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Networking & Telecommunications vocabulary · Wireless and Mobile Networks

Access point

Meaning in networking & telecommunications, with examples

nounCore term

In networking & telecommunications, access point means: A device, usually mounted on a ceiling or wall, that sends and receives Wi-Fi signals and connects wireless devices to the wired network.

In Turkish: erişim noktası, kablosuz erişim noktası, AP

How it is used

Often shortened to AP, said 'ay-pee'. Engineers install, mount, power and manage access points, often from a central wireless controller or a cloud dashboard. A home 'Wi-Fi router' combines a router and an access point in one box.

Example sentences

  1. We need two more access points to cover the warehouse properly.

  2. The access point in room 204 is offline; it has probably lost PoE power.

Common collocations

  • install an access point
  • wireless access point
  • ceiling-mounted access point
  • access point placement
  • wireless controller
  • Wi-FiThe common name for wireless local networks based on the IEEE 802.11 standards, which connect devices to a network by radio, mainly in the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands.
  • SSIDShort for service set identifier: the name of a Wi-Fi network, up to 32 characters long, that devices see in their list of available networks.
  • PoEShort for Power over Ethernet: a technology that sends electrical power and data over the same Ethernet cable, so devices such as access points, IP phones and cameras need no separate power supply.
  • signal strengthHow strong a received Wi-Fi or mobile signal is, usually measured in dBm; values closer to zero are stronger, so -55 dBm is better than -80 dBm.
  • roamingUsing a mobile network other than your own operator's, usually abroad; in Wi-Fi, moving from one access point to another without losing the connection.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Wireless and Mobile Networks

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