Microsoft MN-150 - Manual (Page 20)

16 Microsoft Broadband Networking 5-Port Switch User’s Guide
Protect Your Network from Hackers
If you have not already done so, consider purchasing the Microsoft ®
Broadband Networking Wired Base Station to establish a security
layer between your network computers and the Internet. The
security mechanisms provided by the base station include a firewall
and Network Address Translation (NAT).
A firewall is a barrier that helps protect your network from outside
intruders. Like an actual firewall built to prevent fire from spreading
between adjoining buildings, computer firewalls help prevent the
spread of unauthorized communication between an individual
computer or group of networked computers and the Internet.
The firewall specifies what information can be communicated from
the computers on your network to the Internet, and from the
Internet to the computers on your network.
NAT hides the IP addresses of the computers on a network from
the Internet so that only the base station’s IP address is visible
on the Internet. Hiding these addresses provides another layer
of protection against hackers trying to access the computers on
your network.