Similarities and differences between the AP functions of the Wireless Router

The similarities and differences between the AP functions of a wireless router are as follows. It is a concern of many friends. What parameters are worth your attention? In addition to the specific performance of the router, you should also understand your needs.

Similarities and differences between the AP functions of the Wireless Router

With a cup of fragrant coffee, you can freely talk to netizens in any corner of your home. This is the charm of wireless! With the rapid development of Wireless networks, Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) has become the first choice for many SOHO networks. Although wireless networks are becoming increasingly popular today, wireless networks are new things after all, so many netizens are confused about wireless network products. Today, we distinguish between the wireless router and the wireless router AP functions from four aspects: functionality, application, networking, and cost.

Asus mini-level AP WL-330g current Wireless AP can be divided into two types: balanced AP and extended AP. The routing function is relatively simple for balanced AP. It can only be equivalent to a wireless hub. For such Wireless AP, no products can be connected !! The extended AP is also a wireless router on the market. Because of its comprehensive functions, most extended APS not only have Routing Switching functions, but also DHCP and network firewalls.

Generally, an AP has only one WAN port. Currently, most wireless APS on the market are extended APs. For extended APs, they can be interconnected within a short distance; if you need a long distance for transmission, you need Wireless Bridges, dedicated antennas, and other devices !! In fact, wireless bridges are also a type of Wireless AP.

The AP function of a wireless router is divided into the following functions:

Wireless AP: AP is short for Access Point, which is generally translated as "Wireless Access Node". 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. In general, Wireless AP is a bridge between wireless networks and wired networks. Because the coverage of a Wireless AP is a circular area that spreads outward, the Wireless AP should be placed in the center of the wireless network as much as possible, in addition, the linear distance between each wireless client and the Wireless AP should not exceed 30 meters to avoid communication failure due to excessive signal attenuation.

Wireless routing generally has four wired LAN ports in addition to the WAN port. A wireless router is a combination of a balanced AP and a Broadband Router, internet connections in the home wireless network can be shared to achieve wireless shared access between ADSL and residential broadband. In addition, A wireless router can allocate the terminals that use it for wireless and wired connection to a subnet, so that various devices in the network can exchange data conveniently.

It can be said that a wireless router is a collection of APs, routing functions, and vswitches. It supports wired and wireless networks to form the same subnet and directly connect to the MODEM. A Wireless AP is equivalent to a wireless switch that is connected to a wired switch or vro and gets an IP address from the vro for the wireless Nic connected to it.

The AP function of the wireless router, Which is differentiated from applications:

Independent APs are widely used in companies that require a large number of APs for large-scale coverage. all APs are connected over Ethernet and connected to independent Wireless LAN firewalls. Very high-grade Linksys router WRT54G home wireless dream equipment, wireless routers are used more in SOHO environment, in this environment, an AP is enough. In this way, the wireless router that integrates the Broadband Access Router and AP provides a single machine solution, which is easier to manage and cheaper than the two separate machine solutions.

A wireless router generally includes a network address translation (NAT) Protocol to support network connection sharing among Wireless LAN users. This is a useful feature in the SOHO environment. They may also have basic firewalls or information packet filters to prevent port scanning software and other attacks against broadband connections. Finally, most wireless routers include an Ethernet converter with four ports to connect several wired PCs. This is very convenient for managing routers or connecting a printer to a LAN.

From the network topology analysis: the AP cannot be directly connected to the adsl modem. Therefore, you must add a switch or hub when using the gateway. When a hub or vswitch is used in the topology above, the AP and the wireless route are used in the same way. However, most wireless routers have the bandwidth dialing capability, so they can directly connect to the adsl modem for broadband sharing:

The cost analysis of the AP function of the wireless router: the price of the Wireless AP of 802.11B is similar to that of the wireless router. Generally, the price of the wireless router is about 100 yuan, there may be a gap of several hundred yuan between the prices of different brands and additional functions, but the price difference of cheap products is also more than 100 yuan. Now you know if you want to build a wireless network, you need a Wireless AP or a wireless router!