A wireless gateway is a computer networking device that routes packets from a wireless LAN to another network, typically a wired WAN. Wireless gateways combine the functions of a wireless access point, a router, and often provide firewall functions as well.

     source - Wireless gateway. (2006, February 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 3, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_gateway

When a standard AP device might prove underpowered for the volume of wireless clients (more than, say, 50 simultaneous connections), Hautspot moves up to the next level of hardware, the Sputnik Gateway 700 device. The Gateway 700 does not include an access point, but rather de-couples the gateway functionality found in the AP160 and other Sputnik Agent-enabled AP's, relying upon stand-alone AP devices, such as the Sputnik AP250 and AP260 unit(s) for wireless connectivity.