Connecting Your Networks Together

The most common network interconnection you make in your home is the intersection of a wired and wireless network. In fact, this is exactly what your wireless access point (AP) or router does by default - it provides an interconnection between a wired network (typically your broadband Internet connection) and a wireless one (your Wi-Fi network).

When you connect two different segments of a network together, you can use one of two primary pieces of gear:

• A bridge: A bridge does what its name implies - it creates a bridge or pathway between the two networks (Ethernet and Wi-Fi, for example). A bridge does not get involved in looking at the IP addresses and destinations of the packets flowing across it - it simply sends the data on its merry way and handles the translation between the different physical layers (the actual media carrying data).
  Tip An AP (as opposed to a wireless router) is a bridge between wired and wireless networks. Many people, however, use the term AP to generically refer to any kind of wireless base station, including wireless routers or gateways.
• A router: A router enhances the functionality of a bridge by examining the IP routing data attached to each packet and making decisions about how to best send that data on its way. Routers range from $30 commodity devices to million-dollar BFRs (big freaking routers) that sit inside the networks of the largest Internet and telecommunications service providers. In terms of the networks we're discussing, a router is the (relatively) inexpensive device that connects a home or small office network to an Internet connection.

Remember Most wireless routers can be configured to act as either routers or as simple bridge-only APs. Many even include additional functionality that lets them work as wireless repeaters, using a system called WDS, which we discuss in the section titled "Bridging Wireless Networks Together."