What router do you use?

[Cyanotical]

I'm seeing more and more that you have no idea what you're talking about.

perhaps, but that's ad hominem and has little to do with my certifications and qualifications

NAT isn't a "function of IP addressing", it's something that arose because of the limitations of IP addressing, long after IP addresses were conceived, and actually breaks the functionality of IP in a lot of ways (see: port forwarding, UPnP, et cetera).

NAT was developed as an alternative solution to the problem of limited IPv4 addresses, it works for now, but will be replaced by IPv6, since it's done at layer 4, in order to attach the port, but used to facilitate layer 3, it is a function of IP addressing, 65.65.65.65:65533 is a valid address

Also: Going from network-to-network isn't as cut and dry as you make it out to be. I can multihome my desktop PC, have it receive information on one NIC, and output that information on another NIC, and have both NICs hooked up to different networks. This is -- in essence -- what NAT does. NAT doesn't copy and paste the packets -- i.e. forward them -- as a router does, it actually takes the packets, alters them, and then sends the altered version out the other side. There's no clean connection between the two networks as there would be with a more conventional routing scheme.

it alters the header of the packet by replacing the source IP with the new external IP and adding a port number to keep track of it, in essence, on a home connection you have 1 external IP address, in order to access the internet with multiple computers, you will need NAT to list a port number in relation to your private IP, that way when traffic comes back addressed to that port, if will be sent to the correct IP, but it has nothing to do with moving traffic from your private network to the public network, thats where the routing comes in,

If I have a router between 192.168.1.0/24 and 192.168.2.0/24, 192.168.2.1 can talk to 192.168.1.1, and vice versa. With a NAT gateway in between, only one of those is true.

i suppose you could call all home routers a gateway because they only route to the WAN connection, but that does not make them just a gateway, as they are still going between networks

[seersage]

Got a Linksys E4200 a few months ago to replace my Linksys WRT54G.
The old one was under performing lately and having 2 networks one on 2.4GHz and one on 5GHz is great I can keep the 5GHz just for my computer and lower the ping/interference, my ping dropped like 10 ms in average.

[Rhyseh]

Cisco 1801

Also to address the turkey claiming that a layer 3 switch doesn't route:

"Routing is the process of moving a packet of data from one network to another network based on the destination IP address."

Layer 3 switching do route traffic. They have routing tables, support routing protocols and perform both Layer 2 as well as Layer 3 functions.

A gateway cannot function unless it is also has routing capabilities. Getting technically correct over the terminology used in an MMO forum is just plain stupid. I would also argue that it is stupid to get uppity over it in the real world. Working in the networking space myself I refer to the physical hardware as a router. If said router happens to have gateway services then it is still referred to as a router.

---------- Post added 2012-05-03 at 12:17 AM ----------

NAT was developed as an alternative solution to the problem of limited IPv4 addresses, it works for now, but will be replaced by IPv6, since it's done at layer 4, in order to attach the port, but used to facilitate layer 3, it is a function of IP addressing, 65.65.65.65:65533 is a valid address

IPv6 is a layer 3 protocol. It is not Layer 4 as it eliminates the need for NAT and PAT completely.

it alters the header of the packet by replacing the source IP with the new external IP and adding a port number to keep track of it, in essence, on a home connection you have 1 external IP address, in order to access the internet with multiple computers, you will need NAT to list a port number in relation to your private IP, that way when traffic comes back addressed to that port, if will be sent to the correct IP, but it has nothing to do with moving traffic from your private network to the public network, thats where the routing comes in,

You just said the exact same thing as Drainedsoul in different words...

i suppose you could call all home routers a gateway because they only route to the WAN connection, but that does not make them just a gateway, as they are still going between networks

Correct a gateway cannot function without routing capabilities. A gateway is simply a router with extra functionality.

[Cyanotical]

Also to address the turkey claiming that a layer 3 switch doesn't route:

"Routing is the process of moving a packet of data from one network to another network based on the destination IP address."

Layer 3 switching do route traffic. They have routing tables, support routing protocols and perform both Layer 2 as well as Layer 3 functions.

correct me if im wrong here, but layer 3 switches have to have pre programed routing tables, they can't adapt to new networks like a traditional router

Getting techinically correct over the terminology used in an MMO forum is just plain stupid.

perhaps we have nothing better to do?

on a side note, given how everything is merging into single devices, is there really a "technically correct" anymore?

---------- Post added 2012-05-02 at 06:21 PM ----------

IPv6 is a layer 3 protocol. It is not Layer 4 as it eliminates the need for NAT and PAT completely.

sorry, i meant that as two separate lines:

NAT was developed as an alternative solution to the problem of limited IPv4 addresses, it works for now, but will be replaced by IPv6,

(NAT) since it's done at layer 4, in order to attach the port, but used to facilitate layer 3, it is a function of IP addressing, 65.65.65.65:65533 is a valid address

[Erous]

I have a Ubee wireless N modem/gateway router that I got through Time Warner cable for 50Mbpbs down. It's a DOCSIS 3 modem and apparantly DOCIS 3.0 doesn't play nice with some VPN connectivity. That said, I kept dc'ing from work. To combat this, I broke out my good ole Linksys E3000 Wireless N and set the Ubee to bridge mode. Works great and I still get max dl/ul...only issue issue is that this SoB gets HOT. So I keep it in a good spot for that

[kidsafe]

I use a gen 5 AirPort Extreme as a router and a gen 4 to extend the network in my study. My two desktops are wired into the gen 4 and the two are bridged via 5GHz only. I've set it up so 2.4GHz covers 802.11bgn and 5GHz only covers 802.11n.

[Rhyseh]

correct me if im wrong here, but layer 3 switches have to have pre programed routing tables, they can't adapt to new networks like a traditional router

They support dynamic routing protocols and function almost identically to a router. In fact most modern large networks use Layer 3 switching for most routing applications. Routers are generally only used when you need to route between different mediums (e.g. Frame Relay or SHDSL) or where specific security or policies call for one to be present.

Here's a quick run down for you:

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/h...r3switches.htm

perhaps we have nothing better to do?

on a side note, given how everything is merging into single devices, is there really a "technically correct" anymore?

I just don't see the sense in correcting an OP who clearly isn't an IT Professional and can be excused for not knowing technical terms. It particularly irks me when said corrections are incorrect. Just because a router is providing gateway services it doesn't mean that this is its primary function, it's primary function is still to route traffic between networks.

[Mekks]

Did you put DD-WRT on it?

Not yet, just set the router up a few days ago and have been playing with the default FW. I am alittle sad with the 2.4ghz range and plan to give tomato a shot at some point. Was never a DD-WRT fan myself.