About this interactive
From the lesson:
- **Wireless access point:** lets wireless devices connect to the network and gain access to the rest of it. The network's router and switch are already in place. It works at Layer 2.
- **Wireless router:** acts as an access point and a router (and, in a home box, a switch and firewall too). It is what you use when the location needs its router.
You would not use an access point where you wanted a wireless router, or a wireless router where you wanted an access point. A second router behind the first adds a second routed network, which causes problems (lesson 0200, double NAT).
What you'll learn
- Choose between a wireless access point and a wireless router for a situation: an access point adds wireless access to a network that already has its router; a wireless router is an access point and a router (with a switch and firewall) in one box
- Explain that a wireless access point works at Layer 2, while a wireless router also routes between the home network and the internet
Aligned to
CompTIA Network+
1.2
Compare and contrast networking appliances, applications, and functions.
Key terms
- Wireless Access Point
WAP
- A device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi.
- Wireless Router
- A network device that combines the functions of a wireless access point and a router, providing both wireless connectivity and routing between networks.
- Router
- A network device that forwards data packets between networks based on IP addresses.
- Data Link Layer
- Layer 2 of the OSI model responsible for node-to-node data transfer and error detection on a single network segment.
Topics
Wireless Access Point
Wireless Router
Wi Fi
Layer 2
Interactive
Streak Sort
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