What are the devices that is used to connect into a wireless access point?

Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are networking devices that allow Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. They form wireless local-area networks (WLANs).

An access point acts as a central transmitter and receiver of wireless radio signals. Mainstream wireless APs support Wi-Fi and are used in homes, public internet hotspots, and business networks to accommodate wireless mobile devices. The access point can be incorporated into a wired router or a stand-alone router.

What Is a WAP Used For?

Stand-alone access points are small physical devices that closely resemble home broadband routers. Wireless routers used for home networking have access points built into the hardware and work with stand-alone AP units. When you use a tablet or laptop to go online, the device goes through an access point, either hardware or built-in, to access the internet without connecting via a cable.

Several mainstream vendors of consumer Wi-Fi products manufacture access points, which allow businesses to supply wireless connectivity anywhere they can run an Ethernet cable from the access point to a wired router. AP hardware consists of radio transceivers, antennas, and device firmware.

Wi-Fi hotspots commonly deploy one or more wireless APs to support a Wi-Fi coverage area. Business networks also typically install APs throughout their office areas. While most homes require only one wireless router with an access point built in to cover the physical space, businesses often use many. Determining the optimal locations for access point installations can be challenging even for network professionals because of the need to cover spaces evenly with a reliable signal.

Use Wi-Fi Access Points

If the existing router doesn't accommodate wireless devices, which is rare, you can expand the network by adding a wireless AP device to the network instead of adding a second router. Businesses can install a set of APs to cover an office building. Access points enable Wi-Fi infrastructure mode networking.

Although Wi-Fi connections technically do not require the use of APs, they enable Wi-Fi networks to scale to larger distances and numbers of clients. Modern access points support up to 255 clients, while old ones support only about 20. APs also provide the bridging capability that enables a local Wi-Fi network to connect to other wired networks.

History of Access Points

The first wireless access points predated Wi-Fi. Proxim Corporation (a distant relative of Proxim Wireless) produced the first such device, branded RangeLAN2, in 1994. Access points achieved mainstream adoption soon after the first Wi-Fi commercial products appeared in the late 1990s.

While called WAP devices in earlier years, the industry gradually began using the term AP instead of WAP to refer to them (in part, to avoid confusion with Wireless Application Protocol), although some APs are wired devices.

In recent years, smart home virtual assistants have come into wide use. These include Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which fit into a wireless network much like computers, mobile devices, printers, and other peripherals via a wireless connection to an access point. They enable voice-activated interaction with the internet and control home-related devices, including lights, thermostats, electrical appliances, televisions, and more, throughout the Wi-Fi network that the access point enables.

In this configuration, an access point is connected directly to a wired LAN, providing a connection point for wireless users. If more than one access point is connected to the LAN, users can roam from one area of a facility to another without losing their network connection.

Repeater access point

An access point or mesh extender can be configured as a standalone repeater to extend the range of your infrastructure or overcome an obstacle that blocks radio communication.

The repeater forwards traffic between wireless users and the wired network by sending data to either another repeater or an access point that is connected to the wired network. The data is sent through the route that provides the best performance for the client.

Bridges

Access points can be configured as root or non-root bridges to join multiple networks. An access point in this role will establish a wireless link with a non-root bridge. Traffic is then passed over the wireless link to the wired network.

Workgroup bridge

Access points that are in workgroup bridge mode can "associate" to other access points as clients and provide network connections for devices connected to Ethernet ports.

For example, if your business needs wireless connectivity for a group of network printers, you can connect the printers to a hub or a switch, connect the hub or switch to the access point Ethernet port, and configure the access point as a workgroup bridge. The workgroup bridge will then "associate" to an access point on your network.

Central unit in an all-wireless network

In an all-wireless network, an access point acts as a standalone root unit. It is not attached to a wired LAN. Instead, the access point functions as a hub that links all stations together. It serves as the focal point for communications, increasing the communication range of wireless users.

Key benefits of upgrading to WAPs

WAPs are a more convenient, secure, and cost-efficient alternative to using wires and cables to connect every computer or device in your network. And using WAPs to set up a wireless network can provide many advantages and benefits for your small business.

For one, a wireless network is more convenient to access. Adding new users is a lot less complicated, too. And you can easily provide Internet access to guest users by giving them a password to access your wireless network securely.

Also you can easily segment users, including guests, to help protect your network resources and assets.

Preparation for the future

When you invest in WAPs that feature future-ready modularity, you are helping to ready your IT infrastructure to support next-generation technologies.

WAPs that meet the new Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard, for example, can help you build a reliable, scalable, and secure wireless network to handle the rapidly growing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices—and the data that those devices will create.

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