An apparatus and method for relaying messages via a wireless medium within a network environment having an access point that provides access to a destination station. The apparatus of the invention includes a means for modifying an ARP query packet by substituting a built-in MAC address for a sender address in an ARP datagram of the ARP query packet and a source address in a MAC header of the ARP query packet and further changing a BSSID in the MAC header of the ARP query packet from the built-in MAC address to a MAC address of the access point. Moreover, the apparatus of the invention includes another means for modifying an ARP reply packet issued from the destination station by changing a BSSID in a MAC header of the ARP reply packet from the MAC address of the access point to the built-in MAC address.