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How can I connect two wireless devices wirelessly via a router and an access point?
WLAN expert Stephen Kim answers how to connect two wireless devices wirelessly via a router and an access point in this Q&A.
I have a problem with connecting two wireless devices wirelessly using a router and an access point. What I do most times is run a cat5 cable from the router (with the router having a static IP, given by the ISP) to the AP, making the router give out DHCP. How can I do this without running a cable?
APs and routers don't normally connect in this manner. A typical AP is composed of two ports (i.e., antenna and LAN-side Ethernet). A wireless client (i.e., laptop, PDA, phone) associates to the antenna port/NIC of an AP via the standard Wi-Fi protocol 802.11. However, on the other hand, the AP physically connects to a router via its LAN-side Ethernet port, which utilizes 802.3. The router will only speak 802.3 directly to the AP, which is why the AP must convert the protocol (i.e., 802.11 to 802.3).
This was last published in April 2007
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