Wireless Access Points?

what exactly does a wireless access point do?

thats all i need to know...

They just increase the amount of space where you can surf the net using a WAP. IE if you can only go 50 feet before you lose connetion, this will increase it up to say 100 feet. They of course now offer over 1000 feet of coverage.

Well, if you look a the name of this, it says Wirreless Access Point. Access point means like a connector on a HUB or a ROUTER. Meaning if you connect your LAN network card to Access Point and if u had configured your Network settings correctly, you can then be connected to a network or the internet.

Wireless Access Point gives you NON-WIRE connection to a network or to the Internet. You also need WIRELESS LAN CARD.

One of good factory for those is SMC. Here is the link. SMC - link

A wireless access point (WAP or AP) is a device that "connects" wireless communication devices together to create a wireless network. A wireless access point acts as the network's arbitrator, negotiating when each nearby client device can transmit. The WAP is also usually connected to a wired network, and can relay data between devices on each side. Many access points can be connected together to create a larger network that allows "roaming" where a person using the network caninfrastructure network. In contrast, a network where the client devices manage themselves is called an ad-hoc network.

Wireless access points with easy installation and low cost (at first glance) rapidly grew in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These devices offered a way to avoid tangled messes of Category 5 cable associated with typical Ethernet networks of the day. While wiring a business, home, or school often requires stringing many cables through walls and ceilings, wireless networking offers the ability to cut down on the number of cables strung or, in some cases, remove them entirely. Wireless networks also give users greater mobility freeing individuals from the need to be stuck at a computer tied to the wall. On the industrial and commercial side, wireless networking has had a big impact on operations: employees are often armed with Portable Data Terminals having barcode scanners and wireless links, allowing them to update work progress and inventory in real-time.

thx tux

An access point is merely a transmitter...which has the following features:

1. It can be used just to increase the range of your wireless network...say from abt 30 metres to anywhere in the house....This method is also known as Access point bridging..

2. It can be used to just send the signals forward...that is, an access point can only transmit the signals...the main job of providing connection is the actual line coming behind ur router....So you can just connect your access point to your wired router and through your wireless pc access the internet too. So this function is like that of a wireless switch.

By the way, I used to be the tech support guy for LINKSYS (data a part of CISCO)..so i hv dealt in linksys routers, switches,,etc. So any queries are welcome.Would b glad to answer them

Take care,

Mohit Vohra.