Access Point, Wireless

Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are specially configured nodes on wireless local area networks (WLANs). Access points act as a central transmitter and receiver of WLAN radio signals.
Access points used in home or small business networks are generally small, dedicated hardware devices featuring a built-in network adapter, antenna, and radio transmitter. Access points support Wi-Fi wireless communication standards.
Although very small WLANs can function without access points in so-called "ad hoc" or peer-to-peer mode, access points support "infrastructure" mode. This mode bridges WLANs with a wired Ethernet LAN and also scales the network to support more clients. Older and base model access points allowed a maximum of only 10 or 20 clients; many newer access points support up to 255 clients.

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How To Connect To a Wireless Router for Local Administration

You may sometimes need to connect to a wireless router locally to update its configuration. Accessing a wireless router's configuration screens requires you to know the router's IP address as well as the admin login name and password. You should also be aware of a few common Wi-Fi connection problems and how to solve them.

1. Verify the current local IP address of your router. Home broadband routers are manufactured to use a default address such as 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.2.1. If you are unsure of your router's default IP address, or if you have changed the default previously, follow these instructions: How To Find a Router's IP Address
   
2. Verify your computer is connected to the router either via an Ethernet cable or wirelessly association with the router. In either case, ensure your computer possesses a valid IP address. See: What's My IP Address?
   
3. Open a Web browser window and request a connection to the router using its local IP address. For example, type http://192.168.1.1/ in the browser's address bar to request a connection to a router using the IP address 192.168.1.1.
   
4. If the browser request is successful, you will be connected to the router and prompted for the administrative login (username and password) information. Enter the administrative login information to authenticate yourself to use the router's admin screens. Broadband routers contain default usernames and passwords when first installed. Consult your router's documentation if you need to know the default login information.
   
5. If the browser request returns an error message, your computer is likely not connected to the router. You may need to perform additional troubleshooting to establish a connection. Try the following procedures and repeat step 3 above as needed to resolve any connection problems:
   a. Reboot (power off and on) your router b. Temporarily disable your network firewall c. Reset your router to factory defaults (consult the manufacturer's documentation)

Tips:

1. If this is the first time you are connecting to a wireless router for admin work, consider using a wired Ethernet link rather than a Wi-Fi link. Your Ethernet connection will keep working even if you haven't finished configuring or accidentally break the Wi-Fi settings.

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