Wireless N Access Point User’s Manual Version 1.
COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2009/2010 by this company. All rights reserved.
Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement FCC Part 15 This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the authority to operate equipment. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Radiation Exposure Statement This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure set forth for an uncontrolled environment. In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency exposure limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 20cm (8 inches) during normal operation.
R&TTE Compliance Statement This equipment complies with all the requirements of DIRECTIVE 1999/5/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL of March 9, 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunication terminal Equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (R&TTE). The R&TTE Directive repeals and replaces in the directive 98/13/EEC (Telecommunications Terminal Equipment and Satellite Earth Station Equipment) As of April 8, 2000.
CATALOG Chapter I: Product Information ................................................................1 1-1 Product Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 1-2 Safety Information ........................................................................................... 2 1-3 System Requirements ...................................................................................... 3 1-4 Package Contents ........................................
2-10-1 Change Password ......................................................................................... 61 2-10-2 IP Address of the Wireless Access Point ...................................................... 62 2-10-3 DHCP Server ................................................................................................ 64 Chapter III: Advanced Configuration ....................................................66 3-1 Configuration Backup and Restore............................................
Chapter I: Product Information 1-1 Product Introduction Thank you for purchasing this wireless access point! With this high cost-efficiency wireless access point, computers and wireless devices which are compatible with 802.11 Draft-N can connect to existing wired Ethernet network via this wireless access point, at the speed of 300Mbps. Easy install procedures allows any computer users to setup a network environment in very short time - within minutes, even inexperienced users.
1-2 Safety Information In order to keep the safety of users and your properties, please follow the following safety instructions: 1. This access point is designed for indoor use only; DO NOT place this access point outdoor. 2. DO NOT put this access point at or near hot or humid places, like kitchen or bathroom. Also, do not left this access point in the car in summer. 3. DO NOT pull any connected cable with force; disconnect it from the access point first. 4.
1-3 System Requirements Computer or network devices with wired or wireless network interface card. Web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or above, Netscape Navigator 4.7 or above, Opera web browser, or Safari web browser).
1-4 Package Contents Before you starting to use this access point, please check if there‟s anything missing in the package, and contact your dealer of purchase to claim for missing items: □ □ □ □ Wireless Access Point (main body, 1 pcs) 3dBi Dipole Antenna (2 pcs) User Manual (1 pcs) A/C Power Adapter (1 pcs) 4
1-5 Familiar with your new wireless access point Front Panel LED Name PWR WLAN LAN Light Status Description On The access point is switched on and correctly powered. On Wireless WPS mode is enabled. Off Wireless network is switched off. Flashing Wireless LAN activity (transferring or receiving data).
Back Panel Item Name Description Antennas Two reserve SMA antenna connectors for screwing 3dBi detachable antennas enclosed with the product. Power Power connector, connects to A/C power adapter. LAN Local Area Network (LAN) port. Reset / WPS Reset the router to factory default settings (clear all settings) or start WPS function. Press this button and hold for 10 seconds to restore all settings to factory defaults, and press this button for less than 5 seconds to start WPS function.
Chapter II: System and Network Setup 2-1 Installing the access point to your Network Please follow the following instruction to build the network connection between your new wireless access point and your computers, network devices: 1. Connect the access point to ADSL modem, router, or switch/hub in your network through the LAN port of the access point by Ethernet cable. 2. Connect the A/C power adapter to the wall socket, and then connect it to the „Power‟ socket of the access point. 3.
2-2 Connecting to wireless access point by web browser After the network connection is built, the next step you should do is setup the access point with proper network parameters, so it can work properly in your network environment. Before you can connect to the access point and start configuration procedures, your computer must be able to get an IP address automatically (use dynamic IP address).
2. Select „Specify an IP address‟, then input the following settings in respective field: IP address: 192.168.2.2 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 click „OK‟ when finish.
2-2-2 Windows 2000 IP address setup 1. Click „Start‟ button (it should be located at lower-left corner of your computer), then click control panel. Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections icon, double click Local Area Connection, and Local Area Connection Properties window will appear.
2. Select „Use the following IP address‟, then input the following settings in respective field: IP address: 192.168.2.2 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 click „OK‟ when finish.
2-2-3 Windows XP IP address setup 1. Click „Start‟ button (it should be located at lower-left corner of your computer), then click control panel.
2. Select „Use the following IP address‟, then input the following settings in respective field: IP address: 192.168.2.2 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 click „OK‟ when finish.
