What are Wireless Bridges?

Wireless bridge devices are used to join together two separate networks in order to allow them to share resources and internet access. They are particularly useful when linking two physically separated networks when installing a cable between them is tricky. In a typical setup one uses two wireless bridge devices: one linked to each network and setup to make a bridge with the other.

In most cases, a single wireless device has many modes - wireless bridge being just one of them. These modes tend to be wireless router, wireless range extender or wireless bridge. There are, on the other hand, a modest amount of good products on the market that are dedicated bridges. These are often extremely straightforward to configure (compared to a device with many modes that likely needs more detailed configuration).

Does your household or office have two separate networks (on different floors perhaps)? You might solve your problem with a wireless repeater. These devices are often used when some computers or other devices with no wireless capabilities need to be linked up to an existing wifi network somewhere else in the building. In that case, all the wired computers or other devices are connected to a bridge device, which is then setup to connect wirelessly to the primary wireless router.

Some key features you may want to keep in mind when looking for a wireless bridge are compatibility, range and ease of setup. The next level in high-speed wireless communication is Wireless-N. This technology has the range and capacity to support the high bandwidth requirements of gaming systems and streaming high-definition video. Not all wireless-capable devices are Wireless-N compatible, however; especially older devices will only work with a bridge compatible with the older B and G bands. Thus it's good to obtain backwards-compatible bridge devices to cover all bases (most are, but just in case).

While shopping for a wireless bridge, knowing the length needed for the bridge is important. If the distance in question is fairly small (in a situation where, for example, the wireless signal already reaches the area in question but there are devices with no wireless adapter) this will not matter much, but in the case of larger distances to be bridged a higher-quality device with a high range is required. The most reliable way to gauge this is probably reading user reviews to get an idea what other people have been able to achieve with a given device.

Finally, it's best to buy a bridge with straightforward installation procedures if you can. Often the write-up in the box can be somewhat incomprehensible, and if you don't have much knowledge in the area you might run into trouble. Again this is a case where customer reviews are a helpful place to look; additionally, sometimes searching for help on the internet will lead to a helpful detailed set of instructions to set up your wireless bridge if you're running into problems.

James Shelton writes about wireless technology and reviews a variety of wireless devices. For lots more information on wireless bridge devices and a bunch of reviews of high-selling models currently on the market, visit wirelessbridges.org.

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