Aim: Study & setup of WAP.

Theory:

Access Point:
An access point is a device that creates a
wireless local area network, or WLAN, usually in an office
or large building. An access point connects to a wired
router, switch, or hub via an Ethernet cable, and projects a
Wi-Fi signal to a designated area. For example, if you
want to enable Wi-Fi access in your company's reception
area but don’t have a router within range, you can install
an access point near the front desk and run an Ethernet
cable through the ceiling back to the server room.
Introduction:
Prior to wireless networks, setting up a computer network
in a business, home or school often required running
many cables through walls and ceilings in order to deliver
network access to all of the network-enabled devices in
the building.
With the creation of the wireless access point,
network users were able to add devices that access the
network with few or no cables. An AP normally connects
directly to a wired Ethernet connection and the AP then
provides wireless connections using radio frequency links
for other devices to utilize that wired connection. Most APs
support the connection of multiple wireless devices to one
wired connection. Modern APs are built to support a
standard for sending and receiving data using these radio
frequencies. Those standards, and the frequencies they
use are defined by the IEEE.
Wireless Access Point:
Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are
networking devices that allow wireless Wi-Fi devices to
connect to a wired network. They form wireless local area
networks (WLANs). An access point acts as a central
transmitter and receiver of wireless radio signals.
Mainstream wireless APs support Wi-Fi and are most
commonly used in homes, to support public internet hot
spots and in business networks to accommodate the
proliferation of wireless mobile devices now in use.
The access point can be incorporated into the wired router
or it can be a stand-alone device.
If you or a co-worker use a tablet or laptop to get online,
you are going through an access point—either hardware
or built-in—to access the internet without connecting to it
using a cable.
Wi-Fi Access Point Hardware
Stand-alone access points are small physical devices
closely resembling home broadband routers. Wireless
routers used for home networking have access points built
in to the hardware, and they can work with stand-alone AP
units. Several mainstream vendors of consumer Wi-Fi
products produce access points, which allow business to
supply wireless connectivity anywhere it can run an
Ethernet cable from the access point to a wired router. AP
hardware consists of radio transceivers, antennas
and device firmware.
Wi-Fi hot spots commonly deploy one or more wireless
APs to support a Wi-Fi coverage area.
Business networks also typically install APs throughout
their office areas. While most homes require only one
wireless router with access point built in to cover the
physical space, businesses may use many of them.
Determine the optimal locations for where to install access
points can be a challenging task even for network
professionals because of the need to cover spaces evenly
with a reliable signal.
Limitation
It is generally recommended that one IEEE 802.11 AP
should have, at a maximum, 15-25 clients per radio (most
APs having between 1 and 4 radios). However, the actual
maximum number of clients that can be supported can
vary significantly depending on several factors, such as
type of APs in use, density of client environment, desired
client throughput, etc.
The range of communication can also vary
significantly, depending on such variables as indoor or
outdoor placement, height above ground, nearby
obstructions, other electronic devices that might actively
interfere with the signal by broadcasting on the same
frequency, type of antenna, the current weather,
operating radio frequency, and the power output of
devices. Network designers can extend the range of APs
through the use of repeaters, which amplify a radio signal,
and reflectors, which only bounce it. In experimental
conditions, wireless networking has operated over
distances of several hundred kilometers.
Using Wi-Fi Access Points
If the existing router doesn't accommodate wireless
devices, which is rare, a homeowner can choose to
expand the networks by adding a wireless AP device to
the network instead of adding a second router, while
businesses can install a set of APs to cover an office
building. Access points enable so-called Wi-Fi
infrastructure mode networking.
Although Wi-Fi connections do not technically require the
use of APs, they enable Wi-Fi networks to scale to larger
distances and numbers of clients. Modern access points
support up to 255 clients, while old ones supported only
about 20 clients. APs also provide bridging capability that
enables a local Wi-Fi network to connect to other wired
networks.
Security
Wireless access has special security considerations. Many
wired networks base the security on physical access
control, trusting all the users on the local network, but if
wireless access points are connected to the network,
anybody within range of the AP (which typically extends
farther than the intended area) can attach to the network.
The most common solution is wireless traffic encryption.
Modern access points come with built-in encryption. The
first generation encryption scheme, WEP, proved easy to
crack; the second and third generation
schemes, WPA and WPA2, are considered secure. if a
strong enough password or passphrase is used.
History of Access Points
The first wireless access points predated Wi-Fi. A
company called Proxim Corporation (a distant relative of
Proxim Wireless today) produced the first such devices,
branded RangeLAN2, starting in 1994. Access points
achieved mainstream adoption soon after the first Wi-Fi
commercial products appeared in the late 1990s. While
called "WAP" devices in earlier years, the industry
gradually began using the term "AP" instead of "WAP" to
refer to them (in part, to avoid confusion with Wireless
Application Protocol), although some APs are wired
devices.
Conclusion:
Thus, we learnt about Wireless Access Point
(WAP) and will be able to configure and use it.