Unlike cabled networks, wireless networks don’t need a hub or switch. If all you want to do is network a group of wireless computers, you just purchase a wireless adapter for each computer, put them all within 300 feet of each other, and voilà! — instant network.
But what if you already have an existing cabled network? For example, suppose you work at an office with 15 computers all cabled up nicely, and you just want to add a couple of wireless notebook computers to the network. Or suppose you have two computers in your den connected to each other with network cable, but you want to link up a computer in your bedroom without pulling cable through the attic.
That’s where a wireless access point, also known as a WAP comes in. It’s a box that has an antenna (or pair of antennae) and an RJ-45 Ethernet port. You just plug it into a network cable, and then plug the other end of the cable into a hub or switch, and your wireless network should be able to connect to your cabled network. A WAP actually performs two functions.
+ It acts as a central connection point for all of your computers that have wireless network adapters. In effect, the WAP performs the same function that a hub or switch performs for a wired network.
+ It links your wireless network to your existing wired network so your wired computer and your wireless computers get along like one big happy family.
Wireless access points are sometimes just called access points, or APs. An access point acts as a central connection point for wireless computers — and it bridges (that is, connects) your wireless network to your wired network.
