However, now that most any router has built in WiFi and plays many roles including being a AP, many don’t use dedicated AP as they have in the past. Wireless Access Point vs Router: Which One should I Buy?īefore routers became standard with built in WiFi, we must use a wireless AP to connect wireless devices to our network. It just converts an existing wired network (LAN) into a wireless one (WLAN). A router can be a access point but a access point can’t be a router. Wireless access point does not route anything. This was done by using a Ethernet cable to connect a switch and a AP and the AP would then communicate with WiFi devices and giving them network access. Routers on the other hand can manage an entire home or small business giving network capability to many computers and devices simultaneously, either wired or wirelessly (when wireless router used).Īs for wireless access point (AP), it’s commonly wire connected to Ethernet network’s router, hub or switch and then to create a simple wireless network. That is to say if we want to connect to Internet, we must use a router.

It serves to connect a local area network (LAN) to a wide area network – Internet (WAN). A typical consumer router is a wireless router and it has two network interfaces: LAN (including WLAN) and WAN. A router is a device that routes packets between different networks.

Most anyone who has an Internet connection has a router. What’s the wireless AP? Is it the same as the wireless router? What’s the difference between them? Wireless access point vs router: the difference between them will be introduced in this blog. However, we’ve heard more and more about the word “wireless access point” or “AP” recently. Among, wireless router is the most familiar one in our lives. And surely you hear people around talking about the wireless equipment from time to time. Nowadays wireless networks are almost at every home.

Small business routers reddit