Home Network Equipment Basics
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This page is intended for the beginner, or for those who plan to install Cable/DSL connections instead of dial-up.  If you are an expert in such a setup and want to improve on this page, send me an email or link and I will adjust this.

CABLE / DSL  MODEMS
If you are paying your service provider to "rent" the modem, I highly recommend that you purchase your own Cable/DSL modem and save money in the long run.  I purchased a Cable modem from Linksys for under $100 because I was paying $10.00 per month to rent one from the Cable company.  I hear that some cable companies charge up to $15 per month.  However, before you purchase a modem, contact your Cable/DSL provider and confirm that the modem you wish to buy is compatible with their service.  My provider listed compatible modems on their website, by manufacture and model number, so this was easy.   

If you are about to have Cable/DSL installed, consider purchasing the modem first, so when the Cable/DSL service provider comes to install the connection, they can hook it up to your equipment. 

I found it very easy to install my new cable modem, and I had no experience with anything like this when I started.  Once I received the modem,  I called my cable provider and they just needed  the Make, Model, Serial Number, and the " MAC" number that was marked on the Modem.  I then plugged in the modem while still on the phone, and that was it.  The cable company had to process the information in their system, which took them about 30 minutes, but then I was up and running.   It is that easy!

MULTIPLE COMPUTERS ON ONE CONNECTION

If you wish to have multiple computers connected to your Cable/DSL connection, there are a few options available.  Before I knew anything about networks or routers, I just contacted my cable company and told them I had a second PC I wanted connected.  They provided me with a second IP address, but of course, there was a small charge (about $7.00 per month).  I installed a hub to split off the connections and start a small home network, which all worked fine for awhile.  I then wanted to add more computers, and learned that I needed something better to handle the traffic while keeping the costs down.

ROUTER

I decided to go with a Router because this would also act as a Firewall (hardware firewall), it could handle multiple PCs with better performance then using my Hub, and it also allow me to cut monthly costs by using only one IP address from my Cable provider.    

With a router, you can quickly setup a secure home network.  This allow you to have many machines on one Cable/DSL connection and give you the capability of sharing information between machines or even sharing equipment such as one printer, drives and more.

There are several brands and types of Routers, but after a little comparison reading, I decided to purchase a Linksys Router.    Another very good router is the DLink. Talk about EASY setup, it took just minutes.  This was terrific!!

My Linksys Router came with a very easy to follow instruction, necessary for someone non-technical like myself.  It also came with a setup CD that did the work.  I use Windows XP Professional on my computers, so this may be part of the simple setup, but the manual covers the older versions of Window also.  The default settings in the router are just fine for getting your network up and running.  I plugged three computers into the router and they were all up an running in just a few minutes without touching any settings (WinXP handles it nicely).

IP Address

In most cases, your Cable/DSL Provider will issue the IP address automatically (dynamic IP), so  you should not need to go through extensive setup on your PC or other equipment.   My Internet service provider changes the IP address periodically, but this is handled by the service provider and the Modem automatically.  The router sees this external IP also, and maintains the connection even if the IP address changes.   (Your internet  IP address is also known as your WAN IP or Wide Area Network IP).     

Your router acts very much like a PC connected directly to your modem, and your Cable/DSL provider only sees this device.  It cannot see computers you have connected behind the router.  The router takes the communications and routes the data to and from each PC effectively.

Within your home network, the router maintains internal IP addresses, and will take care of this automatically for you, assigning a unique IP to each computer connected (if you are using DHCP which is a default).  This internal IP by default will usually be something like 192.168.1.100 and is also known as your LAN IP address (Local Area Network IP).   

DHCP & Internal IP address assignment (LAN)
When you install your router, you have the option to enable DHCP (it was the default on my router).   If you are a beginner, I suggest that you enable DHCP.   The router will automatically assign an IP address to each PC you have connected to it, using a sequence of numbers that you determine in the initial install of your router.   For example, if you set the router with a starting IP range of 100, the router will then assign one PC with IP address 192.168.1.100 and the next PC will get 192.168.1.101 , then 102 and so on.   Your LAN IP address is assigned dynamically, very much like your Cable/DSL provider may do to assign your external or WAN IP.

If one of the machines behind your router will be your gaming server,  you will use this LAN IP addressed assigned to setup port forwarding (more on this later).   On my router setup screens, I have an option to display the DHCP clients, and this shows all of the computers connected and the internal IP address that was assigned to each machine.

As long as your router and modem is powered, your internal IP address will stay constant for each PC connected.   However, if for some reason you power down or reset your router, and reset your computers, DHCP may change the internal IP addresses on each machine (dynamic IP assignment).    

Need more information on IP addresses and how to set a static IP?  
Click here to see my guide on Dynamic vs Static IP, and setting a static IP.

Router Setup & Changes
By default, when you install a Router, it is will have its own internal IP address just like any PC connected will have.  However, your router by default will have an internal or LAN IP address of 192.168.1.1    Most home network routers today will allow for browser access into setup.    In your browser, after the http:// you would just enter the IP of 192.168.1.1 to access setup.   During the initial setup, you would enter your password so each time you access it later, you would be prompted for the password.

There are many screens for setup, configuring DHCP,  Forwarding Ports, setup of a DMZ and more.  Again, the default settings are sufficient for most home networks.

At this point... your home network is complete...
  but see more info below!