2-2-4 Windows Vista IP address setup 1. Click „Start‟ button (it should be located at lower-left corner of your computer), then click control panel. Click View Network Status and Tasks, then click Manage Network Connections..Right-click Local Area Netwrok, then select ‘Properties’.
2. Select „Use the following IP address‟, then input the following settings in respective field: IP address: 192.168.2.2 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 click „OK‟ when finish.
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2-2-5 Connecting to Web Management Interface All functions and settings of this access point must be configured via web management interface. Please start your web browser, and input „192.168.2.1‟ in address bar, then press „Enter‟ key.
NOTE: If you can’t see the web management interface, and you’re being prompted to input user name and password again, it means you didn’t input username and password correctly. Please retype user name and password again. If you’re certain about the user name and password you type are correct, please go to ‘4-2 Troubleshooting’ to perform a factory reset, to set the password back to default value.
2-3 View System Status and Information After you connected to the access point by web browser, the first thing you see is „Status and Information‟ page. All system and network related information of this access point will be displayed here. The information is very helpful when you want to know the detailed information of your access point, and when you try to fix the communication problem between this access point and other wired / wireless computer / devices.
Runtime Code Version Mode ESSID Channel Number Security BSSID Associated Clients IP Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway MAC address Displays current firmware version. If you want to perform firmware upgrade, this number will help you to determine if you need such upgrade.
2-4 Select an Operating Mode for Wireless Access Point This access point can be operated in different modes; you can click „Basic Setting‟ on the left of web management interface to select an operating mode you want to meet for different needs: You can click „Mode‟ dropdown menu to select operating mode, and there are 6 operating modes available: AP Access point mode, allows wireless clients to connect to access point and exchange data with the devices connected to the wired network.
AP Bridge-Point to Multi-Point AP Bridge-WDS Universal Repeater access point can be connected in this mode. Establish wireless connection with other wireless access points using the same mode, and link the wired network which these wireless access points connected to together. Up to 4 access points can be connected in this mode.
2-4-1 AP Mode This is the most common mode. When in AP mode, this access point acts as a bridge between 802.11b/g/Draft-N wireless devices and wired Ethernet network, and exchange data between them. When you select „AP‟, the following options will be displayed: Here are descriptions of every setup item: Band Please select the wireless band you wish to use. By selecting different band setting, you‟ll be able to allow or deny the wireless client of a certain band. If you select 2.4GHz (B), 2.4GHz (N), or 2.
Multiple ESSID Channel Number Associated Clients THAT ESSID IS CASE SENSITIVE. The access point supports multiple SSID function; up to four SSIDs can be set. If you want to configure additional SSIDs, please click this button. For detailed descriptions of the function, please refer to Section 2-4-1-1. Please select a channel number you wish to use.
2-4-1-1 Multiple ESSID This access point supports four SSIDs. Except the main SSID (It can be configure in Basic Setting page), you can configure another three of SSIDs here. With different SSIDs, you can separate the wireless networks with different SSID name, wireless security, WMM, and VLAN settings. NOTE: If you want to configure the wireless security for different SSID, please go to ‘2-7 Wireless Security’ for more information. Here are descriptions of every setup item: No.
Broadcast SSID WMM VLAN ID (0:Untagged) Decide if the wireless access point will broadcast its own ESSID or not. You can hide the ESSID of your wireless access point (set the option to „Disable‟), so only people those who know the ESSID of your wireless access point can get connected. WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) technology, which can improve the performance of certain network applications, like audio/video streaming, network telephony (VoIP), and others.
Here are descriptions of every setup item: Band Please select the wireless band you wish to use. By selecting different band setting, you‟ll be able to allow or deny the wireless client of a certain band. If you select 2.4GHz (B), 2.4GHz (N), or 2.4GHz (G), only wireless clients using the wireless band you select (802.11b, 802.11 Draft-N, or 802.11g) will be able to connect to this access point. If you select 2.4GHz (B+G), then only wireless clients using 802.11b and 802.
When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds. 2-4-2-1 Wireless Site Survey The table will list the access points nearby as the access point is set to Station mode; you can select one of the access points to associate.
Select Channel SSID BSSID Encryption Authentication Signal Mode Refresh Connection Click the radio button to select the access point. Display to channel number of the access point. Display the SSID name of the access point. Display the BSSID (MAC Address) of the access point. Display the encryption setting of the access points. If you have selected the access point with security setting, you have to go to „2-7 Wireless Security‟ to set the same security with the access point you want to associate.
