User`s guide

MN-700 Base Station Configuration Guide 2
Thank you for purchasing the Microsoft
®
Broadband Networking Wireless Base Station (MN-700). This guide
describes the various functions of your base station and how you can customize the base station by using the Base
Station Management Tool.
The base station plays an important role in your network. It enables you to share your Internet connection with all
the computers and devices on your network. In addition, your base station:
O
Directs or “routes” data from your networked devices (collectively referred to as a local area network, or LAN) to
the Internet (also known as a wide area network, or WAN), and from the Internet to your networked devices. This
is why the base station is sometimes referred to as a “router.”
O
Connects the devices on your network. This enables you to share files and folders between networked
computers.
O
Helps to protect the devices on your network from hostile attacks coming from the Internet by providing a firewall
and network address translation (NAT).
To enable the base station to perform these activities, all you need to do is configure the base station with the
Internet settings provided by your Internet service provider (ISP) so that your networked computers can connect to
the Internet. You can establish these settings by running the Setup Wizard on the setup CD.
If you need to change a base station setting or if you would like to customize your base station to accommodate
special network requirements, you can use the Base Station Management Tool to do so. The Base Station
Management Tool is a Web-based utility that you can use to view current base station settings and to configure the
base station.
You can use the Base Station Management Tool to:
O
Set up wireless security and media access control (MAC) filtering to restrict unauthorized devices from
connecting to your network wirelessly.
O
Set up client filtering and parental controls to restrict your networked computers from accessing particular
applications and specific Web sites or content.
O
Configure port forwarding so that you can run programs with special network requirements or host a server on
your network.
O
Establish a virtual DMZ (demilitarized zone) to enable unrestricted traffic from the Internet to one of your
networked devices.
O
Set the base station to access point mode so that it no longer provides a routing or NAT service. The base station
should be set to access point mode only to extend the range of a wireless network or to connect an existing
wired network to a wireless network.
O
Enable wireless connectivity by establishing the wireless network name (also known as Service Set Identifier, or
SSID), wireless channel, and data mode for your network.
O
Perform a variety of base station management tasks, including setting or changing the base station password
and creating a backup file of the base station settings.
The following sections describe how to open and navigate the Base Station Management Tool so that you can
customize the base station for your network needs.
Note If you update your base station firmware after purchasing the base station, you should consult the Base Station
Management Tool Help for the latest information on new or improved features of the base station.