Gaming Server Readiness...
For a gaming server, you will need to know the internal IP address for your server because you also need to open ports to the internet for that IP address on your router or others will not see the server.   

If the the modem and/or router is reset (or power is disconnected),  DHCP on you router might change the internal IP address that was used for the server.   If you had previously opened ports for one IP address for the server, and the IP address changes, your port forwarding is no longer valid for the server.   If not noticed, your server will seem to be off line (from experience, this can be very frustrating).  

To get around this problem, you can set the machine which is your game server with a static internal IP address, but you may continue to utilize DHCP for all other machines on your home network.  For a static IP, you would assign a lower IP address then on the DHCP range.   If your DHCP range starts with 100  (192.168.1.100), you can set a static IP address on your server of 192.168.1.2 and it should work fine  (do not use 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.1.1 as a static IP since they are reserved for your network equipment).   However, you will also need to set the network configuration on the computer to match this IP assignment.   Again, if you are a beginner, stay with DHCP until you are comfortable with tinkering with network settings on your PC.

You must Open Ports to the internet allowing servers and clients on the internet access through your router to talk to your server.   If you do not open all of the necessary ports, you server will be invisible to everyone outside of your network.  (See the Router Setup Page)

If you wish to just setup a LAN game, and have players only internally play on a game.   Launch the server or initiate a multiplayer game from one of the computers, and all other PC's on your network can join in on the game without making any port setting changes.   Without ports being opened, the internet will not see the server.   You should be able to see the host machine through the games LAN connection.   

External IP Address (WAN)
Players on the internet find your server using the external IP address.   If your Internet Service Provider changes IP addresses periodically (dynamically), players that have marked you server as a favorite or connect direct by IP address will no longer see your server when your provider changes the IP.   It will show up under the new IP assigned by your Service Provider.   Many times this change in IP address will take place when you reset your modem and router, so if you do need to reset the equipment, just access your router settings again and check your WAN IP address.   If changed, you may need to notify your buddies that connect directly by IP.

Larger Home Network Example
Using a Modem, Router and Switches or Hubs
The picture below is of a somewhat larger home network setup using a 4 port Router.   For reference, I noted example IP addresses for each device.   Notice there are 5 computers hooked up even though it uses only a 4 port router (4 PC Connections).   The Switch shown in this setup connects to the router and allows you to continue expanding the network.   The smallest switch from Linksys came with 5 ports.    

Notice also in this example that one machine was set with a static IP address, and the IP address is in a number lower than those assigned in the DHCP range which has started in this example at 100.

Wired vs Wireless?    This example shows a Wired Network.   I wireless network works much the same where the router has an antenna and each network card in every PC would need a wireless network card with an antenna.   You can control which PCs can receive the wireless communications from within the router setup (for security).    Some wireless routers also come with ports, allowing you to connect machines by wire (like a server) and still operate other machines with a wireless connection.

Getting MORE Complicated....
Once you get hooked, and start expanding your network (like I have lately) your network can become very complex.   This next example below shows a network with 2 external IP addresses (WAN).   A second IP can usually be purchased from your Cable/DSL Provider for an small extra charge.   In this example, you could have a server on one IP address separated from your home network (outside of the router) and you may have an additional server behind the router.

The modem can handle multiple IP addresses, but the Switch handles the traffic for each IP passing it quickly to the appropriate destination.  In this case below, to a Router and a PC, each with their own external IP address.    The router in this example assigns and tracks the IP addresses behind the Router where Local Area Network IP is 192.168.1.1 and each machine is assigned a number 192.168.1.100,  101,  102, etc. 

My network looked like this one above for about a year, but I also added another Router for the second IP address so that this machine would be protected behind hit, with the router becoming the hardware firewall.   

During 2003, my network bacame more complicated with multiple servers, multiple internet IP addresses, multiple routers and switches.   This image is of the network devices running in 2003.   2 Cable Modems, three routers, and two switches.

QUESTIONS?

I am a beginner, Can I really set this up myself?
Yes!   If you are just getting started, and have several members in the house that wish to access the same internet connection, or just connect to each other, the Router is your key component.    Get your Cable or DSL modem connected (with your cable/DSL providers instruction), connect your router following the setup instructions, enabling DHCP, and plug in your computers, and go!   Really, it is that simple!   I had no experience when starting out, but with the Linksys router, the instructions were clear, and there was a setup CD that configured the machines for me.   Since then, I have made many changes (and mistakes), and I am still learning, but do not be intimidated.  It is not that difficult!

How do I setup the router for my MOHAA or Spearhead Server?
See my Router Setup page.   Click HERE

Should I use a Switch or Hub?
I suggest that you use a Switch instead of a Hub whenever possible.  I can't even begin to explain it in technical terms, but in simple terms, the difference is in how data passes through these devices and maintains communications. 

In this example below, I use a 4 port Hub and a 4 Port Switch.  When you send data from you PC to the internet (in packets) there is a signature of your PC in the data so that returning information knows where to go.   When data returns to your network from the internet and hits a hub, the hub must test each port until it finds the right PC for sending the data.   With a switch, the equipment attached is already known by the switch so it does not need to test each port, it can send the data directly to the appropriate PC.

With a hub, and a few active PCs, there could be numerous data collisions within the hub and the loss of packets slowing the response time of your connection.   A switch is a much more efficient device, though a little more costly than a simple hub.  A switch is very much worth the price!   

Need more?
Check out my guide on Static vs. Dynamic IP addresses - Click Here

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