Re: Can WDS talk to regular access point?
Sam Leffler <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.os.freebsd.devel.mobile |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Gary Corcoran wrote: > > I apologize that this is not a FreeBSD-specific question, but > I tried researching on the 'net and couldn't find a definitive > answer, but somebody here may be able to give me a quick 'yes' > or 'no' ... > > I was wondering if anyone could tell me if a WDS (Wireless > Distribution System) Access Point (AP) can talk to any regular > AP, or only another special WDS AP ? A WDS AP is one that > can 'extend' your wireless coverage by not only serving wireless > clients, but also connect over-the-air with another AP. To > connect with another AP obviously requires a special WDS AP. > But can your 'main' AP, that the WDS connects to, be any regular > AP? Or does it need special firmware to be able to understand > how to talk with the 'remote' WDS AP? WDS potentially means several different things but at the lowest level it implies support for 4-address 802.11 frames. This allows one station to encapsulate a 3-address packet so that it can be forwarded w/o losing any info. So to answer your question a "regular AP" is unlikely to support WDS unless it is explicitly stated as such. Beware however that there are no standards for setting up wireless repeater/extender configurations of the sort you describe. There is an de-facto standard done by the WiFI alliance which is the closest thing I'm aware of. When in doubt always use ap's from the same vendor; that's most likely to ensure interoperability. > > Specifically: I'm thinking of buying a Compex NP28G unit > ( http://www.cpx.com/proddetail.asp?c=Wireless%20Products&e=145 ), > and NOT using it as a access point, but rather plug things into > its USB ports and have it wirelessly connect with my existing Linksys > AP(Router as an AP), which ties into my (FreeBSD-based) home network. > > Thanks, > Gary > _______________________________________________ > [email protected] mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-mobile > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[email protected]" > > _______________________________________________ [email protected] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-mobile To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[email protected]"