Difference between wi-fi router and wi-fi adapter

Wireless networks provided us with comfort of movement, but confused in terminology. The average user with access to the Internet and periodically working or playing there, network equipment appears to be winking somewhere behind a box and a bundle of wires, although most often proudly bearing the name “wireless”. Nobody wants to understand data transmission technologies without special need, and even more so to study theory. Therefore, organizing independently access to the network, it is not surprising to get confused at the sight of the variety of technology that should open this very access. Wi-fi adapters and wi-fi routers on store shelves are equipped with scanty lists of characteristics that are almost identical, their manufacturers are also the same, and the price range is quite wide. However, upon closer examination, these devices turn out to be different, and in some ways even diametrically opposite.

Definition

Wi-fi adapter is a device for receiving and transmitting a wi-fi signal (IEEE 802.11 standard), which works when connected to a computer via common physical interfaces.

Wi-fi adapter

Wi-fi router - a device designed to exchange data packets between segments of the same network via wireless communication IEEE 802.11 standard.

Wi-fi router

Comparison

The difference between a Wi-fi adapter and a Wi-fi router, primarily in the tasks. An adapter is a discrete receiver installed in the system so that the computer can connect to a Wi-fi network. A router is a device that organizes this network, connecting all its participants. By themselves, neither the adapter nor the router can access the Internet.

Wi-fi adapters are intended mainly for stationary computers, the motherboards of which do not have a wireless module. Mobile equipment does not need adapters. The adapter and computer can be paired through different interfaces, but today most users prefer usb, SD and PCI. Wi-fi routers do not create client gradation, and work with any devices that have a Wi-fi receiver.

The key difference between a Wi-fi adapter and a router is independence. If the router does not need communication with client devices in order to work, then adapters without a connection are a set of hardware and plastic. Most Wi-fi adapters receive power from the client's motherboard, while routers most often require an autonomous power supply (with the exception of USB routers that have enough power from the port).

A Wi-fi adapter is an extremely simple device, configurable only physically (if there is an antenna, it can be rotated, for example) or by means of the operating system. A Wi-fi router assumes multiple configurations, and is capable of performing the functions of a firewall. The router has an IP address, the adapter does without one, and its coordinates on the network are displayed according to the address received from the router.

Conclusions TheDifference.ru

  1. The adapter is designed to connect the system to a wireless network, a router - to organize this network.
  2. Wi-fi adapter is required for systems or devices without a wireless module, Wi-fi router works with all devices in the network area.
  3. Wi-fi router is an independent device, Wi-fi adapter requires a client to work.
  4. The router is fine-tuned, the adapter practically does not allow for customization.
  5. The router has its own IP address, the adapter receives it from the router.
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