Access points are by far the primary components in wireless LAN infrastructures. The 802.11 standard defines an access point as a communication hub for users of a wireless device to connect to a wired distribution system, such as an Ethernet network. Access points also play a major role in providing better wireless security and control of users in the shared radio environment.
Several vendors offer what they refer to as wireless LAN bridges, which are somewhat different from access points. The 802.11 standard doesn't specifically define a bridge, so let's take a closer look at what these bridges provide.
Bridge Basics
The industry-accepted definition of a bridge is a device that connects two networks that may use the same or a different Data Link Layer protocol (Layer 2 of the OSI Model). Bridges have been in use for decades, especially with wired networks. Remote bridges, for example, are generally at each end of a point-to-point link, such as those that interconnect two buildings. Other bridges within a local network may connect two different networks types, such as Ethernet and Token Ring.
LAN bridges have ports that connect two or more otherwise separate LANs. The bridge receives packets on one port and re-transmits them on another port. A bridge will not start re-transmission until it receives a complete packet. Because of this, stations on either side of a bridge can transmit packets simultaneously without causing collisions.
Some bridges re-transmit every packet on the opposite port whether or not the packet is heading to a station located on the opposite network. A learning bridge, which is more common, examines the destination address of every packet to determine whether it should forward the packet based on a decision table that the bridge builds over time. This increases efficiency because the bridge will not re-transmit a packet if it knows that the destination address is on the same side of the bridge as the sending address. Learning bridges also age address table entries by deleting addresses that have not been heard from for a specified amount of time.
Access points connect multiple users on a wireless LAN to each other and to a wired network. For example, 20 users equipped with 802.11 network interface cards (NICs) may associate with a single access point that connects to an Ethernet network. Each of these users has access to the Ethernet network and to each other. The access point here is similar to a bridge device, but the access point interfaces a network to multiple users, not other networks.
Bridges, though, connect networks and are often less expensive than access points. For example, a wireless LAN bridge can interface an Ethernet network directly to a particular access point. This may be necessary if you have a few devices, possibly in a far reaching part of the facility, that are interconnected via Ethernet. A wireless LAN bridge plugs into this Ethernet network and uses the 802.11 protocol to communicate with an access point that's within range. In this manner, a bridge enables you to wirelessly connect a cluster of users (actually a network) to an access point.
Wireless bridges are a very practical, easy, and in most cases inexpensive way to connect Ethernet LANs or extend the range of existing WLANs. They are quick to set up and easy to configure, making them an ideal choice to quickly set up voice and data networks.
source: wi-fiplanet.com