[X4U] What is NAT and what does it mean to me?

[Eddie Hargreaves]

On 5/10/07 3:01 PM, Tim Collier <timjcollier at mac.com> wrote:

> Subject says it all.  I installed BellSouth DSL and connected the wired modem
> to my 802.11n Airport Extreme.  It kept giving me one error that said Double
> NAT.  I called BellSouth and they told me that NAT was not enabled on the
> modem and I didn't turn it on as an option on the Airport (as I really don't
> understand what it is) but after I applied the settings, it came up as an
> error.  It gave me the option to ignore it and I checked that, I then updated
> the Airport again and now everything is fine.  The light on the front is
> GREEN....that's GOOD.  But still, what is NAT and what does it mean to me?

NAT is Network Address Translation

Your ISP provides you with a single IP address, like 67.181.33.253 and if
you want to hook up multiple devices to the Internet through that one
connection, you use a router which provides those devices with different IP
addresses like 10.0.1.2 and 10.0.1.3. That is NAT.

When two devices on the same network try and distribute IP addresses using
NAT, it can cause problems.