Not all access points can serve as routers
9:00 am: You use your laptop to hold a video conference in the office. At 9 pm, you watch live shows on your mobile phone at home. Wait, have you ever thought of any wireless devices that work for your smooth network? Of course, you often hear people talk about “routers.”. What about wireless AP (Access Point)? Is it the same with routers? Absolutely not! Wireless access points and wireless routers. We will help you distinguish between these two different wireless network devices in the following content.
What is a wireless router?
A router is a network device that can transmit data in a wired or wireless manner. As an intelligent device, routers can effectively guide the inflow and outflow of traffic in the network. Traditionally, routers connect to other LAN (local area network) devices through Ethernet cables to achieve wired networks. Over time, wireless routers, which provide a user-friendly installation without wiring, have increasingly become the “darling” of many homes and small offices.
Wireless routers refer to network devices that wirelessly connect laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices that support WiFi to perform router functions. For enterprise routers, it supports IPTV/digital TV services and can be used for VoIP (Voice over IP) calls. In addition, they also have firewall and password protection capabilities to defend against potential threats outside the LAN.
What is a wireless access point?
A wireless access point, also known as a wireless AP or WAP, is a network hardware device that adds Wi Fi functionality to existing wired networks by bridging the traffic of wireless stations to a wired LAN. The wireless AP can be either a stand-alone device or a component of a router.
In general, wireless APs can enable devices without built-in Wi Fi connections to access wireless networks through Ethernet cables. That is, the signal from the router to the access point is converted from wired to wireless. In addition, WAP can also be used to expand the wireless coverage of existing networks to cope with increasing access needs in the future.
What is the difference between a wireless access point and a router?
Both wireless access points and wireless routers support Wi Fi network connectivity and play a similar role. This created confusion. In fact, these two network devices are more like cousins than twins. The difference between the two will be explained below.
Function
In general, most wireless routers combine the capabilities of wireless AP, Ethernet routers, basic firewalls, and small Ethernet switches. Wireless access points are typically built-in components of devices such as routers or Wi Fi network extenders. In summary, wireless routers can serve as access points, but not all access points can serve as routers.
