[Discuss] Looking for WiFi router with certain characteristics

[bogstad at pobox.com (Bill Bogstad)]

On Tue, Jul 29, 2014 at 10:11 AM, Derek Atkins <warlord at mit.edu> wrote:
> Bill Bogstad <bogstad at pobox.com> writes:
>
>> it can be put into: Wi-Fi Router, Access Point, and Range Extender
>> modes.   Which it is in depends on software
>> configuration and how the Edimax physically connects to the rest of
>> your network.  It might be a good idea to verify
>> that the device is correctly configured.
>
> Okay, here's a dumb question:  What's the difference between "Access
> Point" mode and "Range Extender" mode?  Is "RE" mode using wireless as
> the backhaul, whereas "AP" mode uses wired as the backhaul?

As far as I can tell, that's the way your device (and every other one
that I've looked at) does it.   Technically, I think Richard Pieri is
correct in that an AP doesn't HAVE to bridge to wired Ethernet; but I
don't think I have ever seen one that doesn't offer that option.
Certainly not in the consumer market.  Of course, you can always just
not connect wired Ethernet, if you truly want it to be a standalone
wireless Ethernet. In either case, the device shouldn't do any IP
routing and probably will not provide any network services (say DNS
server).  If you read your manual you will find that it still wants an
IP address though (either static or via DHCP) so that you can manage
it via its web interface.

Bill Bogstad