Ask A Geek

Q: Do D-Link wireless router keep a history?

Q: How do I open my NAT so that I may play xbox live unrestricted?

Q: A host with the address 131.107.182.12/16 is trying to communicate with a host with the address 131.107.87.18/16. Does this communication require a router? Why or Why not?

Q: I am running Windows XP and am trying to connect wirelessly to my Linksys router. I cannot get it to get and IP address automatically. It just keeps searching for IP. I have tried 3 deferent wireless devices. It also does the same thing on the ethernet card.

Q: I forgot a password to the modem I own and was wondering if there is a way to retreave it or even get around it. I would not even mind just be able to use it as a router. It’s a NETGEAR wireless cable modemgateway CG814WG v2.

Q: How do you connect a wrt54g as a client router to a desktop, ie. does it have to be wired or can it be wireless?

Q: Is there a way to install a php server on a router ? (without computer)

Q: I have a Windows XP laptop with wireless capabilities. However, I do not have access to high speed internet at home; the downside of living in the middle of nowhere. I still use 56k dialup and have come to accept this but I would like to setup a wireless modem/hub/station that would allow my wireless laptop to connect to the dialup. I’m tired of being leashed to a phone line.

A: Too bad you did not ask 6 months ago or more. They used to make many wireless routers with the ability to do dialup but now they are very hard to find. I searched high and low on Amazon.com, eBay, and other sites to find only a handful of devices for sale that will do what you want.

Many of the companies have just stopped making the routers with analog modems in them because most people who wanted the ability already have it and the rest of the people are busy moving over to using a broadband service like DSL or cable.

Even a few months ago Apple still had refurbished versions of their aiport router had a modem in it but when I went to their site today to look they no longer listed the product. I was very surprised that the only one I found on eBay was not even in working order.

So my suggestion to you is to search high and low, you will find something eventually. I was able to find a few routers that did dialup but were not wireless. This would then require you to buy another wireless router/access point to connect to it though so it will cost you twice as much.

So the great news is that 6 months or a year ago these products were in every single store you walked in. Today they are very hard to find so you will probably have to end up getting a used one and to do that you are going to have to hope someone posts it on Amazon.com, eBay, or another site in order for you to get your hands on it.

Q: Can two computers running Windows XP be connected to the same modem? The modem has an Ethernet and a USB connection and we would like to know if it would work without having to buy anything extra.

A: In order to connect two computers to the same modem, whether cable or DSL, you need to use a router. When a computer is connected directly to the modem the IP address is assigned to that machine which prevents you from simply swapping two computers on and off the modem without powering down the modem each time. When a router is connected to the modem the IP address is assigned to instead. At this point multiple computers can be used off of the same connection and/or swapped on and off. Unfortunately you cannot use the Ethernet connection for one computer and the USB for the other.

To use the router all you need to do is unplug your modem for a minute, connect the router to the modem with an Ethernet cable and plug the modem back in. When the modem is powered off it resets itself and reassigns the IP address to the router. Now you can plug both computers into the router and share the same connection. This works whether you are physically plugging in the computers to the router or using it wirelessly. If you are choosing to physically plug them in just remember that there is a difference between a switch and a router. A router is capable of storing an IP address a switch is not. You can buy a wired router for around $50.00 in most stores and a wireless one for around $70.00 for a G series. All wireless routers have the ports in the back for physical connections.

Q: I am trying to use a headset when playing my ps2 game but it does not work when someone else is hosting the game. If I am hosting the game then I can hear people and they can hear me but if someone else is hosting the game I cannot hear them and they cannot hear me. I have opened all the required ports what should I do now?

A: If you have done all the research and opened all the ports you think you need opened and your application (or game in this case) is not working the way it should be then this is the prefect chance for you to test your game in DMZ. What is DMZ exactly? DMZ means demilitarized zone, which more or less translates into unprotected.

When you go to your router and put a system in DMZ what you are doing is really telling the router to treat the machine as if it is on the other side of the router. This means the system has no protection at all. Every single port is opened to the machine and this of course allows hackers to get at the system and try hacking it.

Why do we want to put our system in DMZ if it is not protected anymore? Well the problem is that sometimes applications and games use ports for certain things and unless you know the port number you cannot get the specific portion of the application or game to work. In this case we have a headset we want to use while playing a game (this allows us to talk to our teammates which is useful when playing with other people). So we want to put the system in DMZ to see if that fixes the issue.

If it does fix the issue then we know that there are more ports that need to be opened and pointed to our system. If it does not fix the problem then we know the issue is related to the other people not having the correct ports open on their systems.

If DMZ fixes the issue then I would suggest doing more research and find out what other ports need to be opened. I would not suggest using DMZ all the time but if you cannot figure out what ports then just put your system in DMZ while you need it to run the application or game and then take it out of DMZ when you are done.