This basically means that if you connect your Xbox to the WGE101, your wireless access point will only see the physical address of your Xbox, and as far as the access point is concerned, your Xbox has a wireless adapter built into it. Once configured and connected to a device, a wireless bridge will become completely transparent, so that the wireless access point you’re connecting to will see the physical MAC address of the Ethernet enabled device, rather than the bridge. With a wireless bridge you can connect any Ethernet enabled device to wireless network without the need for driver support. This is where a wireless bridge comes in. But what about devices that don’t run an operating system, and just have basic Ethernet functionality? You can’t just plug a wireless adapter into your PlayStation2 or Xbox, or even into a KiSS DVD player, because you won’t be able to load the necessary drivers. Now, obviously with any kind of computer getting around this is simple, just install a wireless adapter. The only problem with a wireless network is that there are some devices that have network capability, but no wireless functionality. Considering that the majority of notebook computers now ship with integrated WiFi adapters, you’ll be able to work out in the garden on a sunny day, or just flop in front of the TV in the living room while you’re checking your emails. Having a wireless network will allow you to stay connected to the Internet (and your other PCs) anywhere in and around your house. If you don’t have a wireless network in your home, you should install one, because the flexibility that it will give you is really quite liberating. Of course you’re only going to need a wireless bridge if you already have a wireless network set up in your house. And the reason that you need one, is that it’s a lot more aesthetically friendly than having CAT5 cable running all through your house. So, what is a wireless bridge and why do you need one? A wireless bridge acts like, well, a bridge between wired and wireless networks. However, I now have before me the Netgear WGE101 Wireless Ethernet Bridge, and this little beauty conforms to the 802.11g standard, with 54Mbits/sec bandwidth. However, the problem with the ME101 was that it used the older 802.11b WiFi standard, which meant a limited bandwidth of 11Mbits/sec. A wireless bridge gives you the option of connecting a device with a standard wired Ethernet port to your wireless network, and the ME101 proved to be easy to setup and simple to use. Last year I reviewed the Netgear ME101 Wireless Ethernet Bridge and decided that it was a great little product.
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