Access Point
A device that bridges wireless clients to the wired network by broadcasting one or more SSIDs.
A wireless access point (AP) operates at Layer 2 (the data link layer) of the OSI model, connecting Wi-Fi clients to a wired Ethernet network by bridging the 802.11 wireless medium and 802.3 wired frames. APs broadcast one or more SSIDs and authenticate clients, often via WPA3 or WPA2. When multiple APs share an SSID under a wireless LAN controller (WLC), clients roam between them with little interruption. The key exam distinction is AP versus wireless router: a router adds NAT, DHCP, and a WAN port in one device, while a standalone AP only bridges wireless to wired. In infrastructure mode, all client traffic passes through the AP, unlike ad hoc (IBSS) mode, where clients communicate directly.
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