In a wireless local area network (WLAN), which device determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination?

In a wireless local area network (WLAN), which device determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination?

• A. Mobile station
• B. Antenna
• C. Wireless modem
• D. Wireless router

Answer: (D)

The wireless router is the device that decides the next hop for a packet. It sits at the gateway between the local WLAN and other networks and maintains a routing table that tells it where to forward packets toward their destinations. When a host on the WLAN sends a packet to a destination outside the local network, it forwards the packet to the router, which then uses its routing information to forward the packet to the next hop (another router or the ISP gateway) toward the destination. The mobile station is simply the sender/receiver endpoint, the antenna is just hardware for transmission, and the wireless modem handles the connection to the ISP; routing decisions inside the LAN are made by the router.

The wireless router is the device that decides the next hop for a packet. It sits at the gateway between the local WLAN and other networks and maintains a routing table that tells it where to forward packets toward their destinations. When a host on the WLAN sends a packet to a destination outside the local network, it forwards the packet to the router, which then uses its routing information to forward the packet to the next hop (another router or the ISP gateway) toward the destination. The mobile station is simply the sender/receiver endpoint, the antenna is just hardware for transmission, and the wireless modem handles the connection to the ISP; routing decisions inside the LAN are made by the router.