Do access points not make the speed slower?

Question

In the article, http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=1605297#p1605297, it says:

Wireless Access Point - a device that attaches to a wired network to allow wireless clients. Usually has a single port of wired ethernet.

and

WDS extender or repeater - allows wireless devices to connect to a (weak) wireless network. One downside of a repeater is that bandwidth is halved.

To me it seems like an access point can also be used in between a router and my room to extend the signal to my room, is that right? If so, can it do that without decreasing the bandwidth? On the net, no one says access point will decrease the bandwidth but people say a repeater will decrease the bandwidth.

Solution

Difference is that an Access Point is connected to a wired network and provides wireless access to this network. A repeater on the other hand does not have this wired connection but needs to communicate to the network through radio likewise. If you connect to a repeater, it needs to utilize one part of its bandwidth for receiving your data, and a similar big amount to forward this data to the real Access Point (and thus the wired network).

You cannot really circumvent this restriction since your data has to get to your real network somehow but by using wire.

If you're having this problem in an in-door scenario and you don't want to or are not able to install network cable, you could try PowerLine, »abusing« your electrical installation as network transport. Those devices are not that expensive: you just plug them into a power socket and plug your AccessPoint or computer into them via standard RJ45 connector. With this you could use your AccessPoint in AccessPoint configuration rather than repeater configuration.

Comments

[bjanssen]

Please note that HomePlug (that's the name for LAN-over-powerline, see homeplug.org) is half-duplex only and effectivley turns your powergrid into a hub, i. e. a single collision domain. Deploying more than two devices (one sender, one receiver) will work but at really low speeds only.

[whiteSkar]

So let's say I have a wireless router. Now I go get an access point and connect my access point to my wireless router using LAN. Then, I connect my PC to the access point wirelessly. In this case, the speed/bandwidth of my internet is the same as when I connect my PC to my wireless router wirelessly without using the access point in the middle?

[Andreas Wiese]

Should be so, yes.

[whiteSkar]

One last question. So since access points do not decrease the speed/bandwidth of the network, "if" I set it up like: Router -> AP -> AP -> AP -> AP -> AP -> PC all using wire except that between the last AP to PC is wireless. Is the speed in this case the same as when I set up like?: Router -> PC wirelessly.