Network Address Translators Improve Access

Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) businesses and families are increasingly dependent upon streamlined, affordable Internet access for their day-to-day lives, and many have several computers in use. Businesses and families in this group find they can be hamstrung by restrictions regarding broadband connections and the number of computers that can access the Net at any one time. A Network Address Translator (NAT) can solve many of the access problems you may have with your home or workplace connectivity through the process of multiplexing. This simple, affordable solution can mean the difference between effective local networking, and being bogged down with untenable restrictions.

To illustrate the issue, let's say a family or business has four members, each of whom has a computer to take care of his or her own needs, whether it's for schoolwork, business or simple daily activities. All four computers are connected together in a LAN, a Local Area Network, that lets them share information and use common equipment like printers and scanners, or even DVD players. The LAN, with its multiple computers, accesses a broadband Internet connection through a router. Great, the system is ready for productivity, or just fun on the Internet.

There's one little problem...the Internet service provider authorizes only a single Internet address; only one computer can be online at a time. (Known as an IP address, the Internet address identifies each computer that accesses the Web and is different each time it does so.) Solving that issue is not simple; the provider wants to charge for additional IPs, or, worse yet, there are no more IP addresses available right now. Only one of the four computers can connect to the Net at a time...this is not good.