The following lists the default settings of your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
Note: It is highly recommended that you enable security settings in the router before
connecting your router to your network.
Router
LAN IP:192.168.1.1
Username:<none>
Password:admin
WAN port MDI:Auto MDI (No cross over cable required)
Resetting
While using or installing your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router you may need to utilise the
reset feature. There are two types of reset:
Soft
A soft reset will restart the unit and reconnect to the internet using the settings stored
previously, none of your settings are deleted. To perform a soft reset briefly press the reset
button on the back of the unit.
Hard
A hard reset will return your unit to its factory default setting, meaning that you will loose
all configurations and logs set/stored previously. To perform a hard reset, press and hold in
the reset button on the back of the unit for 10 seconds.
Power
Ensure that you only use the Power Adaptor supplied (5V DC, 3amps, Center pole positive)
The following Quick Start pages are intended to be used by an advanced user to quickly
configure the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router. It assumes that you are familiar with
Networking and that you already have a Cable or ADSL modem with an Ethernet port. If you
need further explanation, please refer to the more detailed sections of this document. This guide
presumes that your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router is set to factory defaults (See
Resetting on previous page if required).
One page setup for Telstra Bigpond Cable
1. Connect your computer to one of the four LAN ports on the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router and ensure you have a link. Connect your Cable modem (supplied by your ISP) to
the WAN port of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
2. Set the Network Card of your computer to use DHCP or assign it an IP address in the range
of 192.168.1.2 ~ 254.
3. Open a web browser (ensuring that it is set to access the Internet via the LAN, not by a dial-
up networking account). Browse to the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's default IP
(192.168.1.1). The main menu of the router should open displaying the “One Page Setup”.
Note: You may be prompted for a log-in, there is no User Name and the Password is
"admin".
4. Change your “WAN Connection Type” to “Heartbeat (E.g. Telstra cable)”.
5. Set your “User Name” and “Password” as provided by your ISP.
6. If you wish to make services available to external Internet users, even when you are not
using Internet services from inside your network, you can choose “Keep Alive”.
Alternatively for extra security you can choose “Connect on Demand”.
7. Click “Apply”. Your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router will attempt to use your settings
to connect to your ISP. You can check the results on the “Status Monitor” page.
8. If you have a DHCP server already active on your network it is recommended that you
disable either the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's built in DHCP server or the
existing DHCP server. Please note that Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing is a DHCP
server.
One page setup for Optus Cable
1. Connect your computer to one of the four LAN ports on the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router and ensure you have a link. Connect your Cable modem (supplied by your ISP) to
the WAN port of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
2. Set the Network Card of your computer to use DHCP or assign it an IP address in the range
of 192.168.1.2 ~ 254.
3. Open a web browser (ensuring that it is set to access the Internet via the LAN, not by a dialup networking account). Browse to the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's default IP
(192.168.1.1). The main menu of the router should open displaying the “One Page Setup”.
Note: You may be prompted for a log-in, there is no User Name and the Password is
"admin".
4. Change your “WAN Connection Type” to “Obtain an IP automatically (E.g. Optus
cable)”.
5. Optus cable does not require a “User Name” and “Password” as it uses the modem's MAC
address to identify you to your ISP.
6. If you wish to make services available to external Internet users, even when you are not
using Internet services from inside your network, you can choose “Keep Alive”.
Alternatively for extra security you can choose “Connect on Demand”.
7. Click “Apply”. Your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router will attempt to use your settings
to connect to your ISP. You can check the results on the “Status Monitor” page.
8. If you have a DHCP server already active on your network it is recommended that you
disable either the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's built in DHCP server or the
existing DHCP server. Please note that Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing is a DHCP
server.
1. Connect your computer to one of the four LAN ports on the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router and ensure you have a link. Connect your ADSL modem (supplied by your ISP) to
the WAN port of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
2. Set the Network Card of your computer to use DHCP or assign it an IP address in the range
of 192.168.1.2 ~ 254.
