Why
we use Wifi Access Points
A wireless access point, commonly called
just access point (AP), is a networking device that allows easy access to the
Internet over the air. Most access points look very similar to routers. In
fact, modern routers can usually function as access points. Internet Service
Providers typically give their customers a router with the functionality of an
access point to make the set up simpler.
If they gave them a router without the
access point functionality, the customers would have to connect a dedicated
access point to the router to enjoy wireless Internet access, which would be
highly inconvenient and beyond the expertise of most home users.
The term wireless access point is often
confused with the term hotspot. A wireless access point covers an area
with a WiFi signal, and the area in which one can connect to the Internet
over the air is called a hotspot.
Before WiFi networks, it was quite
problematic to connect new devices to the Internet because each new device had
to be connected with a wire to an Internet-connected router. Of course,
students or office workers seldom carried their own personal electronic
devices, so the situation wasn’t nearly as bleak as it would be today if we
didn’t have wireless access points.
How
to Set Up a WiFi Access Point?
Every wireless access point setup procedure
should emphasize security above everything else. When a wireless access point
is connected to a physical network that bases its security on physical access
control and trusts all the users on the local network, anybody within range of
the wireless access point can attach to the network and potentially do damage.
The essential solution to WiFi access point
security is encryption. Modern access points support a range of encryption
mechanisms, with the WPA2 being the most robust. Some older access points
support only the WEP encryption scheme, which has been proven insufficiently
secure against modern attacks.
Always make sure to pick a
password that can’t be easily guessed. It’s best if you keep this password
to yourself and create a separate guest wireless network with a simpler
password that you can easily give out to friends and guests who come to visit.
Apart from security, you also want to pay
attention to the channel your wireless network is broadcasted on. CloudInfotech
discover mode can collect every detail about surrounding wireless networks and
presents the collected data as an interactive table, allowing you to
see which wireless channels are busy the most. If you can, switch to
a channel that doesn’t see much traffic to enjoy faster download and upload
speeds and better response times.
Finally, make sure to avoid placing your
wireless access point close to electronic devices that might interfere with it,
and always use a wireless analysis tool such as CloudInfotech to optimize the
coverage.
With the right tool for the job and the
basic know-how of what to do, you can set up a WiFi access point just
as well as a professional technician and solve most networking
problems you may come across.
Newly Launched Wifi Access Points:
