A wireless gateway routes packets from a

wireless LAN A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building ...

to another network, wired or wireless WAN. It may be implemented as software or hardware or a combination of both. Wireless gateways combine the functions of a

wireless access point In Computer networking device, computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP) (also just access point (AP)) is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network or wireless network. As a standalone ...

, a router, and often provide

firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...

functions as well. They provide

network address translation Network address translation (NAT) is a method of mapping an IP address space into another by modifying network address information in the IP header of packets while they are in transit across a traffic Router (computing), routing device. The te ...

(NAT) functionality, so multiple users can use the internet with a single public IP. It also acts like a

dynamic host configuration protocol The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol, network management protocol used on Internet Protocol (IP) networks for automatically assigning IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices connected to the netw ...

(DHCP) to assign IPs automatically to devices connected to the network. There are two kinds of wireless gateways. The simpler kind must be connected to a

DSL modem A digital subscriber line (DSL) modem is a device used to connect a computer or Router (computing), router to a telephone line which provides the digital subscriber line (DSL) service for connection to the Internet, which is often called ''DSL ...

cable modem A cable modem is a type of network bridge that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), radio frequency over glass (RFoG) and coaxial cable infrastructure. Cable modems are pri ...

to connect to the internet via the

internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

(ISP). The more complex kind has a built-in modem to connect to the internet without needing another device. This converged device saves desk space and simplifies wiring by replacing two electronic packages with one. It has a wired connection to the ISP, at least one jack port for the LAN (usually four jacks), and an antenna for wireless users. The wireless gateway could support wireless 802.11b and 802.11g with speed up to 56 Mbit/s, 802.11n with speed up to 300Mps and recently the 802.11ac with speed up to 1200 Mbit/s. The LAN interface may support 100 Mbit/s ( Fast) or 1000 Mbit/s (

Gigabit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communication. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represented as ...

) Ethernet. All wireless gateways have the ability to protect the wireless network using security encryption methods such as WEP, WPA, and WPS. WPA2 with WPS disabled is the most secure method." Wireless Security Basics". RetrievedNovember , 2014 Available: http://www.metageek.net/blog/2012/12/wireless-security-basics/ There are many wireless gateway brands with models offering different features and quality. They can differ on the wireless range and speed, a number of LAN ports, speed, and extra functionality. Some available brands in the market are

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...

Netgear Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service provide ...

, and

Linksys Linksys Holdings, Inc., is an American brand of data networking hardware products mainly sold to home users and small businesses. It was founded in 1988 by the couple Victor Tsao, Victor and Janie Tsao, both Taiwanese immigrants to the United St ...

. However, most internet providers offer a free wireless gateway with their services, thus limiting the user's choice. On the other hand, the device provided by the ISP has the advantage that it comes pre-configured and ready to be installed. Another advantage of using these devices is the ability of the company to troubleshoot and fix any problem via remote access, which is very convenient for most users.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wireless Gateway Networking hardware

See also

References