Compex Systems 802.11N - Manual (Page 65)

Appendix I - Network
This section provides more detailed explanation on the network operation modes in general.
The Network Page allows the administrator to setup bridge or routing functionality.
Device can operate in bridge or router mode. The IP configuration as described below is required
for device management purposes. IP addresses can either be retrieved from a DHCP server or
configured manually. Use the Network menu to configure the IP settings.
Network Mode Selections
Network Mode: Specify the operating network mode for the device.
The mode depends on the network topology requirements:
Bridge operating mode is selected by default as it is widely used by the subscriber stations,
while connecting to Access Point or using WDS. In this mode the device will act as a
transparent bridge and will operate in Layer 2. There will be no network segmentation while
broadcast domain will be the same. Bridge mode will not block any broadcast or multicast traffic.
Additional Firewall settings can be configured for Layer 2 packet filtering and access control in
Bridge mode.
Router operating mode can be configured in order to operate in Layer 3 to perform routing and
enable network segmentation – wireless clients will be on different IP subnet.
Router mode will block broadcasts while it is not transparent.
Device supports Multicast packet pass-through in Router mode. Router can act as DHCP server
and use Network Address Translation (Masquerading) feature which is widely used by the Access
Points. NAT will act as the firewall between LAN and WLAN networks. Additional Firewall
settings can be configured for Layer 3 packet filtering and access control in Router mode.
Bridge Mode
Bridge Mode Network Settings
In bridge mode the device forwards all the network management and data packets from one
network interface to the other without any intelligent routing. For simple applications this provides
efficient and fully transparent network solution. WLAN (wireless) and LAN (Ethernet) interfaces
belong to the same network segment which has the same IP address space. WLAN and LAN
interfaces form the virtual bridge interface while acting as the bridge ports. The bridge has
assigned IP settings for management purposes: