A network bridge is used to tie two or more network parts which are physically and logically (by protocol) disjointed. This is perceived generally in protocols over wireless to cable. It does not in essence always have to be a hardware device, as some operating systems (such as Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and FreeBSD) offer software to bridge diverse protocols.
Many wireless routers and wireless access points offer either a “bridge” mode or a “repeater” mode, both of which accomplish a similar related function. The variance being the bridge mode links to different protocol types and the repeater modes conveys the same protocol style. Wireless routers, access points, and bridges are offered that are compliant with the IEEE802.11a, b, g and n standards.
Wireless bridge devices work in pairs one on each side of the “bridge”. However, there can be many simultaneous “bridges” using one central device. Bridges can analyze incoming data packets to determine if the bridge is able to send the given packet to another segment of the network.
A more accurate description of connecting two local area networks would be a Wireless LAN to LAN bridge. While a device may not support bridging to a remote wireless access point to connect two LANs, it may be desirable (and supported) that a wireless access point support true bridging. In this case packets traverse from a wireless to wired network without passing through an internal protocol stack, firewall or other network abstraction.
Two bridged networks could possibly be treated as parts of a single subnet under Internet Protocol (IP). If the wired and wireless networks were bridged a wireless client would be able to make a DHCP request to a wired DHCP server. A device in which packets traverse the network layer is considered a router in the ISO OSI model; a device in which packets traverse the data link layer only is considered a bridge.
Bridging is a forwarding procedure used in packet-switched computer networks. Bridging makes no conventions about where in a network a precise address is located, unlike routing. Instead, it depends on on flooding and examination of source addresses in received packet headers to locate unidentified devices.
Once a device has been located, its location is recorded in a table where the MAC address is stored so as to preclude the need for further broadcasting. The utility of bridging is limited by its dependence on flooding, and is thus only used in local area networks. Bridging generally refers to Transparent bridging or Learning bridge operation which predominates in Ethernet.
A network bridge connects multiple network segments. In Ethernet networks, the term bridge formally means a device that behaves according to the IEEE 802.1D standard. A bridge and switch are very much alike; a switch being a bridge with numerous ports.Bridges are similar to repeaters or network hubs, devices that connect network segments at the physical layer (Layer 1) of the OSI model; however, with bridging, traffic from one network is managed rather than simply rebroadcast to adjacent network segments.
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