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Forum Discussion
Wireless Access Point definition
I am not finding the name of the type of device I need. I found this article:
What is an Access Point and How is it Different from a Range Extender? (linksys.com)
and nothing fits.
I have a working wireless setup in my house. It has a TV cable modem connected to a wireless ethernet router with hard cable Ethernet connection.
I want, what I call, a wireless access point, in the garage. There is good signal strength there. I want to connect an Ethernet switch in the garage, but use wireless to get to the switch, not an Ethernet cable to the main router. But, per the article, a wireless access point implies a hard cable to the main router.
I don't need a range extender as there is plenty of wireless strength everywhere in the house. By the same concept, I don't need a repeater.
What is the proper name of the type of device that I need?
4 Replies
When you say you "don't need a repeater", the problem with this is in reality you do.
A device can't be just a receiver, it has to send and receive. This means it also acts as a repeater if you so choose.
You can choose not to connect devices to it wirelessly and just use its ethernet ports. This would achieve the objecting you are trying to do.
You could use an access point that has a repeater mode or you could use a simple wireless extender.
Call the two devices CR for computer room router (which is also wireless) and G for garage. The G device does not need to connect to any wireless device but the CR. It does not send the signal any further. Yes, I am aware that the G devices sends and receives, but the wireless part of it connects only to the CR. The goal is not to extend the wireless network from the garage, just access the existing network. The names still do not make sense to me.
How about this? An Ethernet switch that can join a wireless network.
Still, what device do you, dear reader, reccomend? The D-Link DAP 1665 did work, so maybe order another one. But prices have about doubled in the last two years.
Edit: just saw this name: Wireless Base Station. That seems to fit.
I don't think you're grasping the concept. If a device can connect via wireless like that, it can act as a repeater/extender. So thats what they make. They make 1-4x port extenders. And you can add a simple unmanaged switch to it if you want more than that.
You can even disable the ssid so you can't "see" it broadcasting. But it still broadcasts.
It'd be the same as what you're wanting. Your switch you evision, would broadcast the same distance because they're omnidirectional. It just wouldn't show as a "wifi network". Same as if you disabled the wireless ssid.
bkelly1369 wrote:
I want, what I call, a wireless access point, in the garage. There is good signal strength there. I want to connect an Ethernet switch in the garage, but use wireless to get to the switch, not an Ethernet cable to the main router.
What you need is a wireless extender.
Forget about stuff you read on the Internet, try plugging your needs into the filters on the product pages:
WiFi Range Extenders: Boost Your WiFi Range | NETGEAR
I don't need a range extender ...Oh yes you do.
Pick one that has an Ethernet output. Most do.
A range extender works as a wifi repeater but often it can operate as an access point, wired back to the router
If you just want an Ethernet outlet inn the garage, then another option is Powerline Ethernet. But that depends on the quality of your domestic mains circuit. If the garage has its own fuse box and isolators, that can interrupt the signal on the mains circuit.
