the difference between wifi range extender and access point?

[lookerup]

What is the difference between a wifi range extender and access point?

 

[greens]

What is the difference between a wifi range extender and access point?

A wifi range extender receives a wifi signal and rebroadcasts it.

An access point receives a wired connection and broadcasts it wireless.

Many units are capable of both.

An access point is always better.

 

[USAFRet]

Router->Cat5e->Access Point->WiFi devices

Router->WiFi->Range Extender->WiFi devices


A range extender is just that. Extends the range. At the expense of actual performance. It has to talk in both directions at once.
An Access Point is just to provide WiFi elsewhere, supplied by an ethernet cable.

 

[lookerup]

so let's say i need wifi to go thru walls, would an access point be better? since the extender just extends wifi with the sacrifice for speed.

 

[USAFRet]

so let's say i need wifi to go thru walls, would an access point be better? since the extender just extends wifi with the sacrifice for speed.

Router over there, WiFi waned over here.
A Cat5e cable to from 'over there' to 'over here', and then an Access Point device to provide WiFi