16

VMG4381-B10A User’s Guide

17

C

HAPTER

1

Introducing the Device

1.1

Overview

The Device is a wireless VDSL router and Gigabit Ethernet gateway. It has two DSL ports and

Gigabit Ethernet for super-fast Internet access over analog (POTS) telephone lines. If the DSLAM of

the ISP supports bonding function, the two DSL ports on the Device can be connected to two

separate telephone jacks to provide increased throughput at longer distances. The Device supports

both Packet Transfer Mode (PTM) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). It is backward

compatible with ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ in case VDSL is not available. The Device also provides

IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless networking to extend the range of your existing wired network without

additional wiring. The VMG438

1

0

-B10A model

s

also include Home Phoneline

• VMG438

1

0

-B10A has Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HPNA)

and Multimedia over Coax

Alliance (moCA)

capabilit

ies

y

.

Only use firmware for your Device’s specific model. Refer to the label on

the bottom of your Device.

The Device has a USB port used to share files via a USB memory stick or a USB hard drive.

1.2

Ways to Manage the Device

Use any of the following methods to manage the Device.

•

Web Configurator. This is recommended for everyday management of the Device using a

(supported) web browser.

•

TR-069. This is an auto-configuration server used to remotely configure your device.

1.3

Good Habits for Managing the Device

Do the following things regularly to make the Device more secure and to manage the Device more

effectively.

•

Change the password. Use a password that’s not easy to guess and that consists of different

types of characters, such as numbers and letters.

•

Write down the password and put it in a safe place.

Chapter 1 Introducing the Device

VMG4381-B10A User’s Guide

18

•

Back up the configuration (and make sure you know how to restore it). Restoring an earlier

working configuration may be useful if the device becomes unstable or even crashes. If you

forget your password, you will have to reset the Device to its factory default settings. If you

backed up an earlier configuration file, you would not have to totally re-configure the Device. You

could simply restore your last configuration.

1.4

Applications for the Device

Here are some example uses for which the Device is well suited.

1.4.1

Internet Access

Your Device provides shared Internet access by connecting the DSL port to the

DSL

or

MODEM

jack on a splitter or your telephone jack. You can have multiple WAN services over one ADSL or

VDSL. The Device cannot work in ADSL and VDSL mode at the same time.

Note: The ADSL and VDSL lines share the same WAN (layer-2) interfaces that you

configure in the Device. Refer to

Section 6.2 on page 79

for the

Network Setting

> Broadband

screen.

Computers can connect to the Device’s LAN ports (or wirelessly).

Figure 1

Device’s Internet Access Application

You can also configure IP filtering on the Device for secure Internet access. When the IP filter is on,

all incoming traffic from the Internet to your network is blocked by default unless it is initiated from

ADSL / VDSL

WLAN

PPPoE

IPoE

Bridging

WAN

ADSL

IPoA

WAN

LAN

LAN

WLAN

A

A

PPPoA

IPoE

PPPoE

Bridging

Chapter 1 Introducing the Device

VMG4381-B10A User’s Guide

19

your network. This means that probes from the outside to your network are not allowed, but you

can safely browse the Internet and download files.

1.4.2

HomePNA

Models with HPNA comply with HomePNA (Home Phoneline Networking Alliance, also known as

HPNA) 3.1, a home networking technology for carrying data over existing coaxial cables and

telephone wiring.

The figure below shows your Device (

A

) connecting to a phone line outlet for DSL Internet access

and a coaxial outlet to relay Internet connectivity to other coaxial outlets in the building. The laptop

(

B

) connects wirelessly to the Device. The set-up box (

C

) connects into a coaxial outlet in another

part of the house for access to online videos.

Figure 2

HomePNA Application

Chapter 1 Introducing the Device

VMG4381-B10A User’s Guide

20

1.4.3

Device’s USB Support

The USB port of the Device is used for file-sharing.

File Sharing

Use the built-in USB 2.0 port to share files on a USB memory stick or a USB hard drive (

B

). You can

connect one USB hard drive to the Device at a time. Use FTP to access the files on the USB device.

Figure 3

USB File Sharing Application

Media Server

You can also use the Device as a media server. This lets anyone on your network play video, music,

and photos from a USB device (

B

) connected to the Device’s USB port (without having to copy them

to another computer).

Figure 4

USB Media Server Application

B

A

B

A