the difference between a wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router

wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router

 the difference between a wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router. Now a lot of people  think that these two devices are the same thing. But even though they do look similar and they do  similar things, they are in fact different. So let's first talk about a Wi-Fi router. Now almost  everyone who has an internet connection in their home would have a Wi-Fi router, whether that Wi-Fi  router is a separate device or if it's built into  their modem. A Wi-Fi router is what allows multiple  wired and wireless devices to join together in a  local area network. It'll broadcast a Wi-Fi signal  so that wireless devices can connect to it and it'll also have a built-in switch with several  network ports so that wired devices can connect  to it using Ethernet cables. And then that Wi-Fi  router will directly connect to a modem to give those devices internet access. Wi-Fi routers are  mainly used in homes and small offices. So here  we have a typical home where a couple of desktops  are connected to the Wi-Fi router's built-in switch  using cables. And we also have laptops and tablets  that are connected wirelessly to the router. So now let's talk about a wireless access point. A wireless AP relays data between a wired network and wireless devices. It's basically a wireless hub  that's used by wireless devices to connect to an  

wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router

existing wired network. A wireless AP connects  directly to an organization's router where the router is then connected directly to a modem. Which  gives the wireless devices access to the internet.Now wireless access points are primarily used by  medium to large organizations and typically an  organization will have multiple access points  to make sure it covers the entire building. So for example here we have a medium sized office. And this office has desktop computers, laptops, and tablets. So the desktop computers will connect  to the organization's router using Ethernet cables.But in order for the wireless laptops and tablets  to connect to the network, this office is going to  use wireless access points. So the access points  are going to be placed in strategic places and  each of them will connect to the router using an  Ethernet cable. Then once that is done they will  all broadcast a Wi-Fi signal so that the laptops  and tablets can connect wirelessly and join this  network so now all the desktop computers and  wireless devices are joined together in one  network. And that one network is managed by one  single router and because wireless access points  are managed by a single router, that is one of  the main reasons why larger organizations use  wireless access points instead of Wi-Fi routers. Now in reality this office here can use Wi-Fi  routers instead of wireless APs and it would  work just fine. But the problem with using Wi-Fi  routers instead of wireless APs is manageability. If the network administrator wanted to manage this  

wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router

network and make certain changes, he would have  to log into each Wi-Fi router to make that change.  And that could be a hassle and time-consuming  especially if there were a lot of Wi-Fi routers. But if this office was using wireless access  points instead, then all the management and all  the changes in the configuration would be done by  this single router. Which makes managing a network  a lot easier. So all the wireless devices can  be treated as a single subnet instead of being  treated as multiple subnets if Wi-Fi routers  were used. Another difference between these is  how devices are able to connect to them. Wireless  access points are strictly for wireless devices to  connect to, where as Wi-Fi routers are able to  accept connections from both wireless devices  and wired devices. Because in addition to having a  Wi-Fi antenna Wi-Fi routers will also have a built  in switch to accept Ethernet cable connections.  Another difference is a firewall. Wireless access  points don't have a firewall, while Wi-Fi routers  will have a firewall. Wi-Fi routers will also have  a built-in DHCP service. A DHCP service is what  automatically assigns IP addresses to devices  that are connected to it. So when devices connect  to a Wi-Fi router, its built-in DHCP service will  directly assign those devices an IP address. But  since Wireless APs don't have a DHCP service, the  devices that are connected to it will get its  IP address from the organization's router. So once a device connects to the wireless AP, the  router will send the IP through the wireless  access point and then to the device. And another  difference is that Wi-Fi routers will have a WAN  

wireless access point and a Wi-Fi router

port or internet port. A WAN or internet port is  where you would plug in a network cable coming  in from your modem. And this is what gives your  Wi-Fi router an internet connection so it can  pass it on to other devices, whereas a wireless  access point doesn't have a WAN or internet port. So it cannot directly connect to a modem. It has  to connect directly to a router instead and then  the router is what connects to a modem . And on  a final note wireless access points are often  used to further extend a network's existing  wireless signal. So for example if this home  needed to extend its Wi-Fi signal further into  this home, you can attach a wireless access point  using a network cable to the Wi-Fi router so that  distant devices can connect to the Wi-Fi signal.