Help You Know More About Wi-Fi Access Point

Hello, my dear friend! Today in the article we will analyze a rather interesting topic, which concerns the expansion of an existing Wi-Fi Access Point. But in particular, I will talk about a Wi-Fi Access Point, how it differs from a router (router), which is now in almost every home, and why it is needed at all.

Router and Wi-Fi Access Point

To make it easier for you to understand what an access point is, first let’s look at a router. In another way, it is also called a router – this is such a Wi-Fi AP that receives a signal from a provider via a network Internet cable. Roughly speaking, the Internet works only by connecting to it.

Further on the name, you can understand that this transmitter builds a routing table into which it writes all connected devices. As you probably already know, there are two ways to connect to the router’s network by wire – the usual connection to one of the free LAN or local ports. Most often indicated in yellow. You can connect a TV, computer, laptop, network printer, CCTV cameras, etc. there.

Wi-Fi ap is a technology that allows you to send and receive data using radio waves. The router has a built-in module or Wi-Fi transmitter that sends and receives signals from other devices.

What is a Wi-Fi Access Point and what is it for?

In simpler terms, the router receives the Internet, builds a local network, connects devices to it and distributes Internet packets over this local network. Do not confuse the Internet and Wi-Fi – they are different things. Plus, the router can have:

• Virus protection.
• Blocker of sites and dangerous content.
• Setting up a local media server.
• Internet protection.

The functionality could be even wider. But most importantly, by default, all routers have a DHCP server enabled – this is a little thing that automatically configures on any connected device: IP address, netmask, gateway and DNS servers. Without this, Wi-Fi will not be able to connect to the router.

How does Wi-Fi Access Point work?

Everything is like in the mail, because in order to send a signal or a data packet, the router needs to know the address – where to send it. And without an address, the device simply will not understand where to send the Internet or other data.

An access point or in English “Access Point” Wi-Fi is a device that receives a signal over a wire and in a given zone distributes an existing local network using Wi-Fi wireless technology. Let’s talk about an example:

Vastly lives outside the city, Vaska has a big chic house. He also decided to build a small house nearby for his mother. It is built and complete. At home, he has a powerful router, which is generally enough to cover the entire area and there is Wi-Fi in every corner.

What is a Wi-Fi Access Point?

But that’s not the problem – how to bring the Internet to your mother’s house? If you use conventional repeaters, then the connection will be poor. Since he has a generator on the street and power lines, sometimes he tries to make it rain with a tambourine and his father’s old sweater. It is clear that all this will dampen the signal of the repeater.

But Vaska came up with an idea – to run a wire to his mother’s house. There is not much to lay – only 20 meters. Here he ran the wire. Now another question is how to distribute from a router (to which a wire is connected to one LAN port) an existing network with the Internet.

What is a router Access Point?

That’s just for such purposes and there is an access point. Wi-Fi ap simply receives a network with the Internet over the wire and distributes it to all devices in the local area. Now, mom is happy and will be able to read books, watch movies and surf the Internet.

Speaking very roughly, any device that is capable of receiving an existing network and distributing it via Wi-Fi can act as an access point. By the way, the router can also act in the “Access Point” mode and simply receive and distribute traffic from the main router.

What are the differences between ports and what is it for?

Let’s take a look at the router first. It has a blue ISP wire port and local ports. Well, on the sides there are two antennas to amplify the Wi-Fi signal.

And already this instance is an access point and it has only one port. That is, the connection will be like this. Sometimes you can see the Poe port. It designs to power by a network wire in places where there are no outlets.

Wi-Fi mode switch devices

NOTE! As mentioned earlier, another router can act as an access point. To do this, simply configure Wi-Fi ap by going to the Web interface. But on some devices, there is a special mode switch.

But also the access point can work in the “Bridge” mode. In this case, the second device connects to the network of the first via Wi-Fi. A wired port connects multiple devices. For this, a conventional switch is suitable.

You cannot use a wired port at all and receive and send a signal only over the air. In this case, the device turns into a wireless access point operating in the “Repeater” mode.

There is another interesting mode of this Wi-Fi ap. It calls a WISP receiver. This technology is widely used in rural areas, where there are special WISP stations that distribute Wi-Fi with the Internet for several kilometres.