Building a wireless home network or SOHO (Small Office Home Office) is not a very difficult task to do nowadays, even for someone with no experience in computer networks. With the wireless DSL modem, you can easily and securely create a wireless home network.

For most of the people without any knowledge of computer networks, building a wireless home network is even something that they have never imagined before. However, if they know that all the requirements for building a wireless network can be replaced by a single all-in-one wireless DSL modem, the technical complexities of computer networking, connection, and configuration can be minimized as much as possible.

One of the ostensible reasons for building a wireless home network today is to share a broadband Internet connection with many computers in the home. Also, with the wireless network at home, you can surf the Internet on your laptop by the pool, with your Wi-Fi phone or Skype phone; You can make some Internet calls anywhere in the house without turning on your computer. , or you can game live on your XBOX console in the comfort of your living room without the clutter of cables. All the requirements you need to build a simple home or SOHO wireless network is a single all-in-one wireless DSL modem. What are really the requirements to build a wireless home network?

First, you need a DSL modem. A modem is a digital-to-analog converter and vice versa, and is an interface device between the subscriber’s premises and the local telecommunications company or ISP. Typically, when you sign up for broadband Internet service, your ISP provides you with a modem that connects directly to a single computer via a USB connection or an Ethernet connection. A wireless DSL modem includes a built-in DSL modem – the first requirements you need.

Second, you need a router or firewall. A router or firewall protects your private internal network from public networks (Internet) against any type of threat. Typically, home routers work with the double firewall feature: NAT and SPI. Network Address Translation (NAT) helps you hide the private network from the public network, while Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) accurately and thoroughly inspects incoming packets for any false positive packets. A wireless DSL modem includes the double firewall feature – the second requirement you need.

Third, you need a wireless access point. All wireless devices communicate with the wireless network infrastructure through the wireless access point. The access point links the network devices on the wireless network with the network devices on the wired network. Wireless access points extend your network wirelessly within wireless coverage. A wireless DSL modem includes the function of the wireless access point: the third requirement that you need.

Lastly, you need a LAN switch that will connect the wireless access point to the wired network. Typically, the wireless DSL modem includes a 4-port LAN switch. With these Ethernet ports, you can also connect the computers directly using the UTP LAN cable; and connect the Ethernet print server to share the printer on the network. Recent products shipped with the 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit port, with auto-sensing Ethernet port. With the auto-sensing LAN port, you don’t need to worry about the type of cable used, whether it’s UTP crossover cable or straight cable: the system will detect the type of cable used and adjust the system automatically.

The typical wireless DSL modem includes the above four functions, a DSL modem, a router/firewall, a wireless access point, and a LAN Switch. By purchasing this single all-in-one device: the wireless DSL modem; You can build a simple home or SOHO wireless network easily and securely. You don’t need to buy separate devices to reduce the complexity of wireless network connection, setup and configuration.

Network connection and configuration

Since the wireless DSL modem is a single device, a single solution to build the wireless network, the connection and configuration is simple. By default, with only one connection to the DSL line, the wireless network will work. Of course, with the default settings, no security encryption is applied to the wireless connection. The security feature is not enabled by default.

Connect the Internet port (or WAN port) of the wireless DSL modem to the telephone line (DSL line). Unlike the dial-up connection, DSL Internet uses the same line as the phone line without interfering with each other; both Internet and voice can work together at the same time. Traditional internet using dial-up modem uses the phone line for internet connection, but at the same time you cannot use the line for voice (phone calls) until the internet connection is released. With this single connection, your wireless DSL modem is ready for in-home wireless roaming and all computers (with Wi-Fi enabled) can connect to the network with simple setup and even simple plug and play.

Every computer on the network needs an IP address in order to communicate over the network, so how can you provide and configure the IP address? The wireless DSL modem includes a DHCP service that is enabled by default. The DHCP server provides and leases IP address settings to computers on the network automatically.

There are many wireless DSL modems available on the market today ranging from devices with 802.11g standards and the most recent standard being draft 2.0 802.11n. Draft 802.11n is the future wireless technology that is not yet ratified, but most wireless manufacturers have shipped their products using the 802.11n standards.