3Com 3CRWE50194 Users Manual

HomeConnect™ Home Wireless Gateway

User Guide

3CRWE50194 Home Network Management Solution

http://www.3com.com/ http://www.3com.com/productreg

Part No. 09-xxxx-000 Published Oct 2000

3Com Corporation 5400 Bayfront Plaza Santa Clara, California 95052-8145 U.S.A.

Copyright © 2000, 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation, transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notification of such revision or change.

3Com Corporation provides this documentation without warranty, term, or condition of any kind, either implied or expressed, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties, terms or conditions of merchantability, satisfactory quality, and fitness for a particular purpose. 3Com may make improvements or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this documentation at any time.

If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation, or on the removable media in a directory file named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND

If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following:

All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense. Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014 (June 1995) or as a “commercial item” as defined in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such rights as are provided in 3Com’s standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is provided with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987), whichever is applicable. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide.

3Com and the 3Com logo, and HomeConnect are registered trademarks and HomeConnect is a trademark of 3Com Corporation.

Windows is a registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh and Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

RF Exposure Compliance Statement (U.S.)

CAUTION

The 3Com HomeConnect Home Wireless Gateway

has been certified as a mobile device as per FCC

Section 2.1091. In order to comply with the FCC RF exposure requirements the 3Com HomeConnect Home Wireless Gateway must only be installed with

approved antennas and a minimum separation

distance of 20 cm (8 inches) must be maintained

from the antenna to any near by persons."

ONTENTS

ELCOME TO HOME WIRELESS

HomeConnect™ Wireless Gateway 1

Wireless Gateway Advantages 3

Firewall Technology 3

Kit Contents 3

Installation Sheet 4

Minimum System Requirements 4 Using This Guide 5

OME WIRELESS GATEWAY

Front Panel 7

Power 8 WAN 8 Wireless LAN 8 Ethernet LAN 8

Rear Panel 8

Power Adapter Socket 8 Reset 9 Cable/DSL 9 Ethernet 9

ASIC INSTALLATION

Connecting the Wireless Gateway to the Internet 11

External Cable and DSL Modem Connections 11

Connecting the Wireless Gateway to Your Network 12

Home Networking and Wireless Networking Basics 12

Setting up Ethernet Networking 13 Powering Up 14 System Settings for Your Computer(s) 14

Wireless Network Settings 14

Windows 15

Macintosh 15

Wired (Ethernet) Network Settings 15

Windows 16 Macintosh 16

UNNING THE SETUP PROGRAM

Setup Program 17

Accessing the Setup Program 17 Navigating Through the Setup Program 18

Menu Tab 18 Gateway Setup Wizard 18 Setting Up Your Home Wireless Gateway 19

CCESSING THE INTERNET

Internet Connection Settings 21

External Cable and DSL Modem 21

DDITIONAL FEATURES

Status 25 Client Privileges 26 To o ls 2 8

System Test 28 Security Log 28 Reset Home Wireless Gateway 28 Restore Factory Settings 28 Update Firmware 28

ROUBLESHOOTING

Home Wireless Gateway 31 Modem 31

Cable or DSL 31

Ethernet Networks 32 3Com KnowledgeBase 32

ECHNICAL SUPPORT

Online Technical Services 33

World Wide Web Site 33 3Com FTP Site 33 3Com Bulletin Board Service 34 Access by Analog Modem 34

Access by Digital Modem 34 Support from Your Network Supplier 34 Support from 3Com 35 Returning Products for Repair 36

LOSSARY

NDEX

ARRANTY AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

3Com Corporation Limited Warranty 45 Regulatory Compliance Information 48 3Com End User Software License Agreement 50

IST OF FIGURES

Home Network Without a Wireless Gateway 2

Home Network Using a Wireless Gateway 2

HomeConnecttm Wireless Gateway Package Contents 4

Home Wireless Gateway 7

Home Wireless Gateway - Front Panel 7

Home Network Gateway - Rear Panel 8

Cable or DSL Modem Connected to the Gateway 12

Connecting the Gateway to an Ethernet Network 14

Web Browser Location Field 17

Home Network Gateway Main Page 18

Setup Page 22

Cable/DSL Setup | Standard Page 23

Status Page 25

Client Computer Setup | Client Privileges Page 26

ELCOME TO HOME

HomeConnect™ Wireless Gateway

IRELESS

In today’s fast-paced world, communication and sharing information are crucial. Computer networks are among the fastest ways to share information, and wireless computer networks are rapidly becoming the most convenient way of connecting computers. 3Com has brought this exciting technology into the home with the HomeConnect™ Wireless Gateway.

The products that compose the HomeConnect™ line give you, the home user, the same power, flexibility, and protection that has been available only to large corporations. Now, you can network the computers in your home, connect them all to a single Internet outlet, and harness the combined power of all of your computers using both wired and wireless connections.

The HomeConnect Wireless Gateway is designed to provide effective and transparent management of both your home computer network, as well as your connection to the Internet with the convenience of a wireless connection. The gateway also provides protection in the form of an electronic “firewall,” preventing anyone outside of your network from seeing your files or damaging your computers.

As you can see in Figure 1, one computer is connected to the Internet. This computer must always be powered on for the other computers on the network to access the Internet.

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ELCOME TO HOME WIRELESS

Figure 1

Home Network Without a Wireless Gateway

Internet

Cable, DSL or 56K modem

When you utilize the wireless gateway in your network (figure 2), however, it becomes your connection to the Internet, as well as providing you with many other options, such as network management, firewall protection, and roaming capability.

Figure 2

Home Network Using a Wireless Gateway

HomeConnect™ Wireless Gateway

Wireless Gateway Advantages

Shared Internet connection without cables.