3. Open a web browser (ensuring that it is set to access the Internet via the LAN, not by a dialup networking account). Browse to the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's default IP
(192.168.1.1). The main menu of the router should open displaying the “One Page Setup”.
Note: You may be prompted for a log-in, there is no User Name and the Password is
"admin".
4. Change your “WAN Connection Type” to “PPPoE (ADSL)”.
5. Set your “User Name” and “Password” as provided by your ISP.
6. If you wish to make services available to external Internet users, even when you are not
using Internet services from inside your network, you can choose “Keep Alive”.
Alternatively for extra security you can choose “Connect on Demand”.
7. Click “Apply”. Your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router will attempt to use your settings
to connect to your ISP. You can check the results on the “Status Monitor” page.
8. If you have a DHCP server already active on your network it is recommended that you
disable either the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router's built in DHCP server or the
existing DHCP server. Please note that Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing is a DHCP
server.
Congratulations on your purchase of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router. The NetComm
Cable/DSL Firewall Router is designed to provide advanced networking security and network
resource sharing, utilising fast Ethernet connections with four built-in 10/100 auto-sensing
switched Ethernet ports. And best of all, with a powerful firewall engine, this device is able to
prevent DoS attack and uses SPI to provide superior protection for your private network from
Internet hackers.
The built-in NAT provides a natural Internet firewall, protecting your network from
unauthorised access by outside users. The router will share your internet connection with up to
253 users, 25 of which can be connected via NetComm Wireless Client Adaptors (NP7030 and
NP7040). Configured as a DHCP server, the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router assigns an
IP Address to every computer connected on the LAN automatically. Also, a DHCP client helps
the WAN port to acquire an IP address dynamically from your ISP.
Unlike other typical routers, which only share 10Mbps over all of their connections, the
NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router is equipped with a 4-port 10M/100Mbps auto-sensing
switch, dedicating a possible100Mbps to each and every ethernet connected computer.
With a web-based UI (User Interface), this NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router is easy to
setup and maintain via web browsers such as Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer.
This guide contains information about installing and configuring your NetComm Cable/DSL
Firewall Router. It is designed to guide users through the correct setup procedures for both
hardware installation and basic configuration. Later, it shows how to complete advanced
configuration to get the best operating performance from the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router.
Chapter 1: Get to know your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router
This chapter describes the package contents and provides a list of features of the NetComm
Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
Chapter 2: Hardware Installation & Setup
This chapter describes the steps for hardware installation of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router.
Chapter 3: Internet Access
This chapter describes the steps for basic configuration and start up of the NetComm Cable/
DSL Firewall Router.
Chapter 4: Advanced Applications
This chapter describes how to configure advanced functions in order to get the most from your
NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
Chapter 5: Macintosh Setup
This Chapter provides instructions on how to set up Macintosh computers in your network.
Chapter 6: Trouble Shooting
This chapter describes potential problems you may run into and the suggested remedies.
Conventions
The following explains the conventions used throughout this document.
ItalicsNew words, terms, or special emphasis. E.g. Getting to
know your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
“Boldface”Buttons, checkboxes, or items that you can select from
screens, menus, or dialog boxes. E.g. Click “OK” to restart
Boldface ItalicsItems in Bold Italics are samples only and you should enter
Chapter 1: Getting to know your NetComm Cable/DSL
Firewall Router
This chapter describes the package contents and provides a list of features of the NetComm
Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
1-1 About NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router
The NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router is a hybrid product, which combines Ethernet
technology with a firewall engine into a single stand-alone unit. The device allows you take
advantage of both security and fast connections. All computers on your LAN can securely share
files, printers and other network resources, as well as a single Internet account when connected
to a DSL/Cable modem.
Ethernet / Fast Ethernet
Ethernet is the most widely-used network access method, especially in LANs. It is defined by
the IEEE as 802.3 standard. Normally, Ethernet is a shared media LAN. All stations on the
segment share the total bandwidth, which could be 10Mbps (Ethernet), 100Mbps (Fast
Ethernet), or 1000Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet). With switched Ethernet, each sender and receiver
has the full bandwidth.
