Wireless networking can make a lot of sense in certain environments, such as private homes and open-plan offices, as you avoid the cost, inconvenience and unsightliness of cables. Wireless adapters and hubs are more expensive than cabled ones, but overall the cost difference isn't that great.

Intel's Wireless Gateway is designed to do two things. Firstly, it acts as a bridge between a cabled Ethernet network and a wireless network, using the IEEE 802.11b standard. This esoteric number simply describes the most common standard for wireless networking and should ensure that you can use a variety of equipment from different manufacturers as part of your installation.

Secondly, the Wireless Gateway provides a continuous connection to the Internet via a cable or DSL modem, for all machines on either conventional or wireless networks connected to it. This is different from the software Internet sharing you can set up under Windows, as you don't have to assign one PC as the Internet server. The Wireless Gateway sits on your network as a separate device, like a network printer, and can be addressed directly.

To set it up, you connect it to a network hub or switch. You can then use your Internet browser to access the device's firmware, by typing in its address. The firmware enables you to configure the Wireless Gateway for your own needs and from then on it works pretty transparently. Any or all PCs can call on Internet services as if they were each connected directly to the modem and the Wireless Gateway arbitrates between them.

Up to 16 PCs with wireless networking cards, be they desktops or notebooks, can communicate through the Gateway to their wireless neighbours or with up to 16 PCs cabled to the Ethernet network. This makes the device ideal for home and small business use and once up and running, it works trouble-free to become the essential bridge between the two types of interconnection.

Although the Intel Wireless Gateway isn't cheap, it does free your Internet server for other work and provides a basic NAT firewall to protect from Internet-borne attacks.

It is possible to share a permanent Internet connection by making a Windows PC on a network into an Internet server, but it's more convenient and safe to do this with Intel's Wireless Gateway. And, of course, the device acts as a link between cabled and wireless network segments, too.