How to setup a wireless access point and bridge.

Tips on connecting to a wired network, wireless access point and bridge.

The next subject is a bit more complex. Let's imagine that you have a wired network already, and have no intention of switching it to wireless when it works well as it is. However, you still would like to use your laptop wirelessly. In other words, you would like to create a wireless connection to a wired network, which we often call a network bridge.

Luckily enough, doing what you want is not complicated at all and it's what we refer to as wireless access points .

Going Partly Wireless

In case of many computers (on an office network, for example), you can start by installing a wireless router if you can't change them all over to wireless networking at once. By doing this, you can simply eliminate one network wire per day or per week, and gradually replace all of them with a wireless connection.

Software and Hardware

We distinguish between two types of wireless access points : hardware and software ones. The software for a wireless access point runs on one of the wireless-enabled computers on the wired network, and allows wireless devices to connect to the network through that computer.

To find out what the options are, conduct a little search on the web and you will easily find lots of wireless access software. Find one that's open source, and simply download it straightaway legally and for free. Keep it mind, though, that the wireless devices only connect to the network if the computer in question is turned on and connected as well.




In contrast, hardware access points are separate devices you can plug in wherever you wish on the network (you can purchase a dedicated access point, or simply convert an old computer to act as one). The way they connect to the wired network is the same as a normal computer does, except that they provide access to the network to any wireless receivers that are within range.

If you wish, you can have your hardware access points connected and turned on continuously. What's good about dedicated devices is that their range is usually bigger, allowing you to utilize your wireless devices further away from the access point than you would be able to with a software access point. However, dedicated devices can be costly, their prices being similar to that of wireless routers.

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