Fast Ethernet is defined as IEEE 802.3u standard, a high-speed version of Ethernet with
100Mbps transmission rate.
Firewall
DoS is the acronym for Denial of Service, which refers to the response when a computer or
network is overwhelmed to the point that it can no longer function normally. For example, a
hacker may use a fake IP address to build connections to flood the server they want to attack.
TCP works by sending a SYN packet to the server from the client. After the server receives the
SYN packet, a SYN-ACK is sent back to client. The server will then wait for a response to the
SYN-ACK. If the hacker sends hundreds of SYN packets to a server with a false address, the
server allocates computer and memory resources to establishing a connection - since the server
does not know a legitimate SYN message from a false message. By flooding the server with such
a large volume of requests, the server’s maximum capacity can easily be used by these false
attempts to establish a connection - this is what the firewall is designed to prevent.
SPI is the acronym of Stateful Packet Inspection. The SPI engine examines not just the headers
of the packet, but also the contents, to determine more about the packet than just its source and
destination information. Moreover, stateful inspection firewalls also close off ports until a
connection to the specific port is requested.
This chapter provides information about your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router’s physical
features and gives step-by-step installation instructions.
2-1 Rear Panel & Connections
The following figure shows the rear view of the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router and
illustrates how the cables connect to the interfaces on the rear panel.
■ Plug one end of the UTP cable into the WAN port, the other into the RJ45 Ethernet jack on
your ADSL or Cable modem.
■ Connect a computer, with a Network Interface Card installed, to one of the four LAN Ports.
■ Connect the external power supply to the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
■ The Reset button is used to reboot the device - press once quickly, or for clearing
configuration settings back to factory default values - press for 10 seconds.
To connect to the Internet, an external ADSL or Cable modem and an Internet access account
from an ISP are required. In order to operate with the Broadband Switch Router, each computer
that is to be connected to the Broadband Switch Router should have the following items
installed:
1. Ethernet NIC (Network Interface Card: a 10Base-T or 10/100Base-T/TX Ethernet card).
2. Standard twisted-pair Ethernet cable (UTP network cable) with RJ-45 connectors.
3. System OS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, Windows Me,
Windows XP or Macintosh (refer to Chapter 5).
4. TCP/IP network protocol.
5. Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
Installing the TCP/IP Protocol for Windows
If you are not sure whether the TCP/IP Protocol has been installed, follow these steps to check,
and if necessary, install TCP/IP onto your computer.
1. Click the “Start” button. Choose “Settings”, then “Control Panel”.
Double-click the “Network” icon. Your Network window should appear.
The TCP/IP Properties window consists of several tabs. Choose the “IP Address” tab.
7. Select “Obtain an IP address automatically”. Click “OK”. Restart your computer to
complete the TCP/IP installation.
Fixed IP Addresses Configuration
Fixed IP addresses may be assigned to network devices for many reasons, such as the server
computers or printers which are consistently accessed by multiple users. To set up computers
with fixed IP Addresses, go to the “IP Address” tab of the “TCP/IP Properties” window as
shown above.
1. Select “Specify an IP address” and enter “192.168.1.***” in the “IP Address” location
(where *** is a number between 2 and 254 used by the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router to identify each computer), and the default “Subnet Mask” “255.255.255.0”.
Note: No two computers on the same LAN can have the same IP address but they
should have the same Subnet Mask.
2. Select “EnableDNS” in the “DNS Configuration” tab and enter the “DNS IP Address”
obtained from your ISP in the “Server Search Order” location. Click “OK”.
3. Click “Gateway” tab and enter the NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router’s default gateway
value 192.168.1.1 in the “New gateway” field, then click “Add” Button. Click “OK”.
Restart your computer to complete the TCP/IP installation.
This chapter describes the procedures necessary to configure the basic functions and to start up
your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router. On successful completion of these procedures, you
will be able to access the Internet via your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall Router.
3-1 Prepare your network information
In order to allow a quick reference point when setting up your NetComm Cable/DSL Firewall
Router, it is suggested you complete the table below with the necessary information, which