Here are descriptions of every setup item: Band Please select the wireless band you wish to use. By selecting different band setting, you‟ll be able to allow or deny the wireless client of a certain band. If you select 2.4GHz (B), 2.4GHz (N), or 2.4GHz (G), only wireless clients using the wireless band you select (802.11b, 802.11 Draft-N, or 802.11g) will be able to connect to this access point. If you select 2.4GHz (B+G), then only wireless clients using 802.11b and 802.
message will be displayed: When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully saved, you can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-4-4 AP Bridge-Point to Multi-Point Mode In this mode, this wireless access point will connect to up to four wireless access points which uses the same mode, and all wired Ethernet clients of every wireless access points will be connected together. You can use this mode to connect a network to other networks which is physically isolated. Please note that when you set your access point to this mode, it will not accept regular wireless clients anymore.
able to connect to this access point. Channel Number MAC address 1-4 Set Security If you want to allow 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11 Draft-N clients to connect to this access point, select 2.4GHz (B+G+N). Please select a channel number you wish to use.
2-4-5 AP Bridge-WDS Mode In this mode, this wireless access point will connect to up to four wireless access points which uses the same mode, and all wired Ethernet clients of every wireless access points will be connected together. You can use this mode to connect a network to other networks which is physically isolated. When you use this mode, this access point is still able to accept wireless clients.
If you select 2.4GHz (B+G), then only wireless clients using 802.11b and 802.11g band will be able to connect to this access point. MAIN ESSID Multiple ESSID Channel Number Associated Clients MAC address 1-4 Set Security If you want to allow 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11 Draft-N clients to connect to this access point, select 2.4GHz (B+G+N). Please input the ESSID (the name used to identify this wireless access point) here. You can input up to 32 alphanumerical characters.
When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds. 2-4-6 Universal Repeater In this mode, the access point can act as a wireless repeater; it can be Station and AP at the same time.
Here are descriptions of every setup item: Band Please select the wireless band you wish to use. By selecting different band setting, you‟ll be able to allow or deny the wireless client of a certain band. If you select 2.4GHz (B), 2.4GHz (N), or 2.4GHz (G), only wireless clients using the wireless band you select (802.11b, 802.11 Draft-N, or 802.11g) will be able to connect to this access point. If you select 2.4GHz (B+G), then only wireless clients using 802.11b and 802.
Select Site Survey „Select Site Survey‟ button to choose a Root AP. Click „Select Site Survey‟ button, then a “Wireless Site Survey Table” will pop up. It will list all available access points near by. You can select one access point in the table and the access point will join wireless LAN through this access point. Please go to Section 2-4-2-1 for more information about the „Wireless Site Survey Table‟.
2-5 WPS Setting Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is the simplest way to build connection between wireless network clients and this access point. You don‟t have to select encryption mode and input a long encryption passphrase every time when you need to setup a wireless client, you only have to press a button on wireless client and this access point, and the WPS will do the setup for you. This access point supports two types of WPS: Push-Button Configuration (PBC), and PIN code.
Here are descriptions of every setup item: Enable WPS Wi-Fi Protected Setup Information Check this box to enable or disable WPS function All information related to WPS will be displayed here, they‟re helpful when you‟re setting up connections by WPS. WPS Status: Displays WPS status. If data encryption settings of this access point has never been set, „unConfigured‟ message will be displayed her.
Authentication Mode: The wireless security authentication mode of this access point will be displayed here. If you don‟t enable security function of the access point before WPS is activated, the access point will auto set the security to WPA (AES) and generate a set of passphrase key for WPS connection. Config Mode Start PBC Start PIN Passphrase Key: Displays the WPA passphrase here, all characters will be replaced by asterisk for security reason.
2-6 Advanced Wireless Settings This wireless access point has many advanced wireless features. Please note that all settings listed here are for experienced users only, if you‟re not sure about the meaning and function of these settings, please don‟t modify them, or the wireless performance will be reduced.
DTIM Period Data Rate N Data Rate Channel Width Preamble Type Broadcast ESSID WMM CTS Protect default value is 100 Set the DTIM period of wireless radio. Do not modify default value if you don’t know what it is, default value is 3 Set the wireless data transfer rate to a certain value. Since most of wireless devices will negotiate with each other and pick a proper data transfer rate automatically, it’s not necessary to change this value unless you know what will happen after modification.
TX Power radio signal collisions between 802.11b and 802.11g wireless access points. It‟s recommended to set this option to „Auto‟. You can set the output power of wireless radio. Unless you‟re using this wireless access point in a really big space, you may not have to set output power to 100%. This will enhance security (malicious / unknown users in distance will not be able to reach your wireless access point).
