Question #1:   What is the DI-701?

The DI-701 functions as an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet-based Residential Gateway. It provides one 10/100 Dual Speed Ethernet port for connection to a home or small office network and one 10Mb Ethernet port for a DSL Modem, Cable Modem, or other Broadband access device. The D-Link DI-701 provides the safety and security of port blocking and a natural firewall as well as integrated NAT support that allows up to 32 users to share a single Internet Connection. Static address support, integrated client/server DHCP, and device name support will allow the D-Link Residential Gateway to connect to nearly any Broadband provider, and at the same time simplify local area network settings.

The DI-701 has one local 10/100 Dual Speed Ethernet port and one 10Mb Ethernet global port. The local port can be connected directly to a single computer to provide added security from hackers and others on the Internet or it can be connected to an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet hub or switch to provide Internet Sharing and Firewall protection to a local area network. The global port can be connected to any Cable, DSL, or Broadband modem with an Ethernet port.

The DI-701 provides two levels of security support. First, it masks local users' IP addresses from others on the Internet making it much more difficult for a hacker to target a machine on your network. Secondly it can block and redirect certain ports to limit the services that outside users can access. Specific ports can be opened by the user to ensure that games and other Internet applications will run properly.

Unlike proxy server or NAT software that requires the software server to remain visible on the Internet, no local computers are directly externally visible when using the DI-701. Also the DI-701, like broadband, is always on, removing the need to constantly boot a software server when access is desired from a client. No client software is required to connect to the DI-701 so it will support any operating system that can connect to a network whether PC or Apple based*.

Integrated DHCP services allow up to 128 users to get their IP address automatically on boot up from the DI-701. Client machines require no software, simply set them to accept a dynamically assigned IP address and reboot. Each time they are powered up the DI-701 will recognize them and set their IP address to instantly connect them to the LAN. For advanced users Virtual Service support allows the DI-701 to provide limited visibility to local machines and their services as dictated by the user. An ISP provided IP address can be set to the DI-701 and then specific services can be rerouted to specific computers on the local network. For instance, a dedicated web server can be connected to the Internet via the DI-701 and then incoming requests for HTML that are received by the DI-701 can be rerouted to the original server, even though the server now has a different IP address. In this example, the DI-701 is on the Internet and vulnerable to attacks, but the server is protected.

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