Build a real-world home network with wired PCs, Wi-Fi clients, a cable modem, a home router, and a live ISP connection. Spectrum hands down a public IP via DHCP; your router hands out private addresses on the inside.
0 of 26 tasks complete
1
Place Devices & Build the Topology
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Goal: Drop every device onto the canvas and wire everything together before touching any settings. Getting the physical topology right first prevents a lot of confusion later.
Add a Cable Modem (Cable-Modem-PT) to the workspace
Network Devices → WAN Emulation → Cable Modem PT
Add a Home Router (WirelessRouter-PT-AC) to the workspace
Network Devices → Wireless Devices → Home Router PT-AC
Add a Cloud-PT to the workspace (represents Spectrum ISP)
Network Devices → WAN Emulation → Cloud PT
Add a Server-PT to the workspace (will become spectrum.com)
End Devices → Server PT — label it "Spectrum.com"
Add 4 wired PCs (PC-PT) — PC0, PC1, PC2, PC3
End Devices → PC PT. These will connect to the router's LAN ports via straight-through cable.
Add 1 wireless-capable PC (PC4) — open it, go to Physical tab, add a Wireless WPC300N NIC
Click PC → Physical tab → drag WPC300N module onto the empty slot. You must power off the PC first (click the power button).
Add Laptop0 and Smartphone0 to the workspace
Laptop: End Devices → Laptop PT. Smartphone: End Devices → Smart Device → Smartphone PT. Both include wireless by default.
Connections to make: (1) Cloud-PT ↔ Server-PT — Ethernet straight-through. (2) Cloud-PT ↔ Cable Modem — use the Coax port on Cloud and the Coax port on the modem. (3) Cable Modem ↔ Home Router WAN port — Ethernet straight-through. (4) Home Router LAN ports ↔ PC0, PC1, PC2, PC3 — straight-through. Wireless clients connect automatically once Wi-Fi is configured.
2
Configure the ISP Side (Cloud & Server)
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What we're building: The Cloud-PT simulates Spectrum's infrastructure. The Server-PT will host the spectrum.com domain name and act as a DHCP server handing out a public IP address to the cable modem's WAN side.
Device
IP / Range
Subnet Mask
Notes
Spectrum Server
208.67.200.200
255.255.255.0
Static — public IP
WAN IP (handed to modem)
208.67.200.x
255.255.255.0
DHCP from Spectrum Server
Set the Server-PT static IP to 208.67.200.200, mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 208.67.200.1
Click Server → Desktop → IP Configuration → Static
Enable DHCP service on the Server-PT so it can hand a public IP to the cable modem
Server → Services tab → DHCP → set Default Gateway: 208.67.200.1, DNS: 208.67.200.200, Start IP: 208.67.200.100, Max Users: 10 → click Save
Enable DNS service on the Server-PT and add an A record: spectrum.com → 208.67.200.200
Server → Services tab → DNS → toggle DNS On → Name: spectrum.com, Address: 208.67.200.200, Type: A Record → Add
Configure the Cloud-PT coax ↔ ethernet link so traffic passes between the modem and the server
Click Cloud-PT → Config tab → select the coax port → set to "DSL" or "Cable" link as needed — verify both ports appear under Connections
Verify the cable modem WAN link light turns green after the cloud is connected
Both the Cloud-PT and Cable Modem coax ports should show green indicators once cabled and the Cloud is correctly configured
3
Configure the Home Router
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Two jobs for the router: On the WAN side, it gets a public IP from Spectrum's DHCP server. On the LAN side, it hands out private 192.168.50.x addresses via its own built-in DHCP server. This is NAT — many private devices share one public IP.
Interface / Device
IP Address
Source
Router WAN (Internet port)
208.67.200.x
DHCP from Spectrum
Router LAN (gateway)
192.168.50.1
Static — router default
PC0 – PC3 (wired)
192.168.50.x
DHCP from router
PC4, Laptop0, Smartphone0
192.168.50.x
DHCP from router (Wi-Fi)
Open the Home Router → GUI tab (or Config tab) → verify the WAN / Internet port is set to DHCP
The router should automatically receive a 208.67.200.x address from the Spectrum server once cabling is complete. Check the WAN IP field — it should populate after a moment.
Confirm the router LAN / default gateway is 192.168.50.1 with subnet 255.255.255.0
Router → GUI tab → Basic Setup → Router IP. Change to 192.168.50.1 if needed, then click Save Settings.
Enable the router's built-in DHCP server for the LAN — set the start address to 192.168.50.100
Set the Wi-Fi SSID to Kable and the frequency to 2.4 GHz
Router → GUI tab → Wireless → Network Name (SSID): Kable. Radio Band: 2.4 GHz. Save Settings.
Set the Wi-Fi security to WPA2-Personal and the passphrase to Kable2020
Router → GUI tab → Wireless → Wireless Security → Security Mode: WPA2 Personal → Passphrase: Kable2020. Save Settings.
Confirm the wired PCs (PC0–PC3) are all set to DHCP and show a 192.168.50.x address
PC → Desktop → IP Configuration → DHCP. Click Fast Forward (double-arrow) in Packet Tracer if the IP hasn't appeared yet.
4
Connect Wireless Clients
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Wireless clients need two things: (1) the correct SSID and password entered in their wireless settings, and (2) DHCP set so the router can hand them an IP. No cables required — but they must associate before they receive an address.
Configure PC4 to join the Wi-Fi network: SSID Kable, WPA2, password Kable2020
PC4 → Desktop → PC Wireless → Connect tab → click Refresh, select Kable → Connect → enter Kable2020. Then set IP Configuration to DHCP.
