is used as a regular Ethernet.

Host Name

Type the domain name that is associated with this Ethernet connection.

MTU Size

Type the

MTU

or maximum size of each data packet, in bytes, that can move through this

interface. If a larger packet arrives, the NBG-418N v2 divides it into smaller fragments.

Allowed values are 576 to 1500. By default this value is 1500.

DNS Services

Attain DNS

Automatically

Click the

Attain DNS Automatically

button if your ISP dynamically assigns DNS server

information (and the NBG-418N v2’s WAN IP address). The field to the right displays the

(read-only) DNS server IP address that the ISP assigns.

Set DNS Manually

Select

Set DNS Manually

if you have the IP address of a DNS server. You will need to

enter the first and secondary DNS server's IP address in the fields to the bottom.

First DNS Server

Second DNS

Server

Enter the first and second DNS server's IP address in the box fields.

WAN MAC Address

The MAC address section allows users to configure the WAN port's MAC address by either using the NBG-418N

v2’s MAC address, copying the MAC address from a computer on your LAN or manually entering a MAC

address.

Factory default

Select this option to use the factory assigned default MAC Address.

Clone the

computer's MAC

address - MAC

Address

Select this option to clone the MAC address of the computer (displaying in the screen)

from which you are configuring the NBG-418N v2. Once it is successfully configured, the

address will be copied to the rom file. It will not change unless you change the setting or

upload a different ROM file.

Set WAN MAC

Address

Select this option and enter the MAC address you want to use.

Apply

Click

Apply

to save your changes back to the NBG-418N v2.

Reset

Click

Reset

to begin configuring this screen afresh.

Table 31

Network > WAN > Internet Connection: Ethernet Encapsulation (continued)

LABEL

DESCRIPTION

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(DSL, cable, wireless, etc.) connection. The

PPP over Ethernet

option is for a dial-up connection

using PPPoE.

For the service provider, PPPoE offers an access and authentication method that works with existing

access control systems (for example Radius).

One of the benefits of PPPoE is the ability to let you access one of multiple network services, a

function known as dynamic service selection. This enables the service provider to easily create and

offer new IP services for individuals.

Operationally, PPPoE saves significant effort for both you and the ISP or carrier, as it requires no

specific configuration of the broadband modem at the customer site.

By implementing PPPoE directly on the NBG-418N v2 (rather than individual computers), the

computers on the LAN do not need PPPoE software installed, since the NBG-418N v2 does that part

of the task. Furthermore, with NAT, all of the LANs’ computers will have access.

This screen displays when you select

PPPoE

encapsulation.

Figure 57

Network > WAN > Internet Connection: PPPoE Encapsulation

The following table describes the labels in this screen.

Table 32

Network > WAN > Internet Connection: PPPoE Encapsulation

LABEL

DESCRIPTION

ISP Parameters for Internet Access

Connection Type

Select

PPP over Ethernet

if you connect to your Internet via dial-up.

User Name

Type the user name given to you by your ISP.

Password

Type the password associated with the user name above.