Point-to-Multipoint (P2MP) topology in the context of wireless bridging, refers to a communication structure that enables a single wireless network access point to communicate with multiple remote nodes. This configuration is typically used in wireless internet and IP telephony via wireless networks. In a P2MP system, one central node (the "point") connects to several other nodes (the "multipoints"). The central node may be a base station of a service provider, for instance, and the multipoints could be customers' premises. This configuration allows the central node to communicate directly with any other node without having to go through an intermediate node, enhancing the efficiency and speed of data transmission. The term Access Point is often used to refer to the central node, and the term Station is often used to refer to each receiving multipoint node.
Unlike Point-to-Point bridging, the performance of each multipoint node is impacted by the traffic on any/all other multipoint nodes. Careful planning is required to ensure performance is adequately preserved to each Station.