Glenn Fleishman has an article on Wireless Distribution Systems on O’Reilly’s Wireless DevCenter. Wireless bridging connects two Access Points together, point to point (or multipoint).
Products like the Linksys’ WGA54G Wireless-G Game Adapter and WET 54G Wireless Ethernet Adapter provide wireless bridging to games and computers. Proxim’s Tsunami MP.11 ($300) provides similar bridging for the “last mile”. Bridging does not integrate local Wi-Fi access. It just provides a point-to-point link.
Wireless repeaters combines an AP with backhaul, sharing the same WiFi channel for both local access and the backhaul link. WDS coordinates activities in a “standardized” way. Except there’s really no standard.
I’m still confused why the backhaul doesn’t interfere with local access. I guess it’s a matter of time-sharing, where multiple boxes act like one big Access Point. Maybe someone can clear that up for me.
Wireless Distribution System (WDS) allows packets to pass from one wireless access point to another, just as if the access points were ports on a wired Ethernet switch. WDS bypasses the kind of magical kludgery that Linksys offered with its WET11 bridge or with the WAP11 in pairs or as a bridge/AP combinationThe excitement about this technology comes from three factors: a WDS gateway can act as an AP and a bridge in a single box; WDS is standard, although interoperability isn’t being tested by manufacturers yet; and WDS is cheap, with Buffalo offering its WLA-G54 for as little as $100 street price. In the past, expensive enterprise devices either involved standalone bridges or pricey combined units that worked only with other proprietary gear.
You might want to use WDS in a variety of common scenarios that would otherwise require expensive or unnecessary Ethernet cabling. If you needed two access points to serve your house, for instance, and didn’t want to run Ethernet between them, WDS is an able substitute.
It’s also a cheaper and simpler way to provide blanket coverage. Attach some sectorized antennas on opposite ends of an open courtyard or park and use WDS to avoid having to put a backbone between the two units.
WDS-enabled access points broadcast MAC messages across all connected nodes allowing all clients to see all adapters on all connected wireless and wired networks.
Small Net Builder site may have the definitive explaination of WDS and wireless bridging and Wireless Distribution Systems.
Wireless bridging, i.e. connecting two wired networks via a wireless link has gotten to be a very confusing subject. In this NTK, we’re going to try to untangle the mess that wireless networking companies have made of this product area, help you choose the right products for your application, and show you how to set them up properly.
Higgins also has indepth reviews of WDS-enabled products such as the Buffalo AirStation (WBRG54) ($118), Buffalo’s Compact WLA2-G54 ($149), D-Link’s DWL-900AP+ and others.
Another contender for WDS might be Netgear’s single-band WGT624 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router. It uses Atheros 108Mbps 802.11g products and is slated to begin shipment next month at street pricing around $120 with a WDS upgrade planned in a month or two.
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