[olug] ot, wireless info please

[Sam Tetherow]

Charles Bird wrote:

>ok, I'm finally getting into wireless now. I want to know what the differnce between access point and router and what exactly a bridge does as well, do I need two bridges for a connection?
>  I'm build my cantenna this week. 
>thanks for the help.
>  
>
AP is a wireless hub/switch basically, connects a wireless network to a 
wired network and usually has just one ethernet port.

Router is an AP and a router (think DLink/Netgear/Linksys wired router) 
roled into one.

Bridge connects an ethernet port to a wireless network, basically the 
other end of an AP.  Linksys WET-11 I think is an example of this (a 
better example is a Senao CB3 but outside of WISPs they aren't well known)

You don't need two bridges but you obviously need another wireless 
device on the other end.  The bridge is basically an external wireless 
client appliance that is connected usually via ethernet.  It bridges 
from it's ethernet port to the wireless and vice versa.  It can connect 
to an AP/router in master mode, or another bridge/client in ad-hoc mode.