Skip to main content

Networking; Access Point 🆚️ Router, What is the Difference?. Click here to learn more.

To give us news or for latest updates, click here on WhatsApp to contact us directly.


An access point is the same as a router, right? Not quite.

Setting up Wi-Fi for your home or business can easily become overwhelming and confusing. There are quite a few different terms and devices involved in the process, and every Wi-Fi situation is unique. A large business with a ton of devices connected to a network over a large area will need drastically different things than a simple home with a few devices.

Understanding different Wi-Fi-related terms help you know exactly what your home or business needs to have a reliable, speedy network. Two terms you'll often come across include "router" and "wireless access point," but what do they mean, and how are they different from one another? Let's break it down.

                     What Is a Router?

To understand what a router is, you first need to understand what a modem is. You can think of your modem as essentially your gateway to the internet. Without a modem, you wouldn't be able to access the internet at all in your home or business. Your modem is typically provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).


A router connects to a modem directly via an Ethernet cable to give you more direct Ethernet ports as well as provide wireless connectivity for other devices in your home, like your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

The network created by your router is referred to as your local area network (LAN). Your LAN consists of every device currently connected to your router, through a direct Ethernet connection or a wireless one. Then, your LAN is connected to a larger, wide area network (WAN) via your modem.


To sum it up, your router acts as an intermediary device between your modem and all of the devices in your home or business. Though there are routers that only offer wired Ethernet connections, most Wi-Fi routers nowadays offer wireless connectivity with a built-in access point. So then why are wireless access points sold on their own? Let's take a look.

A wireless access point is a network device that acts as an access point for devices to connect to a LAN, but it must be connected to a router via an Ethernet cable. Through the Ethernet cable, a wired signal turns into a wireless one.


So then, if you need a router regardless of whether you have a stand-alone wireless access point or one built into the router, what's the point of stand-alone access points?

Well, wireless access points are often used to extend the wireless coverage of your LAN. This is useful for large homes with Wi-Fi dead spots or large businesses that span thousands of square feet. Plus, using a wireless access point also increases the number of users that can connect to the network, which is also useful for businesses with multiple employees.


Router vs. Access Point: What's the Difference?

To put it plainly, a wireless router can function as a wireless access point, but an access point can't act as a router.

You won't even have to bother with deciding between only having a wireless router or adding wireless access points for most people. As mentioned above, modern wireless routers typically come with everything you need for a reliable wireless network for a home or small business, like direct Ethernet ports, wireless connections via a built-in access point, and a basic protective firewall.


You would typically only add a wireless access point to your system if you needed to extend your coverage across a larger area or an area with Wi-Fi dead spots or if you needed extra room on the network for more connected devices. But you need a router to manage the local area network and communicate with the wider area network.


Which Option Is Best for You?

A wireless router with a built-in access point will be the best solution for most homes and small businesses.

If you have a business or home spread out over a large square footage or even multiple floors in a building, you'll probably need to invest in a few wireless access points to ensure there are enough connection points and room on the network for everyone to connect without issue.


And if you're in a home or even a small business, don't immediately go out and buy a wireless access point to help with poor connection areas or dead spots in your home. Instead, make sure you test your Wi-Fi speed first. Often, there can be an issue with the coverage provided by your ISP or something wrong with your modem or your router. So before you go spending more money, make sure everything you currently have is working well.
BY SARAH CHANEY

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

We Bring You Brief Series of Sanctions Against Uganda Government Officials.

📸: Gen Abel Kandiho. On 9-December-2021, USA slapped sanctions against the then CMI Commander Gen Abel Kandiho. 📸: Gen Kale Kayihura. On 9-December-2022, UK slapped sanctions against former Police Boss Gen Kale Kayihura. 📸: Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija. Again on this 4-December-2023, the same USA has slapped sanctions against Uganda Prisons Commander Johnson Byabashaija over alleged torture and human rights abuses in Prisons across Uganda. We ask, has USA and UK made December as an LCM to slap sanctions against high ranking government officials in Uganda even when the sanctions just remain on paper without deeper investigations to ascertain logical conclusions or remedy to that effect ?. #iip_updates  #Information_is_Power  #we_inform_the_uninformed

How to Host a Website for Free From Your PC or Laptop.

Why pay for a web hosting service when your old computer can do the same thing? Learn how to self-host your site. If you're planning to launch a website but don't want to pay recurring monthly or annual hosting fees, you can use any old laptop or desktop PC to host a website for free. It's a great way to utilize your old system instead of throwing it away. In this guide, we will install and set up services on our 10-year-old laptop to host a WordPress, Joomla, or custom HTML or PHP-based website with a free SSL certificate. MAKEUSEOF VIDEO OF THE DAY Things You Will Need to Host a Website Following are the pre-requisites to host a website for free from home with just your computer: An old laptop or PC running Ubuntu Server. A registered domain name for your website Ethernet cable to connect the laptop or PC to router for reliable and fast connection Step 1: Update and Upgrade the Packages After  installing Ubuntu Server on your computer , execute the following c...

WHERE IS MINISTER OF SEX SIMON LOKODO?. (He deserves a battle of soda from me! Ministe`r esalanga mabee. He is quick to run after Mrs Dr Stella Nyanzi and other Opposition elements. Government aza aza edo zuu vaa kpere bua). Anyway, below is the article! POLICE OFFICER AKOL ESTHER CHARGED OF BEING A PUBLIC NUISANCE Naughty Officer Officer who embarrassed police after leaking nude photo charged 13.03.2018 She serves in the 'Very Important Persons Protection Unit'  Akol Esther  (Courtesy) A female police officer whose nude photo surfaced on social media has been charged of being a public nuisance. Akol Esther serves in the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU) of the police force. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire says Akol Esther might be demoted or expelled from the police force if found guilty of circulating nude photos. Police court is yet to announce date when Akol Esther is expected to appear for a hearing. This comes at a time when Pornography Control Committee is taking tough measures against persons circulating pornography content. The committee warned and promised to arrest persons who will circulate pornographic content.

POLICE OFFICER AKOL ESTHER CHARGED OF BEING A PUBLIC NUISANCE Naughty Officer Officer who embarrassed police after leaking nude photo charged 13.03.2018 She serves in the 'Very Important Persons Protection Unit' Akol Esther  (Courtesy) A female police officer whose nude photo surfaced on social media has been charged of being a public nuisance. Akol Esther serves in the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU) of the police force. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire says  Akol Esther might be demoted or expelled from the police force if found guilty of circulating nude photos . Police court is yet to announce date when Akol Esther is expected to appear for a hearing. This comes at a time when Pornography Control Committee is taking tough measures against persons circulating pornography content. The committee warned and promised to arrest persons who will circulate pornographic content.