Is a wireless router acting as an access point?
Is a wireless router acting as an access point?
I need an ethernet cable running from my main place down to the basement and then to a router that acts as an access point. I want to have working wifi in the basement and also be able to connect things via wire. Should I plug the ethernet into a switch first and then connect to the router, or can I just use the router by itself with the wifi and wired connection built right there?
Back when 5 years ago, most routers just had bridge or access point mode built-in. You would plug in an external cable to the WAN port and turn it on as an access point. Now that you can do this, your router acts like a switch with wireless internet. This means you can use the LAN ports as regular Ethernet connections without needing extra cables. Even if your router doesn't have a specific AP mode setting, you can still run it in this way by using those features. You might find a lot of online help about this on the web. Most people know how to do this unless they own an old or really cheap model that lacks the feature.
A cheap used Asus router is my pick if you don't already own one to turn into an access point (AP). This Asus setting lets you use it with just one button on the machine.