4. Wireless Access Points and Bridges

If you already have a router that you're happy with, but want to add wireless capability to your network, then you should be looking for a Wireless Access Point. These products, which are widely available at prices around $100, allow you to add wireless capability to a wired LAN by simply plugging them into your LAN's hub, switch, or router, and changing a few settings.

The advantage of using a router-plus-Access Point setup is similar to what you get by buying separate audio system components. You get to choose products that more closely meet your needs or preferences, and you can change functional components as better products come along. A more important advantage is that you gain some flexibility in locating your Access Point, since it can be located anywhere that a CAT5 Ethernet cable can go. With an integrated router / Access Point, the AP will end up wherever your broadband connection enters your home or office... which might not be the best location for obtaining maximum signal coverage for your wireless network.

Two of the most popular choices in 802.11b Access Points are the Linksys WAP11 and D-Link's DWL-900AP+. Both sell for about $100, and have removable antennas that can be replaced with higher-gain choices. But the D-Link product has the ability to perform wireless repeating, a feature previously available only in "enterprise grade", i.e. expensive equipment. Wireless repeating allows you to extend the range of your wireless network by adding a second Access Point without having to run an Ethernet cable to it. The downside is that the speed of the connection through the repeater is one half the normal wireless network speed. But the ability to remain connected to your wireless LAN may be worth the trade-off.

If you're more interested in adding support for the higher-speed 802.11a standard, the most aggressively priced AP right now is D-Link's DWL-500AP ($130). Most others are up around $200 - $225, which strangely enough also happens to be about the going rate for dual-band 802.11a/b Access Points such as Linksys' WAP51AB, D-Link's DWL-6000AP, and NETGEAR's WAB102.

Linksys WAP51AB

Wireless Bridges are a relatively new wireless product category, and are pitched as the way to connect any device that has an Ethernet connector into your 802.11b LAN. Primarily targeted at PlayStation2 and XBox users (now that on-line gaming services for both products are available), they are also finding their way into applications where people are trying to connect two wired LANs together via a wireless link.

Linksys WET11 Instant Wireless Ethernet Bridge

The leader of the pack seems to be the Linksys WET11 ($96), although D-Link and SMC are also in the game with their DWL-810 ($92) and SMC2670W ($78) respectively. Be aware, however, that the SMC product supports only one client and operates in Infrastructure mode only, while the Linksys and D-Link products support at least 20 clients and both AdHoc and Infrastructure network modes.