WAP (Wireless Access Point) Device for WiFi Extending
Our houses are usually available for WiFi which is provided by devices such as routers. However, in most public places, WiFi is often provided via WAP (Wireless Access Point) devices. Especially for enterprise network, WAPs is the necessary part of an efficient, complete and flexible data communication network.
What Is A WAP (Wireless Access Point) Device?
WAP (Wireless Access Point) is a wifi device used to convert the data from wired Ethernet into wireless signal, letting the devices like computer, tablet and cellphone be connected to a network through network cables. They are usually deployed in office environment and some public places like train station and hospital. The deployment of Wireless Access Point device allows end users in public places get wireless access to the Internet at any place of a certain area.
Factors That Matters to A WAP (Wireless Access Point) Device
The capacity of a Wireless Access Point device is related to many factors. Before buy a WAP wifi device, several key factors should be considered.
Speed
The price of a WAP (Wireless Access Point) wifi device is closely related to the speed that it can support. The faster the speed, the higher the price. Now there are 300Mbps, 1200Mbps, 1750Mbps or higher speed available.
Power Supply
WAP (Wireless Access Point) is an active device which means it requires electrical power during working. However, It is usually deployed on the wall or ceiling where power outlet is usually lack of. Thus. PoE (Power over Ethernet) technology is being used in wireless access point. Now, many WAP (Wireless Access Point) wifi devices can support both PoE and power cord for power supply.
Terminals and Coverage
As above mentioned, WAP (Wireless Access Point) wifi device can only cover a certain area as the wireless signal can be easily weakened by a lot of things. The transmission distance of the wireless access point is limited.
Single-Band or Dual-Band
The wireless signal has radio frequency bands. 2.4GHz and 5GHz are the two bands for WiFi. Generally, the 2.4GHz can provide longer range, while 5Ghz can provide more channels and has less interference. Single-band WAP (Wireless Access Point) wifi devices can support only one of the two bands, while the dual-band ones can support both the 2.4Ghz band and 5GHz band.
WAP (Wireless Access Point) Installation and Connection
As mentioned, WAP (Wireless Access Point) is usually designed into wall/ceiling mounted boxes. The installation steps of these boxes provided by different vendors are usually similar. Here takes the example of a ceiling mounted one to illustrate the installation process(shown in the following picture).
To take a WAP (Wireless Access Point) wifi device into work, a length of Ethernet cable is usually used to connect it to a PoE switch as shown in the following picture. However, if you are using a non-PoE device, an additional power cords and the adapter is required to connect the power outlet to provide low voltage for the non-PoE device.
Conclusion
WAP (Wireless Access Point) is an ideal Wi-Fi solution for public places like office, hospital, train station, etc. When buying one, the speed, power supply, coverage and radio frequency band should be considered.