■

Flexible wireless networking, featuring Ethernet

■

connectivity and seamless networking between both

media.

No need for a dedicated, “always on” computer serving

■

as Internet connection.

Cross-platform operation for compatibility with

■

Windows and Macintosh computers

Easy access to corporate networks.

■

Easy to use, Web-based setup and configuration.

■

Use wireless systems from work or school at home.

■

Firewall Technology

Your wireless gateway also provides fully-integrated firewall technology. The preconfigured, always-on, corporate-grade firewall security combines Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) and dynamic packet filtering to provide a robust and flexible defense system for your home network. The firewall looks for known data patterns used by hackers, and prevents them from harming your network. Updates are available online to detect and block out new hacker patterns.

Kit Contents

Your firewall will:

Protect the personal, financial, and work-related

■

information on your network.

Keep hackers from using your identity to send

■

unauthorized messages.

Keep out unwanted downloads.

■

HomeConnect Wireless Gateway

■

Power adapter with three plug adapters

■

Nonskid feet (4)

■

Standard Ethernet cable (Category 5)

■

Installation Map

■

User Guide

■

Registration Card

■

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ELCOME TO HOME WIRELESS

If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact your retailer.

Figure 3

HomeConnect

Wireless Gateway Package Contents

Installation Sheet

If you want to perform a basic installation of your HomeConnect Wireless Gateway, please refer to the included Installation Sheet. The Installation Sheet provides a graphical, step-by-step procedure that allows you to set up your home network for multiple computers and other devices.

Minimum System Requirements

Your HomeConnect Wireless Gateway requires that the computer(s) in your home wireless network are configured with at least the following:

A cable modem or DSL modem with an Ethernet port

■

(RJ-45 connector). Windows Millennium, Windows NT, Windows 2000,

■

Windows 98, Windows 95, or Mac OS 8.5 or higher. A wireless network interface adapter card, purchased

■

separately, for each computer to be connected to your home wireless network.

An Ethernet 10Mbps or 10/100 network interface

■

adapter card, purchased separately, for each computer

to be connected to the three-port switch on your home

wireless gateway.

Active Internet access account.

■

Web browser program, such as Netscape or Internet

■

Explorer (4.0 or higher).

Using This Guide

The rest of the User Guide contains detailed information about your gateway and how to connect it to your home network and Internet.

Chapter 2

■

panels of the gateway, including information

concerning LEDs and ports.

Chapter 3

■

the gateway and the Internet, the wireless connection

between the gateway and your computer(s), as well as

how to configure the computers on your network.

Chapter 4

■

program.

Chapter 5

■

Internet with your gateway, whether you are using an

external cable or DSL modem.

Chapter 6

■

gateway, such as setting up client privileges and

performing software updates.

Chapter 7

■

Appendix A

■

3Com for technical support.

The

■

concerning the installation and operation of the

gateway.

Using This Guide

familiarizes you with the front and rear

explains the physical connections between

contains a basic overview of the setup

details the steps involved in accessing the

details the additional features of your

provides troubleshooting tips.

provides information on how to contact

Glossary

, which provides definitions for key terms

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ELCOME TO HOME WIRELESS

Home

onne

™

OME

IRELESS GATEWAY

This chapter will familiarize you with your HomeConnecttm Home Wireless Gateway (Figure 4).

Front Panel

Figure 4

Home Wireless Gateway

lin

The front panel of the gateway contains a series of indicator lights that help describe the state of various networking and connection operations.

Figure 5

Home Wireless Gateway - Front Panel

Internet NetworkPower

56KCable/DSL Phoneline Ethernet

3Com®HomeConnect

Home Network Gateway

™

HAPTER

Power

The Power indicator light informs you when the gateway is on or off. If this light is illuminated, the gateway is on; if it is not illuminated, the gateway is off. During firmware upgrades and resets, this light will blink yellow (see “Update Firmware” on page 28).

WAN

This light indicates the state of your Internet connection. When on, the WAN light indicates that the gateway is connected to the Internet through your external cable or DSL modem.

Wireless LAN

This light displays the state of your wireless connection. If the light is blinking rapidly, data is being transmitted to an associated wireless client. If the light is blinking slowly, no wireless client is associated with the gateway.

Ethernet LAN

These three lights (one per port) display the state of your Ethernet connections. If the light is on, that port is connected to your Ethernet network. If the light is off, the port is not connected to your Ethernet network.

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Rear Panel

The rear panel (Figure 6) of the gateway contains four ports, a reset switch, and a power adapter socket.

Figure 6

10 –18 V

Power Adapter Socket

The power adapter socket accepts the power adapter connector. To power up the gateway, simply insert the connector into the socket, and then plug the other end into a standard electrical wall socket.

Home Network Gateway - Rear Panel

0.8A MAX

Power Reset Cable/DSL Uplink/Normal Ethernet Phoneline/56K

Reset

Cable/DSL

Ethernet

Rear Panel

For easy identification, the power adapter socket is surrounded by a yellow border.

The reset switch is used to reset the gateway.

A “soft” reset keeps your gateway settings. To perform a “soft” reset, push the reset switch once.

A “hard” reset returns your gateway settings to their factory default state. To perform a “hard” reset, push and hold the reset switch for 3 seconds.

The Cable/DSL port (identified by a blue border) accepts an RJ-45 connector to connect your gateway to the Internet.

See “External Cable and DSL Modem Connections” on page 11 for more details.

Three ports are available to connect to Ethernet hubs or to connect other Ethernet-compatible computers to the gateway. These are dual-speed (10/100 Mbps) ports that accept an RJ-45 connector. For easy identification, the Ethernet ports are surrounded by a green border.

See “Setting up Ethernet Networking” on page 13 for more details.

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