2-7 Wireless Security This wireless access point provides many types of wireless security (wireless data encryption). When you use data encryption, data transferred by radio signals in the air will become unreadable for those people who don‟t know correct encryption key (encryption password). There are two ways to set wireless security: 1. Click „Security‟ on the left of web management interface. 2.
There are four types of security level you can select: Disable (no security - data encryption disabled), WEP, WPA Pre-shared Key, and WPA Radius. Please refer to the following sections for detailed instructions. NOTE: If you have enabled Multiple SSID function, please select the SSID network you wish to configure in advance.
2-7-1 Disable Security Select the SSID you wish to configure. When you select „Disable‟, wireless encryption for the network is disabled. After you finish with setting, please click „Apply‟, and the following message will be displayed: When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save.
2-7-2 WEP WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a common encryption mode, it‟s safe enough for home and personal use. But if you need higher level of security, please consider using WPA encryption (see next Section). However, some wireless clients don‟t support WPA, but only support WEP, so WEP is still a good choice for you if you have such kind of client in your network environment.
Default Tx Key Encryption Key 1 to 4 Enable 802.1x Authentication Format‟ is „Hex (10 characters), which means the length of WEP key is 10 characters. You can set up to four sets of WEP key, and you can decide which key is being used by default here. If you don’t know which one you should use, select ‘Key 1’. Input WEP key characters here, the number of characters must be the same as the number displayed at „Key Format‟ field.
2-7-3 WPA Pre-shared Key WPA Pre-shared key is the safest encryption method currently, and it‟s recommended to use this encryption method to ensure the safety of your data. When you select „WPA pre-shared key‟ as encryption type, the following messages will be displayed: Here are descriptions of every setup item: WPA Unicast Cipher Suite Pre-shared Key Format Pre-shared Key Available options are: WPA (TKIP), WPA2 (AES), and WPA2 Mixed.
When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-7-4 WPA RADIUS WPA Radius is the combination of WPA encryption method and RADIUS user authentication. If you have a RADIUS authentication server, you can check the identify of every wireless client by user database. When you select „WPA RADIUS‟ as encryption type, the following messages will be displayed: Here are descriptions of every setup item: WPA Unicast Cipher Suite You can select WPA encryption type here. AES is safer than TKIP, but not every wireless client supports it.
message will be displayed: When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-7-5 802.1x Authentication You can enable 802.1x user identification (based on RADIUS user authentication server) by checking „Enable 802.1x Authentication‟ box when you select „Disable‟ or „WEP‟ as encryption type, and the following message will be displayed: Here are descriptions of every setup item: Select SSID Use internal MD5/PEAP RADIUS Server Choose the SSID you wish to configure. Uses built-in RADIUS Server (refer to next Section) instead of external RADIUS server.
When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-8 Radius Server Comparing to other wireless security measures, radius server provides user-based authentication. If your wireless client supports 802.1x user authentication, you can use the „Radius Server‟ function to use the internal mini radius server to improve security and wireless user control. The internal radius server only supports 96 users and 16 IP addresses. If the number of user and/or IP address you need is more than this, please use external radius server.
Here are descriptions of every setup item: Enable Radius Server User Profile Authentication Client Check this box to enable internal radius server function. You can add or delete radius user here. Please input username, password, re-type password in corresponding field, and click „Add‟ button to add the user to radius server database. You can click „Reset‟ to clear the text you typed in above three fields. All current radius users will be listed here.
When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-9 MAC Filtering Another security measure you can use to keep hackers and intruders away is „MAC filtering‟. You can pre-define a so-called „white-list‟, which contains MAC addresses of the wireless clients you trust. All other wireless client with the MAC address which is not in your list will be denied by this wireless access point.
Enable Wireless Access Control MAC address Comment Add Clear Check this box to enable MAC address restriction, if unchecked, no restriction will be enforced (any wireless client with proper encryption setting will be able to connect to this wireless access point). Input MAC address allowed using this wireless access point here. You don‟t have to add colon (:) or hyphen (-) by yourself, just input 0 to 9 and a to f here, like 112233445566 or aabbccddeeff.
2-10 System Utilities This access point provides some control functions include password, IP address management, and DHCP server function. Please click „System Utility‟ on the left of web management interface to access these functions. Below are detailed descriptions of every control function. 2-10-1 Change Password You can change the password used to enter the web configuration menu of this wireless access point.
2-10-2 IP Address of the Wireless Access Point You can change the IP address of this wireless access point, so it can become a part of your local network. Please remember this address or you will not be able to connect the configuration menu of this wireless access point. Default IP address is: 192.168.2.1 / Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, you can press and hold „Reset/WPS‟ button over 10 seconds to change the IP address back to default value if you forget the IP address you set.
