whats the difference, AP and Standard Router?

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carasage

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Hey all:

this boggles my mind... what the hell is the difference between a Wireless Access Point and a Wireless Router???

Dont they do the samething?

DI-624 - Wireless Router
DWL-2100AP - Wireless AP
DI-824VUP - Wireless Router VPN/Print Server

Can someone tell me the difference???
 
Wireless Access Point
It will allow to let you access wireless. It won't generete IP address as router do. You need to have DNS server running or a router to get IP address.

Wireless router
to clearify, Wireless Router = Router + wireless access point.
You dont' need DNS server to generate IP because router can generate IP for all the clients that connect through wired and wireless.
 
myanmarguy said:
Wireless Access Point
It will allow to let you access wireless. It won't generete IP address as router do. You need to have DNS server running or a router to get IP address.

Wireless router
to clearify, Wireless Router = Router + wireless access point.
You dont' need DNS server to generate IP because router can generate IP for all the clients that connect through wired and wireless.
Click to expand...

??? lol still quite confusing to me but they seem to do the same thing. for home use what would u recommend? the router or access point?

Also does it mean that a wireless access point would not allow
PC A be connected to PC B that are both on the wireless AP? However The router allows that because IPs are generated?
 
You can't connect PC A to PC B eventhough both PC connected to wireless access point (AP) because wireless AP doesn't give IP to your PC A and B. To be able to connect between PCs or internet, each PC must have IP address. I would recommand Wireless router with 4 port switch if you are going to buy one for your home.(most of the wireless router has 4 port switch).

Let me explain again:

Router
Generate IP for connected PC. Share internet connection.
you need IP address for each machine to connect each other or internet.

Access Point
Allow PC to connects wirelessly to Access Point.
Doesn't generate IP

Wireless Router
Router + Access Point
So when your PC is connected to wireless router. Access point allows you to connect wirelessly and Router generate IP for your PC. So you can connect to internet or between PCs
 
I see...
im an idiot... but again

whats the point of the access point? does it let you connect to the internet? is that what starbucks are using, wireless access points?? correct?
 
The use of access point is-
Says a big office building they already has DHCP server running (to generate IP) and they want to provide wireless access through out the building. So they just put the access point where they want to have wireless access. In that case router is not needed to generate IP since DHCP server is generating IP for all PC under the same LAN. By doing this, they save money, and all PCs are under the same domain (router has built-in dhcp server, so if they put wireless router instead of access point, all PCs connect through the router will be under different domain (under router domain and not in the same LAN)).

Starbucks may have wireless router since those pcs will need ip address to connect to the internet.

correction: in my previous post, DNS supposed to be DHCP. :)
 
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