You may have heard of a hotspot, and may even possess a mild understanding of it. However, you find that you still have to ask, “what is an access point and what does it have to do with a Wi-Fi hotspot?”

It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and it ends up as one of the key components to any WLAN set up that you build, or you access publicly. As a matter of fact, you can find a wireless access point guide at any good wireless review website, and it will explain how to employ this concept perfectly.

So, first, let’s answer the question:

What is an access point in the home?

An access point is the point where your broadband signal is sent and received by your wireless devices. Although not always the case, your most common access point is what’s called a router. A broadband signal comes into your home via a cable which your provider supplies. The cable is plugged into your access point, which then redirects a wireless signal out into your network.

The main difference between a router, and a true “access point” is that the wireless router actually adds security to the wireless network data transmissions, where traditional access point devices don’t necessarily have security features.

What is an access point in a Public Wi-Fi hotspot?

The wireless Wi-Fi AP at your local library or school campus is basically the same as you’d set up at home. The differences may include, but are no limited to:

* Wider range

* More security

* Password protection

* Signal amplification

The basic premise is the same: a wireless router transmits the signal, and any wireless device with the proper capabilities can pick up the signal and get online.

What is an access point that and is it wireless?

If you wondered what a wireless access point is, well here is the answer:

It is a laptop or any other device that is wirelessly connected to a local area network. Then the connected device in turn transmits a broadband signal to the other computers. It effectively turns that computer or device into a router. It’s also known as a virtual access point, or a virtual AP, which comes in handy when multiple connections to the internet are not available.

To get a wireless set up like this working, the first step is to make your wireless device into a wireless router. The computer that will act as the router needs to download the proper software. Once installed and recognized by the computer, this software gives the wireless device the capabilities to redirect wireless broadband signals to other wireless devices.

Keep in mind: The other wireless devices will still need to have the capability to receive wireless signals - either built-in or installed externally.

It’s easy to see that an access point is not confusing if you don’t get too bogged down into technical terms that computer experts exchange during normal conversation. If anyone were to ask you, “what is an access point?” you can confidently answer the question without technical jargon.