access point

"An access point is a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) transceiver or base station that can connect a wired LAN to one or many wireless devices. Access points can also bridge to each other. There are various types of access points and base stations used in both wireless and wired networks. These include bridges, hubs, switches, routers, and gateways. The differences between them are not always precise, because certain capabilities associated with one can also be added to another. For example, a router can do bridging, and a hub may also be a switch. But they are all involved in making sure data is transferred from one location to another. See also bridge, hub, and router."