Do WiFi systems on LAN communicate directly or through the router?

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x509

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I know that with a wired LAN, systems on that LAN communicate directly. I'm wondering if communications works the same if the Ethernet is replaced by all WiFi.

x509
 
If it's an AP and not a router with it's own subnet, the traffic moves back to the router first.
 
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Simplyfun said:
If it's an AP and not a router with it's own subnet, the traffic moves back to the router first.
Click to expand...

Thanks. My WiFi device is the actual router, not an AP.

Loved your sig. :woot: My first "IBM PC" was actually a Xerox 820 8-bit Z80 running CP/M. And before that, and IBM 370/155 running OS/360 MVT. I don't remember if it had 16-bit or 32-bit words.
 
x509 said:
I know that with a wired LAN, systems on that LAN communicate directly. I'm wondering if communications works the same if the Ethernet is replaced by all WiFi.

x509
Click to expand...
Yes.

Simplyfun said:
If it's an AP and not a router with it's own subnet, the traffic moves back to the router first.
Click to expand...
No.

Take an AP, assign an SSID. No router, gateway, and so on. Get two wifi devices to connect to the AP with different static IPs, identical masks, and ping each other.
 
rflcptr said:
Yes.


No.

Take an AP, assign an SSID. No router, gateway, and so on. Get two wifi devices to connect to the AP with different static IPs, identical masks, and ping each other.
Click to expand...

True.

And yeah OP , drunk posting is not my strong suite, I had this thing in my head whereby you were talking to a router connected device from the wireless, if you're talking to another wireless device, the traffic goes right to it from the AP.
 
a wap is like a network hub only wireless

if you're not old enough to know what a network hub is, it's like a switch with every port in promiscuous mode :p

sounds very insecure... thats where wireless security comes in
 
goodcooper said:
a wap is like a network hub only wireless

if you're not old enough to know what a network hub is, it's like a switch with every port in promiscuous mode :p

sounds very insecure... thats where wireless security comes in
Click to expand...
Actually I'm old enough to remember when Ethernet was sometimes called "Goldenrod", a central thick yellow coax cable with taps on the main cable with drop taps to each workstation. Also CP/M.

And thanks for this explanation. Very clear and to the point.
 
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