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 buildin ...

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, a wireless access point (WAP), or more generally just access point (AP), is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. As a standalone device, the AP may have a wired c ...

, 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 (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 management protocol used on Internet Protocol (IP) networks for automatically assigning IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices connected to the network using a cli ...

(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 to a telephone line which provides the digital subscriber line (DSL) service for connection to the Internet, which is often called ''DSL broadband''. The m ...

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

to connect to the internet via the

internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privat ...

(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 IEEE 802.11g-2003 or 802.11g is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 specification that operates in the 2.4 GHz microwave band. The standard has extended throughput to up to 54 Mbit/s using the same 20 MHz bandwidth as 802.11b uses to achieve 11 Mbit ...

with speed up to 56Mbit/s, 802.11n with speed up to 300Mps and recently the 802.11ac with speed up to 1200Mbit/s. The LAN interface may support 100Mbit/s ( Fast) or 1000Mbit/s (

Gigabit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. 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 ...

) 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, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...

, Netgear, and Linksys. 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