Difference between router and access point.

Many modern users access the Internet using routers and access points. What are these devices?

Facts about routers

A router is a device capable of simultaneously connecting a large number of computers to the Internet (or to a local network). They can be wired or wireless - working over Wi-Fi. For the average user, routers are almost always associated with Wi-Fi technologies. These devices usually connect directly to the provider's server. A synonym for a router is "router".

Many models of such devices are also capable of performing the function of a modem and are used in cases where the connection to the provider's server is carried out via fiber-optic or, for example, DSL-channels. If the connection with the Internet provider is organized via an Ethernet cable, then you can use a router that is only a router and does not function as a modem.

Facts about access points

An access point is a hardware and software gateway that allows you to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. To ensure its operation, it is mainly a router that is used. But in some cases, an access point can be created, for example, using a smartphone, tablet or PC that is equipped with a Wi-Fi card.

Wireless networks discovered by a mobile device or Windows built-in network tools are access points. Connecting to them may require entering a password.

There are 2 main types of access points:

  • those that are organized using routing technologies;
  • those that are formed when the Ad-hoc standard is used.

Access points of the first type are created using specialized devices - most often it is routers, which are fully adapted to the use of routing technologies. Its main advantages are the ability to:

  • connect a large number of computers to the network;
  • provide high speed file exchange on the network;
  • configure strong password protection algorithms for the network;
  • give a stable wireless connection.

The Ad-hoc standard is simpler than the routing technology. Its use does not require the use of specialized devices. You can create an access point that works according to the Ad-hoc standard using any device that supports Wi-Fi technology - a computer, smartphone, tablet.

The Ad-hoc standard does not allow many of the modern ways of protecting access points with passwords, it is inferior to the previous technology in ensuring high speed of file exchange and the stability of network connections. But in the absence of a router, it may well organize a Wi-Fi network for sharing files or sharing the Internet, albeit not always working stably.

One Wi-Fi enabled router, mobile device or computer can form multiple access points. Each of them will have a unique name.

Comparison

The main difference between a router and an access point is that the first is a device, a kind of hardware that supports various communication technologies. An access point is, in turn, a software tool that allows these communication technologies to be used in practice.

It may be noted that some IT professionals refer to the router as an “access point”. This is, in principle, acceptable if the router forms one Wi-Fi network. But if there are several of them on one router, it will not be entirely appropriate to call this device an access point. "Access points" is absolutely incorrect.

In turn, it is completely wrong to call the access point "router". First, because, as we noted above, it is a software tool, while a router is a device, a kind of hardware. Secondly, not every access point is formed by a router. It can be created, as we noted above, using a mobile gadget or a PC.

It is also worth noting that wired routers — those that do not support Wi-Fi — cannot create hotspots.

Thus, the router and the access point form a bundle. A router is a device that supports the required technology and allows computers to access the network. An access point is a software mechanism that provides this input to the network in practice, opening a "gateway" to the router.

Table

Having studied the difference between a router and an access point, let's try to fix its main criteria in the table.

Router Access Point
What do they have in common
A router with which one access point is created can be called an "access point"
What is the difference between them
Is a device, a kind of hardwareIs a software tool, allowing the use of the technologies of a router or other device with similar functions
If the router does not support Wi-Fi, then it cannot form access pointsAccess points can be created not only with using routers, but also when using other devices supporting the Wi-Fi standard
.