Intro to Home Lab Setup

🎯 Learning Intention

I will learn how to access and understand a router/firewall interface, and explain the role of IP addressing and NAT in a home lab network.

✅ Success Criteria

• [ ] I can log in to a router/firewall interface and identify its main settings
• [ ] I can explain what NAT does in a home network
• [ ] I can outline the steps needed to set up a secure home lab

🌍 Why this matters

Every IT professional starts with the basics: setting up a safe, working home network. Knowing how to configure routers, assign addresses, and manage firewalls is essential for certifications like CCNA, Net+, and CCST — and for your own security.

🔓 Warm-Up (Tech Journal • 5 min)

Prompt: Think about your home Wi-Fi: Who set it up, and how secure do you think it is? If you had to set it up yourself today, what would you do first?

📚 Vocabulary

• Router — device that directs traffic between networks (LAN ↔ WAN)
• Firewall — system that controls traffic based on rules (allow/deny)
• NAT (Network Address Translation) — converts private IPs to public IPs
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) — automatically assigns IP addresses
• Default Gateway — the router’s address, where all outbound traffic passes