Make Sense of Your Router and Local Network Settings

Quick, define the following: Default gateway, MAC address, and subnet mask. Didn't get all three right? That's OK. Even for seasoned vets who can build a PC blindfolded, networking often ends up being their Achilles Heel, the one area that manages to perplex and frustrate computer users of all skill levels. Blame it on the quirky terminology (Hint: a MAC address has nothing to do with Apple) or a fear of the unknown, but whatever the reason, today is the day you take that first step towards becoming a networking guru.

If you're brand new to networking, considering this your crash course introduction, and if local and wireless LANs are old hat, treat this as a refresher. Let's get started!

Router 101

Routers come in all shapes and sizes, and whether you spend $50 on a basic model or $200+ on a feature-packed unit, they all serve the same basic purpose: direct traffic on your home network. Oversimplified, a router allows PCs on your local network to communicate with each other, as well share an Internet connection with all the computers in your home. To understand how this works, we need to go over the difference between an IP address and a Local IP address: 

• IP Address: In geek speak, this is the logical address for a network adapter. Not unlike your home's physical address, an IP address is a unique identifying number assigned to every device connected to the Internet.
• Local IP Address: You can think of a local IP address as an apartment number. While the apartment complex has a single physical address (the IP address, in this example), each individual residence has its own apartment number, and the same concept applies to home networks. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigned your location a specific IP address, and if you intend to share that connection with more than one device in your home network -- like multiple PCs, your Xbox 360, and your iPad --  your router will assign each one its own local IP address. These aren't visible to the outside world - as far as the Internet and your ISP are concerned, all data flows through a single IP address no matter which of your home PCs, consoles, or other Internet-connected device is surfing the web. Once that information comes in, it's up to your router to direct the traffic to the appropriate device on your network.

Most routers come with a built-in switch. Following our analogy above, you can think of a switch as an internal mailbox for your home network, only you're typically limited to four devices on most routers. If you flip your router around, you'll likely notice five Ethernet ports, one for connecting your cable/DSL modem, and four more grouped closer together. These four ports represent the switch inside your router and it's here where you'll plug-in multiple PCs.

If you run out of ports or are too far away from your router to physically plug your PC into it, you can still connect wirelessly, assuming you invested in a wireless router to begin with (and almost all of today's routers are). Wireless networking has come a long way in recent years, but even still, you can expect at least a slightly slower connection when compared to wired. The farther away your PC or other Internet-connected device sits from your router, the slower the speed will be, especially if there are a lot of obstructions in between, like multiple walls.

Basic Terminology 

• Default Gateway: This is the device that's responsible for routing traffic through a network and allowing computers on said network to communicate with each other. Think of it as the gateway to the Internet -- your router, in other words -- and the place where all your devices on your network send data to.
  
• DHCP: The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically provides a dynamic IP address from a pool of addresses assigned to the network. What this basically does is minimize the chance of running into a conflict where two PCs share the same IP address.
• LAN: Stands for Local Access Network and consists of two or more computers connected together in a single location. Your home network is a LAN (or WLAN, see below).
  
• MAC Address: This isn't the location of your local Apple Store, nor does it have anything to do with Apple. In this case, MAC isn't short for Macintosh, but Media Access Control. The MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to most hardware that has the capability of connecting to a network. No two devices share the same MAC address, and in most cases, the MAC address begins with a code that is tied to its manufacturer.
• Subnet Mask: A subnet mask is used to identify the network within a larger network. These accompany an IP address and the two then work together to facilitate faster and more secure data transfers.
• WLAN: Stands for Wireless Local Area Network. The same as a LAN, only the connections are wireless.

Measure Your Speed

There are several factors that will affect your Internet speed. These include how you're connected (wired or wireless), how far away your Internet connected device is from your router (wireless), weather conditions, how saturated the pipeline is, background tasks, how many devices are sharing an Internet connection at any given time, and more.

To measure your real-world speed and compare it with the level of service you're paying for through your ISP, head over to SpeedTest.net and click on the location closest to you (as identified by the big gold star). After a few moments, SpeedTest will report back your download speed, upload speed, latency, and a handy chart telling you how long it would take to download various sized audio and video clips. It's a good idea to periodically test your Internet connection with SpeedTest to make sure nothing has gone awry, and especially after adding or making changes to hardware.