How do i connect to a wireless access point to assign ip address

Question

How do i connect to a wireless access point to assign ip address

Answer 1

You have to have wireless network adaptor on your machine.  Once you have one the software that came with it or if you're using XP or Vista the OS will handle this, will attempt to find a wireless network that's in range.  If you find one, and it's open (not password protected) then you can select it and you'll be connected to the internet.

Answer 2

Overview of Access Points

With a wireless access point, computers that have wireless network adapters can connect to each other and to computers on the wired (Ethernet) section of the network. Wireless base stations and routers include a built-in access point to provide wireless functionality. When a wireless base station is set up to function only as an access point, it functions as a bridge, creating connections between two separate segments of your network. In this case, the access point creates connections between the 802.11b wireless network segment and the Ethernet network segments.

This is similar to how a hub or switch works. However, a wireless access point works with wireless connections instead of Ethernet connections. You can configure newer wireless routers, such as the Microsoft MN-500 Wireless Base Station, either as a router or a bridge.

A base station configured as a router protects your network with a firewall and Network Address Translation (NAT) features. A base station configured as a router also controls how computers on your wireless and Ethernet networks connect to each other and the Internet. When a wireless base station is configured in bridge mode, the base station becomes a simple access point. With this access point, wireless computers can communicate directly with the Ethernet network. All security features are disabled and the base station cannot control how your computers use the network. The wireless base station also stops assigning IP addresses through DHCP, so either you must have an existing DHCP server, or you must assign static IP addresses to all devices on your network.

Important: While the base station is in bridging mode, you cannot access the Base Station Management Tool to modify your settings. To return your base station to the default router mode of operation, or to change your access point settings, reset the base station to its factory default settings

Answer 3

If you are talking about just the access point and not the router, it should have a static IP.  A Linksys one has a default of 192.168.1.245.  You just go in there and tell it to use DHCP.