Wireless: Bridge or Access Point

[MovedGoalPosts]

I am a little confused as to the difference between the functions provided by a Wireless Bridge and a Wireless Access Point.

In simple terms I want to attach a wireless router (Linksys WRT54GS-UK) to my STB. A computer will hardwire to the router with ethernet. Upstairs I want to wireless connect 2 further computers. I already have a cheap network hub. See attached diagram.

I believe the function I am effectively achieving is to bridge two parts of a network wirelessly, so I need a bridge

Ignoring that neither below products support the "Speedbooster" function, I can't really tell the difference between:
the Linksys Access Point WAP54G-UK http://www.dabs.com/uk/Search2/Produ...phrase=Linksys
or
the Linksys Bridge WET54G-UK http://www.dabs.com/uk/Search2/Produ...phrase=Linksys

Anyone able to shed some light?

TIA

[Raistlin]

I appreciate that I may have missed a step here, but can't you just put wireless cards in the two machines upstairs and connect directly to the wireless router?

[SMHarman]

I'm with Raistlin, the best solution here is wireless cards or USB devices (I think one of your PCs cannot be opened as it is in wwty) and connecting them straight to the router.

Unless you regularly perform large file transfers between the hubbed PCs.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Originally Posted by Raistlin

I appreciate that I may have missed a step here, but can't you just put wireless cards in the two machines upstairs and connect directly to the wireless router?

Ok, slightly odd, but special need here that means wireless cards in each PC might not be my best (by that I mean cheapest) option. Indeed for what I am up to the bridge / access point might only need to be the basic 802.11b rather than "g" speed.

Simply put I am building a "farm" of odds and ends PCs for distributed computing crunchers. So while I only have 2 PCs upstairs at the mo, more may be added (so OK it breaks NTL's rules for number of computers). I've already got loads of ethernet NICs seems silly to spend out upgrading them for wireless. If I could, I'd run a ethernet upstairs, but that't impractical.

And yes before you say it, I am slightly mad

[Raistlin]

I think that you are going to need a bridge, not an access point.

A bit of web research suggests that:

Bridge = for joining two seperated wireless networks wirelessly / for joining a wired network to a wireless one wirelessly.

Access Point = For connecting to from a wireless device.

There doesn't seem to be a nice clear explanation and I can see why you're confused, it's got me all of a dither now as well.....

[MovedGoalPosts]

I'm glad it's not just my brain that's hurting

[Strzelecki]

Raistlin is rights, you'd need a bridge. That's for connecting 2 networks using the same protocol together whereas an access point is for providing wireless access to an already wired network.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Cheers guys, yep bridging is what I am wanting to achieve.

Odd then, having plouged through the linksys online user guides, the access point hardware appears to have bridging modes, yet the bridge is only a bridge, yet costs more

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by Strzelecki

Raistlin is rights, you'd need a bridge. That's for connecting 2 networks using the same protocol together whereas an access point is for providing wireless access to an already wired network.

yeah from how I understand it, a wireless access point is something you get if you want to turn a standard router into a wireless router - ie. you plug it in to the wired router and it has the same functionality as a wireless one.

[zoombini]

It was explained to me something like...

A bridge is for connecting an network device to the wireless network
it does not let other devices connect via it.

an access point connects any other wireless devices to the network that it is hard wired to.

I.E. a bridge is used to connect a single device to a network, an access point gives lots of other wireless items access to the network.

or somethink like that

[MovedGoalPosts]

Hmm, have ordered an access point (that has a bridging mode according to the user guide).

\Waits to see if hes wasted his money :o

[Strzelecki]

You should be ok if you've gone for linksys, the two mode work fine.

May be a bit late now, but if one of the PCs runs XP, you could have a wireless connection connected to downstairs and a wired connected to your upstairs hub, both in the one PC, and bridge using XP software.