Question

1. Suppose you purchase a wireless router and connect it to your cable modem. Also suppose that your ISP dynamically assigns your connected device (that is, your wireless router) one IP address. In addition, suppose that you have five PCs at home that use 802.11 to wirelessly connect to your wireless router. How are IP addresses assigned to the five PCs

Answer 1

A WiFi router assigns IP addresses using DHCP and uses NAT to translate them to a single public IP address from the ISP. Microwaves in the 2.4 GHz to 5.0 GHz range are used for wireless data exchange in a home network.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a wireless WiFi router is connected to a cable modem, it receives a dynamic IP address from the Internet Service Provider (ISP). The router then assigns IP addresses to the devices that connect to it. This is typically done using a protocol called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). The DHCP runs on the router and automatically assigns and manages IP addresses within a private network. Every one of the five PCs in your home will receive an individual private IP address that allows them to communicate with the router and through it to the internet. The router uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to translate these private IP addresses to the single public IP address assigned by the ISP when communicating over the internet.

The wireless technology in the router uses microwaves in the 2.4 GHz to 5.0 GHz range to exchange binary data wirelessly with your devices, such as PCs and cell phones, allowing for internet connectivity throughout your home without the need for physical cables. This seamless wireless communication is due to standardized WiFi protocols that ensure device compatibility.

Answer 2

When you connect your wireless router to your cable modem, your ISP assigns your router one IP address dynamically. The PCs connected to the router are assigned private IP addresses by the router itself through Network Address Translation (NAT). These private IP addresses are unique and distinct from the public IP address assigned to the router.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you connect your wireless router to your cable modem, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns your router one IP address dynamically. This IP address serves as the public address for all the devices connected to your router. When your PCs connect to the wireless router through 802.11, they are assigned a private IP address by the router itself. These private IP addresses are typically in the range of 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x.

Each PC connected to the router has a unique private IP address. The router uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to track the connections from each PC and manage the traffic between the private IP addresses and the public IP address assigned by the ISP.

For example, if your router is assigned the public IP address 203.0.113.1 and one of your PCs has the private IP address 192.168.0.10, when the PC sends a request to access the internet, the router replaces the source IP address of the packet with its public IP address before forwarding it to the internet. When the response comes back, the router uses the NAT table to deliver the response to the correct PC based on the private IP address.