Wireless
WorkGrou p Brid ge
Cisco Small Business WAP551 and WAP561 Wireless-N Access Point 89
5
WorkGroup Bridge
The WAP device WorkGroup Bridge feature enables the WAP device to extend the
accessibility of a remote network. In WorkGroup Bridge mode, the WAP device
acts as a wireless station (STA) on the wireless LAN. It can bridge traffic between
a remote wired network or associated wireless clients and the wireless LAN that
is connected using the WorkGroup Bridge mode.
The WorkGroup Bridge feature enables support for STA-mode and AP-mode
operation simultaneously. The WAP device can operate in one Basic Service Set
(BSS) as an STA device while operating on another BSS as a WAP device. When
WorkGroup Bridge mode is enabled, the WAP device supports only one BSS for
wireless clients that associate with it, and another BSS with which the WAP
device associates as a wireless client.
It is recommended that WorkGroup Bridge mode be used only when the WDS
bridge feature cannot be operational with a peer WAP device. WDS is a better
solution and is preferred over the WorkGroup Bridge solution. Use WDS if you are
bridging Cisco WAP121, WAP321, WAP551, and WAP561 devices. If you are not,
then consider WorkGroup Bridge. When the WorkGroup Bridge feature is enabled,
the VAP configurations are not applied; only the WorkGroup Bridge configuration
is applied.
NOTE The WDS feature does not work when the WorkGroup Bridge mode is enabled on
the WAP device.
In WorkGroup Bridge mode, the BSS managed by the WAP device while operating
in WAP device mode is referred to as the access point interface, and associated
STAs as downstream STAs. The BSS managed by the other WAP device (that is,
the one to which the WAP device associates as an STA) is referred to as the
infrastructure client interface, and the other WAP device is referred as the
upstream AP.
The devices connected to the wired interface of the WAP device, as well as the
downstream stations associated with the access point interface of the device, can
access the network connected by the infrastructure client interface. To allow the
bridging of packets, the VLAN configuration for the access point interface and
wired interface should match that of the infrastructure client interface.
WorkGroup Bridge mode can be used as range extender to enable the BSS to
provide access to remote or hard-to-reach networks. A single-radio can be
configured to forward packets from associated STAs to another WAP device in the
same ESS, without using WDS.