After you finish, please go to the bottom of this page and click „Apply‟, and the following message will be displayed: When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
2-10-3 DHCP Server This wireless access point is capable to act as a DHCP server for your network, and it‟s disabled by default. If you want to activate this function, please click „System Utility‟ on the left, and the following message will be displayed: NOTE: Please remember to select ‘Enable’ in ‘DHCP Server’ option as described in last Section or all DHCP-related fields will be grayed out, and you will not be able to input any DHCP parameter.
After you finish, please click „Apply‟, and the following message will be displayed: When you see this message, the settings you made is successfully save. You can click „Continue‟ button to back to previous page and continue on other setting items, or click „Apply‟ button to restart the wireless access point and the changes will take effect after about 30 seconds.
Chapter III: Advanced Configuration 3-1 Configuration Backup and Restore You can backup all configurations of this access point to a file, so you can make several copied of access point configuration for security reason.
3-2 Firmware Upgrade If there are new firmware of this wireless access point available, you can upload the firmware to the access point to change the firmware with new one, to get extra functions or problem fix. To perform firmware upgrade, please click „Upgrade‟ on the left of web management interface, and the following message will be displayed: Click „Browse‟ button first, you‟ll be prompted to provide the filename of firmware upgrade file.
3-3 System Reset When you think the access point is not working properly, you can use this function to restart the access point; this may help and solve the problem. This function is useful when the access point is far from you or unreachable. However, if the access point is not responding, you may have to switch it off by unplug the power plug and plug it back again after 10 seconds.
Chapter IV: Appendix 4-1 Hardware Specification SoC: Ralink RT3052 Flash: 4MB SDRAM: 16MB LAN Port: 10/100M UTP Port x 1 Antenna: 3dBi Detachable Dipole Antenna x 2 (2T2R Spatial Multiplexing MIMO configuration. These 2 antennas are for signal transmitting and receiving) Power: 12VDC, 1A Switching Power Adapter Dimension: 30(H) x 127(W) x 96(D) mm Transmit Power: 11n:14dBm ± 1.5dBm, 11g:15dBm ± 1.5dBm, 11b:17 ± 1.
4-2 Troubleshooting If you found the access point is working improperly or stop responding to you, don‟t panic! Before you contact your dealer of purchase for help, please read this troubleshooting first. Some problems can be solved by yourself within very short time! Scenario Access point is not responding to me when I want to access it by web browser Can‟t get connected to wireless access point Solution a. Please check the connection of power cord and network cable of this access point.
please check the status of A/C power adapter, and make sure it‟s correctly powered. I can‟t locate my a. „Broadcast ESSID‟ set to off? access point by my b. Is Antenna properly installed and secured? wireless client c. Are you too far from your access point? Try to get closer. d. Please remember that you have to input ESSID on your wireless client manually, if ESSID broadcast is disabled. File download is very a. Try to reset the access point and see if it‟s slow or breaks better after that. frequently b.
4-3 Glossary Default Gateway (Access point): Every non-access point IP device needs to configure a default gateway‟s IP address. When the device sends out an IP packet, if the destination is not on the same network, the device has to send the packet to its default gateway, which will then send it out towards the destination. DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. This protocol automatically gives every computer on your home network an IP address.
1‟s followed by consecutive trailing 0‟s, such as 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000. Therefore sometimes a network mask can also be described simply as “x” number of leading 1‟s. When both are represented side by side in their binary forms, all bits in the IP address that correspond to 1‟s in the network mask become part of the IP network address, and the remaining bits correspond to the host ID. For example, if the IP address for a device is, in its binary form, 11011001.10110000.10010000.
Application Protocol Port Number Telnet TCP 23 FTP TCP 21 SMTP TCP 25 POP3 TCP 110 H.323 TCP 1720 SNMP UCP 161 SNMP Trap UDP 162 HTTP TCP 80 PPTP TCP 1723 PC Anywhere TCP 5631 PC Anywhere UDP 5632 PPPoE: Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet. Point-to-Point Protocol is a secure data transmission method originally created for dial-up connections; PPPoE is for Ethernet connections. PPPoE relies on two widely accepted standards, Ethernet and the Point-to-Point Protocol.
Unreliable Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP/IP is the standard protocol for data transmission over the Internet. Both TCP and UDP are transport layer protocol. TCP performs proper error detection and error recovery, and thus is reliable. UDP on the other hand is not reliable. They both run on top of the IP (Internet Protocol), a network layer protocol. WAN: Wide Area Network. A network that connects computers located in geographically separate areas (e.g. different buildings, cities, countries).
