What is the difference between a wireless hub, a wireless router, and a wireless access point?

[rnmcd]

What is the difference between a wireless hub, a wireless router, and a wireless access point?

I want to network (I think) but I don't fully comprehend this different hardware.

Please enlighten a networking newbie.

Thanks.

 

[WarSong]

A wireless access point is basically what the name implies. It gives wireless devices access to a wired network.
A wireless router is a standard home router (or gateway) that has an access point built-in.
I haven't heard the term wireless hub but I would imagine it is the same thing as the wireless access point.

edit: JackMDS' FAQ might help: Link

 

[scorpioLP]

With an access point, you can plug it into any standard hub and you have wireless access to your network.

A wireless hub just gives you extra ports on the Access point.

And a router is the "smartest" of all of them. Lets you configure network traffic better and in the wireless setups allows you to take your incoming broadband connection and spread it out over your entire network using a single IP, usually using MAC cloning and DHCP.

 

[Beandog]

WAP=Wireless Access Point...this device just connects to your existing Router and allows you to add computers in other rooms etc to be able to connect with the network and share your cable or DSL modem access to surf the web. If you don't already have a "Router" like the BEFSR41 4 port wired router by Linksys, then your probably better off buying a "blended" Router that has the 4 ports for local computers to be wired directly in the same room, and it also has a built in Wireless Access point too which lets you connect other computers through wireless means...just realize that for every machine that you want to set up as "wireless" you will also need a seperate Wireless or USB card to communicate to your wireless access point. I would'nt concern yourself with just a "HUB", you should make sure you get a "Router" since this provides the proper "switching" for your network to keep things smooth. I am by no means an expert though, so check this link out below, it has an excellent set of articles for the Novice starting out on the wireless path...this link is to the basic article...but check the main page out and look at the top left for other articles covering everything you need to know to get started.
LINK

 

[rnmcd]

Thank you folks so much for the education!

Do all wireless routers have the capability to clone a MAC address? If not, how can I determine which wireless routers do this?

Thanks again!

 

[JackMDS]

Heheh, long time ago I learned never to use the term All.

Whenever I say All there is some one that will find an exception.

So. Almost all Wireless Cable/DSL Routers has MAC cloning capacity.

For sure the big players. Netgear ? Linksys ? SMC ? D-Link ? Belkin - etc.

BTW. Since the Routing business takes away from the ISP potential to charge for additional IPs the cloning capacity is usually not put in the list of the Router?s capacities. Once you target a Router you can log to the Manufacture site. And look at the manual (if there is no manufacture site, and no online manual, don?t buy it).

The deal of the week is this:

$59 - Barricade Wireless Cable/DSL Broadband Router.

Scroll down and you will see the $40 rebate.

 

[ktwebb]

Only thing I'll throw in is that a couple posts define an AP as a device that allows you to connect to a wired segment. That's certainly a capability however a wired segment is not a requirement. You can have a completely wireless infrastructure if you were fine with a contained LAN, no WAN (internet) access, and relatively slow transfer speeds. Also, while I reckon it would be easy enough to do, and there certainly may be some out there, I haven't seen any AP's with LAN ports on it unless it was integrated with a router. The term wireless hub derives from the method that AP's communicate with the clients. Broadcast CSMA and shared bandwidth like a hub. Calling an AP a wireless hub is completely appropriate. Now calling them WAP's on the other hand............😉