Wireless Residential Gateways

A wireless residential gateway is a device designed to connect a small number of wireless nodes to a single device for Layer 2 (wired and wireless) and Layer 3 connectivity to the Internet or to another network. Manufacturers have begun combining the roles of access points and gateways into a single device. Wireless residential gateways usually include a built-in hub or switch as well as a fully configurable, Wi-Fi compliant access point. The WAN port on a wireless residential gateway is the Internet-facing Ethernet port that may be connected to the Internet through one of the following:

Cable modem
xDSL modem
Analog modem
Satellite modem


Common Options
Because wireless residential gateways are becoming increasingly popular in homes of
telecommuters and in small businesses, manufacturers have begun adding more features
to these devices to aid in productivity and security. Common options that most wireless
residential gateways include are:

Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Port Address Translation (PAT)
Ethernet switching
Virtual Servers
Print Serving
Fail-over routing
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server and Client
Configurable Firewall

This diverse array of functionality allows home and small office users to afford an all-inone single device solution that is easily configurable and meets most business needs. Residential gateways have been around for quite some time, but recently, with the extreme popularity of 802.11b compliant wireless devices, wireless was added as a feature. Wireless residential gateways have all of the expected SOHO-class access point configuration selections such as WEP, MAC filters, channel selection, and SSID.


Configuration and Management
Configuring and installing wireless residential gateways generally consists of browsing to the built-in HTTP server via one of the built-in Ethernet ports and changing the userconfigurable settings to meet your particular needs. This configuration may include changing ISP, LAN, or VPN settings. Configuration and monitoring are done in similar fashion through the browser interface. Some wireless residential gateways units support console, telnet, and USB connectivity for management and configuration. The text-based menus typically provided by the console port and telnet sessions are less user-friendly than the browser interface, but adequate for configuration. Statistics that can be monitored may include items such as up-time, dynamic IP addresses, VPN connectivity, and associated clients. These settings are usually well marked or explained for the nontechnical home or home office user.

When you choose to install a wireless residential gateway at your home or business, be
aware that your ISP will not provide technical support for getting your unit connected to the Internet unless they specifically state that they will. ISPs will usually only support the hardware that you have purchased from them or that they have installed. This lack of service can be especially frustrating to the non-technical user who must configure the correct IP addresses and settings in the gateway unit to get Internet access. Your best source of support for installing these devices is the manual provided with the device or someone who has already successfully installed similar units and can provide free guidance. Wireless residential gateways are so common now that many individuals that consider themselves non-technical have gained significant experience installing and configuring them.