Guide: How To Set TP-Link Router as WAP
TP-Link routers are a popular choice for this home users while balancing features with price and including decent security in the mix. Known more for their Wi-Fi performance than anything else, they are a great addition to one home network. If you have one and want to set it up up your TP-Link router as a wireless access point, this tutorial is for you. This is a popular question we see in the Compsmag mailbox and it is widely discussed online. I will walk you through the entire process from start to finish and the result is a fully functioning entry point within you home.
What is the difference between a router and an access point?
Before we start uplet me clarify the difference between a router and an access point. I think it’s important to know this so you can make an informed decision about whether an access point is the right tool for the job. A router connects devices to other devices, the Internet, or another network device, such as a hardware firewall. It is an intelligent device that uses its own firmware for firewall, port forwarding, NAT (Network Address Translation), DHCP, DNS and others features. It can also have wifi capabilities. It uses routing tables (IP tables) to help decide where to route traffic. A router detects which devices are on your home network and identify them using MAC addresses. It will also check whether you are using a modem or connecting it directly to your broadband connection and will be able to route internet traffic accordingly. A wireless access point (WAP) is a different matter. A router can contain a WAP, but there are also standalone WAP devices. These act as a wireless gateway to your network that can be used to extend the wireless network or provide wireless access if your router does not have WiFi. Where a router can intelligently route traffic using IP tables and perform switching, DHCP, DNS and others intelligently features, a wireless access point cannot. It merely acts as an access point for wireless devices to access the network. It cannot route traffic, it just sends everything to the router. Think of a router as a node and the wireless access point as a ramp. The ramp directs all traffic in one direction towards the junction. It is the node’s job to direct all traffic to the destinations where they want to go.
TP-Link router as a wireless access point
Most wireless routers can be configured as a full router or only as a wireless access point. In this tutorial we do the latter. We will configure a TP-Link router as a wireless access point to act as a range extender as well as WAP. You must first connect your TP-Link router to your main router via Ethernet. You can use Wi-Fi if you want, but the setup is a bit more difficult. And if your main router has WiFi, using another router purely as a range extender is like hitting a peanut with a sledgehammer. Slightly over the top. IP addressing is important. If your main router uses a DHCP range from 192.168.1.10 to 192.168.1.100, you will want to configure the TP-Link router outside this range but within the same subnet. For example, assign it 192.168.1.210. This ensures that the two routers can communicate, but there are no IP address conflicts. Use the SSID and password you just set up on the TP-Link router and you should have internet access!
How To Set TP-Link Router as WAP: benefits
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