Noob networking advice

As regards to networking I'm a complete noob, give me a PC to build I'm fine but not with networking so I need some advice.

Ok so here's what I want to connect to my adsl connection :-

* My PC currently connected via USB asdl modem.
* Another PC via RJ45
* XBox 360 via RJ45 (and maybe wireless in the future)
* PSP via wireless

Also I may want to connect my Mobile Phone in future.

So would this modem/router work ok for this purpose?

Also would this mean that my PC no longer needs be on as the asdl runs through the router not my PC?

Any advice please

Dan

 

I think that's a good choice of router. A key point is that it has ADSL built in, so you don't have to configure a connection between the router and an external modem which can be a bit of a fag.

There are cheaper options, but personally I've not had any problems with Netgear kit and find they work well.

Also it has stateful packet inspection which cheaper units don't have. Personally, I think this feature is worth paying a little extra for. It means you have a reasonably decent firewall between your network and the internet. I'd still use personal firewalls on each PC (if only XP's built in), but having good firewall services on the router means you've got defense in depth.

Yes, your ADSL connection will no longer require a particular PC is on all the time.

I'm not sure about the mobile - that's not something I've played with. If all it needs is a wireless internet connection then it should be OK. The router spec. quotes Net2Phone® so if this is the service you want then OK.

One thing I would point out is that the VPN is pass through only. If you are intending to use Virtual Private Networking, it would be worth looking for a router that will act as a VPN server rather than just a pass through. However, many people don't need this feature, and if you are among them, I think your choice is spot on.

 

Erm VPN?! Not sure what that is mate. I just want to share my adsl out so I don't have to keep my pc on. What does a VPN server do?

 

Thanx for the link mate

 

If you are asking those questions, I'm pretty sure VPN is not an issue for you, and therefore you can ignore my comments concerning this feature.

 

Well thanx for all your help. Ordered one off ebay so I'll probably be back when it arrives...

 

Well it arrived yesterday and got the internet & my XBox connected fine. Having problems connecting my PSP to wireless - anyone know any good places to ask?

 

What kind of problems are you having connecting your PSP via wireless? I did the same thing with a different Netgear router a couple of months ago. This helped.

You may want to use an access list instead of encryption. That's what I did. To do that on my router, I access the router webpage (usually at http://192.168.0.1). The default user name and password are admin and password. You go to the Wireless Settings page and push the Setup Access List button. Turn off access control, and it should list the MAC number of your PSP. Select that, add it, turn on access control, and you should be good to go.

My router is a little old, though, so yours may be different.

 

Cheers for that mate. Will give it a go

 

Ok I've put the PSP aside for the time been as I'm now having problems with torrents and inbound connections again. It was fine before I installed the router and I've opened the ports using Portforward's site but still no luck.

I've figured out that the router firewall is blocking incoming traffic, so is there any way to turn the firewall off? Can't see anything in the manual or various net searches.

 

Do you know which port the incoming traffic is coming into? If so, you need to configure the router to forward that port to the computer that you want to receive the traffic. Have a look at the section "Inbound Rules (Port Forwarding)" starting on page 5-6 of the user manual for your router:

http://kbserver.netgear.com/pdf/dg834_g_b_manual_v2.pdf

 

Gave it a quick read but I've already tried port forwarding but no luck. Thanx any way mate

 

Another thing to try is setting the PC that will receive the traffic as a DMZ server. Have a look at the section "Setting Up A Default DMZ Server" starting page 7-2.

That will transfer incoming ports to the designated PC. However, read the associated warnings!!! This will bypass the limited protection that NAT provides. Therefore it is essential that you run a personal firewall on the PC acting as the DMZ server. Also you need to make sure that the personal firewall is configured securely.

If that doesn't work, make sure you disable DMZ server function in the router afterwards - you don't want to leave this enabled if you are not utilizing the function.

 

I'm willing to give anything a go mate. Will look into it.

As for connecting my PSP to wireless, I managed to do it by accident - the router reset all the settings so I had to start from the beginning and it worked like a treat!

 

Found the bit in the manual and done what it says using 192.168.0.2 for the ip address but nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?

As for a software firewall, I use NIS 2006 and it has worked great.

 

You won't see anything happen, but systems on the internet should be able to access your PC via a give port.

As I said before, if that doesn't do what you want, turn it off again.

 

Could you go through it for me please mate?

* I've added a custom service for ABC using TCP & port 29585.

* Added a firewall rule for inbound services.

Do I just simply set default DMZ Server to 192.168.0.1 or my IP address?

 

The address for the DMZ server needs to be the IP of the computer that the connection are to be directed to. So that is the PC where you have the service running. In other words, yes, it needs to be the IP address of your PC.

And don't forget you'll need to open up the port on your personal firewall.

 

Thanx mate. Will give it a go.