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Access
Points and Wireless Routers
If you have an existing Ethernet based network and are adding
wireless clients, you'll probably need one or the other of these
products. Access Points (AP) attach to your existing network
via a 10BaseT connection and allow wireless clients to become
part of the same network (same subnet). AP's don't
provide routing or sharing capability, but will work
with any router that you already have on your network.
APs are available from Buffalo Technology,
D-Link, Linksys, SMC
and other companies.
If you don't already have a router, or want one box to handle
Internet sharing for both the Ethernet and wireless parts of
your network, then you should look for a Wireless Router.
These products combine a NAT based hardware router with a wireless
Access Point and allow both Ethernet and wireless clients to
share files and printers and also an Internet connection.
The most popular product in this category right now is SMC's
Wireless Barricade, which provides a 3 port 10/100 Ethernet
switched router, 802.11b Access Point and Windows (LPR) print
server for about $280. It'll even handle a dialup or ISDN
Internet connection!
A
Word about using older 2Mbps 802.11 cards!
Because of the way that the 802.11 standard has evolved older
non-802.11b cards are not guaranteed to work
with current 802.11b Access Points and Wireless Routers.
See this page
for more info!
Wireless
Bridges
An important point to note (and the source of some confusion) is that most
Access
Points cannot communicate with each other wirelessly.
Generally, (and especially in the case of inexpensive consumer-grade
products) APs communicate only with wireless clients. This means that you can't
use two APs to wirelessly connect two non-wireless LANs together.
You can, however, use another type of product called a Wireless
Bridge to get connected! See
this article for more info.
More
helpful info..
Still not sure if wireless is the way to go? Here's some
info that may help you decide:
Antenna placement and distance between wireless
network nodes is critical to performance. This chart
from Compaq's
WL series reviewer's guide gives you some idea of
what to expect, but like all manufacturer specs, is optimistic
in terms of the actual effective data rate you'll see.
It's not uncommon to have an under 50
foot indoor range in a typically constructed residence, and
to have speed begin to drop off with a few walls between stations.
You don't have to have an Access Point!
Cards can work in a peer-to-peer mode without going through
an AP. You can also set up Internet sharing using a
wireless card as the second network adapter. Some manufacturers
have software APs available, too. Go to this
page if you need help getting a peer-to-peer
(AdHoc) wireless networking, or this
page for more info on how to not use an AP.
You can combine wireless, HomePNA, and Ethernet
networks. Go to this
page for more info and example setups.
A
Word about using older 2Mbps 802.11 cards!
