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Are bridges supposed to be able to talk to each other?

 
 
phil-news-nospam@ipal.net
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      07-21-2006, 05:06 AM
At this page: http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi#Wireless_Bridge

It says "All 802.11 wireless is bridging". That would seem to tell me
that every wireless device _can_ communicate with every other wireless
device, including exact copies (e.g. same model), as long as the wireless
parameters match (same channel, modulation, SSID, key/phrase).

I'm looking for discussion that explains, as thoroughly as this page
discusses the things it does, why certain wireless devices cannot talk
to certain other wireless devices. Based on some explanations people
have given me about why my two Netgear WGT624's will not talk to each
other, it would see the above referenced page is wrong. Can someone
explain this better?

Of course it would also be nice to have an online reference about the
details of each model of wireless device NOT expressed in terms of the
BS sales talk you get from the manufacturers, but expressed in consistent
and unambiguous technical terminology.

Before I bought these two Netgear WGT624's, I should have done better
research. But the after-the-fact research I'm doing now is NOT turning
up anything that tells me these two would not talk to each other (e.g.
to other instances of teh same model) ... other than the answer to my
other thread that were posted here because I asked. What i want to
know is what online resource should I have seen beforehand that would
have explained this clearly. So far I can't find it.

In addition to the two Netgear WGT624's, I have an wireless device my
sister-in-law got for free at some garage sale. It's a bridge. It even
says so on the case. It has NO brand name, neither on the case nor on
the admin web page. I got the MAC so maybe I can look it up from there
but more than likely it will be some Chinese manufacturer I never heard
of. Anyway, it is 802.11b only, and WEP only. Configuring the WGT624's
to do "b" in addition to "g", and to do WEP instead of WPA, the bridge
will communicate with ONE of the WGT624's, but not the other. Strange!
Also, it won't communicate with the HP 6980 wireless printer when I change
it to use WEP instead of WPA (the HP 6980 and WGT624 do talk OK when both
are in WEP mode, so I know I got that set right).

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| Phil Howard KA9WGN (ka9wgn.ham.org) / Do not send to the address below |
| first name lower case at ipal.net / spamtrap-2006-07-20-(E-Mail Removed) |
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John Navas
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      07-21-2006, 05:41 PM
On 21 Jul 2006 05:06:06 GMT, phil-news-(E-Mail Removed) wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed)>:

>At this page: http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi#Wireless_Bridge
>
>It says "All 802.11 wireless is bridging". That would seem to tell me
>that every wireless device _can_ communicate with every other wireless
>device, including exact copies (e.g. same model), as long as the wireless
>parameters match (same channel, modulation, SSID, key/phrase).


All that means is that Wi-Fi *networks* (once connections are
established) operate at the data link layer -- it has nothing to do with
how Wi-Fi *connections*, which fall into specific types and two
different modes (ad hoc [peer-to-peer] and infrastructure [central
controller]), are made; e.g.,

* Client adapters can connect to other client adapters (ad hoc mode), or
to one and only one access point (infrastructure mode).

* An access point can only connect to clients (point-to-multipoint), not
other access points.

* A client bridge can connect to one and only one access point, not
other clients.

* A point-to-point bridge can only connect to another point-to-point
bridge.

Some products can be switched between different modes; e.g., either an
access point or a client bridge, but not both at the same time.

>I'm looking for discussion that explains, as thoroughly as this page
>discusses the things it does, why certain wireless devices cannot talk
>to certain other wireless devices.


<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN>

>Based on some explanations people
>have given me about why my two Netgear WGT624's will not talk to each
>other, it would see the above referenced page is wrong.


The page is correct. You misunderstand what it's saying.

>Can someone
>explain this better?


WGT624 has a wireless access point (in addition to a wired router);
i.e., a central controller. It can connect to wireless clients, but not
to another wireless access point -- there can be only one central
controller in a given wireless network. To connect two of them to each
other, one would have to be converted into a wireless client bridge
(losing access point capability), or both would have to be converted
into point-to-point bridges (again losing access point capability).

Different wireless networks can be connected together by wire, or by
specific types of wireless.

>In addition to the two Netgear WGT624's, I have an wireless device my
>sister-in-law got for free at some garage sale. It's a bridge. It even
>says so on the case.


The type of bridge is important; likewise how many devices it can
handle. (Many low-end bridges are limited, some to only one device.)

>It has NO brand name, neither on the case nor on
>the admin web page. I got the MAC so maybe I can look it up from there
>but more than likely it will be some Chinese manufacturer I never heard
>of. Anyway, it is 802.11b only, and WEP only.


Toss it. Seriously.

>Configuring the WGT624's
>to do "b" in addition to "g", and to do WEP instead of WPA,


Bad idea -- WEP is easily cracked in minutes.

>the bridge
>will communicate with ONE of the WGT624's, but not the other. Strange!


Probably a WEP configuration error.

>Also, it won't communicate with the HP 6980 wireless printer when I change
>it to use WEP instead of WPA (the HP 6980 and WGT624 do talk OK when both
>are in WEP mode, so I know I got that set right).


But still probably a WEP configuration error. Try entering all WEP keys
in hex.

Before buying or fooling with any more gear, please provide an exact
description of what you're trying to do, as I requested in your prior
thread. And please don't start new threads -- that makes it all hard to
follow.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_How_To>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
 
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