Configure Laptop0 to join the same Wi-Fi network
Laptop → Desktop → PC Wireless → same steps as PC4. Laptops in Packet Tracer include a wireless NIC by default.
Configure Smartphone0 to join the Wi-Fi network
Smartphone → Desktop → Settings → Wireless → toggle Wi-Fi on → select Kable → enter password Kable2020.
Verify all three wireless clients received a 192.168.50.x address from the router
Check each device's IP Configuration. Gateway should be 192.168.50.1 and DNS 208.67.200.200. A dashed wireless link should appear in the workspace.
5
Test Connectivity — Local & Internet
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Open any PC or Laptop → Desktop → Command Prompt. Test step by step — local first, then the gateway, then the internet. This isolates problems if something doesn't work.
Ping from PC0 to PC1 (both wired, same subnet) — should succeed
Command: ping 192.168.50.x — check the IP of PC1 first by clicking on it
Ping from PC0 to the router gateway at 192.168.50.1
This confirms the LAN side of the router is reachable
Ping from PC0 to the Spectrum server at 208.67.200.200
This crosses the router's NAT boundary and travels over the "internet" — a successful ping means end-to-end routing is working
Open a browser on PC0 and navigate to http://spectrum.com — confirm the page loads
PC → Desktop → Web Browser → type spectrum.com in the URL bar. This tests DNS resolution end-to-end. The Server-PT will serve a basic Packet Tracer webpage.
💡 Think it through — tap to reveal
💡Why do our local PCs have 192.168.x.x addresses, but the server is on 208.x.x.x?⌄
192.168.0.0/16 is a private address range (defined in RFC 1918). These addresses are free to use inside any home or business network but are never routed on the public internet. The 208.67.200.x range is a public address — globally unique and routable. Your home router sits between the two worlds, using NAT (Network Address Translation) to let many private devices share a single public IP.
💡What does the cable modem actually do? Is it the same as the router?⌄
No — they're separate jobs. The cable modem converts the ISP's coaxial signal (RF over cable) into standard Ethernet that a router can understand. It operates at Layer 1/2 and has no routing intelligence. The home router handles Layer 3 work: it has two different IP addresses (one WAN, one LAN), runs DHCP and DNS relay, and performs NAT. In real life many ISPs ship a "gateway" that combines both into one box — but Packet Tracer separates them so you can see each function clearly.
💡How does typing "spectrum.com" in a browser turn into reaching 208.67.200.200?⌄
That's DNS — Domain Name System. When you type spectrum.com, your PC sends a DNS query to the DNS server address it received via DHCP (208.67.200.200 in our case). The Server-PT has an A record mapping "spectrum.com" to 208.67.200.200. It replies with that IP. Your PC then opens a TCP connection to that IP on port 80 and requests the web page. DNS is essentially the internet's phone book: names in, IP addresses out.
💡Could a wireless PC ping a wired PC? Are they on the same network?⌄
Yes — and they are on the same network. All devices (wired and wireless) get addresses in 192.168.50.0/24 from the same router DHCP pool. The router internally bridges its wired LAN ports and its wireless access point into one broadcast domain. From the perspective of IP, it doesn't matter whether a device plugged in or joined over Wi-Fi — they share the same subnet and can communicate directly (the router forwards by MAC, not by routing).
6
Wrap-Up & Reflection
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💡What is DHCP and why does it matter in this lab?⌄
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically assigns IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and DNS server addresses to devices when they connect. In this lab DHCP runs at two levels: Spectrum's server hands a public IP to the router's WAN port, and the router's built-in DHCP hands private IPs to every local device. Without DHCP every single device would need to be manually configured — error-prone in any real network and impossible at internet scale.
💡What is NAT and what problem does it solve?⌄
NAT — Network Address Translation — lets many devices inside a private network share a single public IP address. When PC0 (192.168.50.100) sends a packet to spectrum.com, the router rewrites the source IP to its own public WAN address (208.67.200.x) before forwarding it out. When the reply comes back, the router translates the destination back to PC0's private IP. This solved the IPv4 address exhaustion problem and adds a layer of obscurity since internet hosts never see your internal addresses.
💡Why does the wired PC need a straight-through cable to the router, but the switch-to-switch link in the ARP lab needed a crossover?⌄
It comes down to MDI vs MDI-X pin configuration. A PC's Ethernet port is MDI (transmit on pins 1&2, receive on 3&6). A switch or router LAN port is MDI-X (the opposite). When you connect two different types (PC → switch, or PC → router LAN port), a straight-through cable works because the pin roles are already flipped. Connecting two like devices (switch → switch, or PC → PC) requires a crossover cable to manually flip the pairs. Modern equipment uses Auto-MDI-X and detects this automatically — but Packet Tracer still follows the classic rules.
💡How would this change if the ISP used PPPoE instead of DHCP?⌄
PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) is common on DSL connections. Instead of simply requesting an IP via DHCP, your router would establish a PPPoE session — essentially a virtual dial-up tunnel — using a username and password. The ISP authenticates you and then assigns an IP through that session. The end result (a public IP on the WAN port) is the same, but the process involves authentication, session establishment, and encapsulation that plain DHCP doesn't. Cable internet (like this lab) typically uses DOCSIS with standard DHCP, which is simpler.
✓ Lab Complete!
All tasks checked off. You've built a functioning SOHO network — from individual devices all the way out to the ISP. That's exactly how your home internet works.