NETWORK ROUTER TECHNICAL

COMMUNICATION

JONATHAN G. OBIAS

Computer Instructor

Abstract This essay is an evaluation of the technical

communication that comes with a wirelessnetwork router. A network router is a device that serves as a gateway between the internet and ahome’s internal network (intranet). A wireless router is an addition to a regular router, this kindof router allows for the intranet to be wireless as well.

Introduction Wireless routers are used to manage and handle

network traffic traveling from one pointto another. Their main job is to route traffic to its desired destination. The kind of router that isbeing evaluated has the added component of allowing for wireless signals to be transmitted fromthe router to a client; this eliminates the need for wires to be run all over a house. Being a highlytechnical device, there is a great need for clear and concise technical communication to helpmanage and operate a wireless router.

Principle and Operation A basic router is designed to mange any all traffic from the

internet, and to distribute thistraffic across the intranet to the desired client. The router does this using an embeddedmicroprocessor and operating system that is designed to manage network traffic. In a typicalrouter setup, the router is connected to the user’s cable or DSL modem by an Ethernet cable.Data from the internet connection flows into the router, and there, based on the destination andany factory or user created rules setup in the router, the data is the pushed out to the appropriateclients.

CONT.. For a wireless router, the situation is the similar. However,

when the data is pushed out itmay be destined for a wireless client, so an embedded wireless transmitter sends the data out toany client that is connected. The wireless transmitter uses the IEEE 802.11g standard for datatransmission. The 802.11g standard defines the transmission frequency at 2.3 GHz, and themaximum data transmission rate at 54mbps. The 54mbps is almost half as fast as a wiredEthernet connection, but what you lose in throughput; you gain in the convenience of having aconnection that requires no wires.

Cont… The main difference between a wired and

wireless router is that when using the wireless, the client must first be able to find the wireless signal transmitted by the router. Once it is able to find the signal, the client initiates communication with the router, and depending on the way the router is setup, the client may be prompted to enter a password. This password is used to prevent unauthorized access to the wireless connection, because the wireless is constantly transmitting a signal so that clients can connect.

Evaluation of Technical Communication

Now that the basic operation of a wireless router has been established, the documentationfor operating and managing the router can be evaluated. The model router is a LinksysWRTG54L, a standard 802.11g wireless router. This router was chosen because of its uniquemethod of technical communication. The first instance of technical communication that the userinteracts with is a big red sticker on the outside box that states RUN CD FIRST (figure 1).

Figure 1

The router’s manufacturer wanted to empathize that before you hookup the router, yourun the included CD that will help with the setup. Inside the box was a tri-fold paper booklet,containing the aforementioned CD, an advertisement pamphlet showing the company’s otherproducts, and a registration card. The tri-fold booklet can be considered the first piece oftechnical communication, as it re-emphasizes to run the CD first, as well as providing someimages of the software on the CD. On the right flap there was information listed on how to gethelp, either through the software, by telephone or by going to a web site (figure 2).

Figure 2

The CD consists of a simple wizard interface that guides you through a very basic setupand simple configuration of the router. The CD wizard makes sure your computer can connect tothe router, and that the router can connect to the internet. The CD wizard will walk you throughthe setup of the wireless network, letting you pick a password to protect it. The wizard serves asan interactive piece of technical communication and will be all most people will need toconfigure the router.

The real configuration takes place within the routers software, which you can only reach by typing the IP address of the router, then entering in the default user name and password, both of which are provided on the CD.

Once you have logged in to the router, you are presented a webpage that serves as theprimary interface for modifying and configuring the routers settings. This web-based interfacecan be considered the primary technical communication for the device, because it is the onlypiece of technical communication that describes the functions of the device and how you shoulduse it.

The web page provides information about each and every setting that the device has. Theweb page is divided into four sections, a header bar on the top, a left side bar with top leveldescriptions of the content in the center section, and a right hand side bar that is used to explainthe features in the center section (figure 3).

Figure 3

These configuration pages provide a detailed look at every feature and setting that therouter has. These pages are where more experienced users can configure the firewall, modifyaccess rights, and enable or disable the wireless transmitter. Most users will never see thesepages, once they have followed the CD wizard; the router is usually configured properly for theiruses. Only when something needs to be changed, such as a port opened so a program cancommunicate with the internet, would an average user have to view these pages.

To help the average user along, the right hand side of every page provides a quickreference for each setting and also a link that opens another web page that provides a detailedview of the settings on that page (figure 4). This can be very useful for those who are wary ofchanging the settings in the router.

Figure 4

Conclusion The technical communication that was provided

by the manufacturer for this router didnot take the form of a paper manual, but instead was an interactive CD and a web-basedconfiguration. These are both a different way of providing the user with information about theproduct as well as how to use it. The CD is used for general setup, most of the time it will be alla user needs. The real technical communication comes from the web-based configuration: thereis where all the settings are explained.

The Router