Network Address Translation (NAT) allows multiple private IP addresses on the internal network to share a single public IP address for outbound internet connectivity. This is a core function of a boundary router or firewall in a small office/home office (SOHO) environment to conserve the limited pool of public IPv4 addresses.

The running-config is the active configuration currently used by the device, residing in volatile RAM. Any changes made take effect immediately but will be lost if the device is powered off without saving. The startup-config is stored in non-volatile NVRAM and is loaded into the running-config when the device boots up. The command `copy running-config startup-config` is used to save changes permanently.

For a device to communicate with networks outside its own local subnet, it must forward those packets to a default gateway that resides on the same subnet. Here, the computer (192.168.1.45/24) is on the 192.168.1.0 network, but the configured gateway (192.168.2.1) is on the 192.168.2.0 network. The computer cannot reach this gateway directly, so all traffic destined for the internet (or other subnets) fails.

“Request timed out” means the ICMP echo request packet was sent from the source but no echo reply was received before the timer expired. This usually indicates a routing problem (some intermediary device doesn’t know how to reach the destination or return the reply), a firewall/ACL blocking ICMP, or the destination host being powered off or unresponsive. It points to a failure in the path or the destination, not a local configuration error like missing DNS.

A straight-through cable is the standard for connecting dissimilar device types. In modern networks, a router’s Ethernet interface and a switch’s regular access port are considered different (router to switch). While many modern devices support Auto-MDIX, which automatically detects and corrects for cable type, the standard specified by the objectives is to use a straight-through cable for router-to-switch connections.

DNS is a hierarchical and distributed naming system. Its fundamental purpose is to resolve user-friendly domain names (like http://www.cisco.com) into the numerical IP addresses (like 2001:420:1101:1::185 or 72.163.4.185) that networking equipment uses to route traffic. This allows users to access resources without having to memorize complex numerical addresses.

While 802.11ac can use the 2.4 GHz band via backward compatibility, its major advancements are in the 5 GHz band. Key improvements include wider channel bandwidth (up to 160 MHz), more spatial streams, and the introduction of Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), which allows a router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. These features collectively provide much higher potential data throughput compared to 802.11n.

The Network Layer (Layer 3) handles logical addressing (IP addresses) and routing. Routers operate at this layer, using the destination IP address in a packet to consult routing tables and determine the optimal next hop to forward the packet toward its final destination across an internetwork.

Since other users are working, the network infrastructure (Access Point, DHCP server) is likely functional. The problem is isolated to this client. The most common cause for this specific symptom is that the laptop’s network adapter is not configured to obtain an IP address automatically via DHCP, or the DHCP client service/process on the laptop is stopped or malfunctioning. This is the most direct and logical first step in troubleshooting.

Network Address Translation (NAT) allows multiple private IP addresses on the internal network to share a single public IP address for outbound internet connectivity. This is a core function of a boundary router or firewall in a small office/home office (SOHO) environment to conserve the limited pool of public IPv4 addresses.0