[ale] Q: Wireless Router and Bellsouth w/Westel(l?) Modem

[John Mills]

ALErs -

I plan to add a wireless router behind a BellSouth DSL modem. The modem is 
the Westel(l?), not configured presently for mutiple computers.

A thread here last year suggested reconfiguring the modem into 'bridging'
mode before attaching a router behind it. What does that reconfiguration
achieve, vs. just having the router place its DHCP request, then serving
the computers behind it, including their DHCP, DNS, etc?

I suppose there is some reason not to do the simple 'plug'n'play' through
the router, but I'm not expert enough to know what it is. The modem now
does the PPPoE, modest fire-walling, etc. and I would be happy to keep it
that way.

TIA for a bit of background on this.

 - John Mills