Wireless Access Points

[arman]

Hi,
I am looking at setting up a wireless network to an existing network. Can a wireless router (such as a SMC barricade) use a wireless access point (again an SMC) as a gateway, or does the router need to access a gateway by the LAN port?
Thanks,
arman

 

[harperse]

Wireless routers and wireless access points are basically the same thing - transmitters. the difference is a wireless router can provide access to more clients than a wireless access point using different routing techniques than a WAP can. WAPs are only intended to service 1-10 machine (think of this as peer to peer networking like Win98, where every additional machine causes network performance hits) whereas a router can handle the traffic of 253 machines more efficiently.

Think of wireless networks the same as wired networks. A router is more efficient than a hub (in this case, a WAP).

If anyone thinks I am way off base with this, please let me know.

Thanks,
harperse