Comprehensive comparison between wireless routers and Wireless AP

At present, there are a lot of market demands for wireless routers. So I have studied the features and practical applications of wireless routers. I would like to share with you here, hoping to help you. As we all know, a vro is equivalent to a combination of vswitches and routing functions, and the price is higher than that of a vswitch, which is easy to understand. In the same sense, a wireless router is equivalent to a combination of wireless APs and routers, and has more functions than a single AP. It is reasonable to say that the price of wireless routing should be higher, but the opposite is true, at present, the price of the same level of Wireless AP on the market is much higher than that of the wireless route, and the average price is more than 400 yuan. If you are preparing to build a wireless LAN, will you buy a Wireless AP or a wireless router? What are the differences between them?

What is a Wireless AP?

Wireless AP: AP is short for Access Point. It is generally translated as "Wireless Access Node or Wireless Access Point". It mainly provides wireless workstation Access to wired LAN and wireless workstation Access from wired LAN, A wireless workstation within the access point can communicate with each other. Generally speaking, a Wireless AP is a bridge between a wireless network and a wired network. It is also equivalent to a wireless hub and a wireless transceiver.

What is a wireless router?

Wireless Router: a wireless router is a combination of Wireless AP and Broadband Router. With the help of the router function, it can achieve Internet Connection Sharing in the home wireless network, and achieve wireless shared access between ADSL and residential broadband, in addition, a wireless router can allocate all the terminals that use it for wireless and wired connection to a subnet, so that various devices in the network can exchange data conveniently.

Functional score

A Wireless AP is equivalent to a wireless switch and cannot be directly connected to the ADSL Modem. Therefore, you must add a switch or hub to assign an IP address to the wireless network card connected to the AP from the router. Wireless Bridges are also a type of Wireless AP. Because a wireless router is a collection of AP, routing functions, and switches, it supports wired and wireless networks to form the same subnet. It can be directly connected to MODEM or ADSL Broadband, and supports automatic dialing, A wireless router integrates some AP functions, but cannot implement all AP functions.

Application score

Wireless AP is used in many environments such as companies, factories, and campuses that require extensive wireless network coverage. It is more suitable for those that only need to convert wired signals into wireless signals, and to the occasion of the signal amplification. The coverage is relatively large and can be used as a forwarding station for wireless signals. The number of wireless clients supported is also large. Wireless routers are widely used in personal, home users, and SOHO environments. They integrate Wired Broadband routers and wireless APs, provide powerful management functions, and can be connected to computers through twisted pair wires, easy communication between wired and wireless networks. However, the number of wireless clients is limited.

Summary: although they are all devices in the wireless LAN, the number of Wireless AP instances is larger than that of wireless routers, and the signal sending and receiving capabilities are stronger, wireless AP has high requirements on wireless signal processing capabilities. Therefore, Wireless AP is more "focused on wireless expansion and wireless layout", and the costs invested by manufacturers are relatively higher, this may be one of the main reasons why the price of a Wireless AP is higher than that of a wireless router. You can select a Wireless AP or a Wireless Router Based on your actual needs and network conditions.