Client in infrastructure or ad hoc mode
Assigning an IP address to your wireless interface is independent of the 802.11 network configuration and uses the same utilities
or daemons as a wired network. The main issue is whether your TCP/IP configuration is dynamically assigned, or statically
configured. A static TCP/IP configuration can be applied regardless of the state of your wireless network connection. The
wireless network could be active, or it could be unavailable until later. A dynamically assigned TCP/IP configuration (via
the DHCP protocol) requires that the wireless network configuration be active, so that it can reach the DHCP server somewhere
on the network. This is typically applied in a network that is centrally administered (using infrastructure mode with a WAP).
DHCP server on WAP acting as a gateway
If you've configured your WAP to act as a gateway, you will have your wireless network on a separate subnet from your wired
network. In this case, you could be using infrastructure mode or ad hoc mode. The instructions below could work in either
mode. You'll likely be using infrastructure mode, so that your network is centrally administered. You can implement DHCP services
by running dhcpd directly on your gateway, or by using dhcprelay to contact another DHCP server elsewhere in the ISP or
corporate network that manages DHCP services for subnets.