FreeBSD6 Unleashed

Wireless Routers

Wireless routers, also known as wireless access points or base stations, are actually several networking devices at the same time—they comprise everything we’ve covered so far from the mechanism by which the computer is connected to the network (the wireless hub or switch) up to the routing mechanism for passing traffic up to the next router. Because they’re generally inexpensive (less than $200), wireless routers don’t give you the full capabilities of industrial-strength routers; rather, because most of these devices are designed to fit unobtrusively into a home or corporate network, they perform the minimum required duties of getting your computer’s communications up to the next router on the way to the Internet (for example, ...