Are IP addresses present on access points?

Most of the time, people don’t know what an access point is or how it operates, let alone if it has an IP address. It frequently gets mistaken for a router. Let’s look at it.

Yes, IP addresses and MAC addresses are both present in and used by access points. In accordance with the network and configuration, an access point may have a single IPv4 address or both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. Additionally, they are often configured with a static IP address that is not in the DHCP address space.

We must first comprehend what an IP address is and how it works before relating it to what an Access Point (AP) is and how it operates in order to determine whether and why an AP needs an IP address. This will enable us to comprehend and ascertain whether an AP actually has an IP address.

What does IP stand for?

Any device connected to a network is given a unique numerical label called an IP address. This can be on your home network or the public internet (the “web”). By comparing an IP address to your home’s address, we can attempt to comprehend what it is and why you need one. You would write the recipient’s home address on the envelope if you were to mail them a letter. This is to make sure the mail is delivered to the right place. The same is true of an IP address.

The IP address ensures that the right data is being transmitted from the internet or local network to your device. We would be unable to obtain the information we require without IP addresses. That information within the letter would never end up where it is supposed to go if it had the wrong address, just like an envelope would if it had the wrong address. We require IP addresses as the distinctive identifiers to ensure that the right data is transmitted to our device.

An access point is what?

An access point is a piece of hardware that functions as a networking device. It is also known as a wireless access point. This device, which differs from a router in the way we will explain, enables Wi-Fi enabled devices to connect to a network. An AP may be a separate piece of hardware that is wiredly attached to a router or it may be an incorporated part of the router itself.

Access points are frequently used to increase the primary network’s coverage area so that more devices can connect to it wirelessly instead of through hardwired connections. To expand wireless coverage and the number of devices that can connect to the network wirelessly, a router can have numerous wireless access points linked to it.

What distinguishes a router from an access point?

Why aren’t APs and routers the same thing, you might be asking. Your devices link to an edge network device called a router, which manages and handles network traffic by sending data where it is intended to go. As previously said, a wireless access point is a device that can be used to connect more devices to it. It then connects to your router, thereby joining the wireless devices to the network.

Are IP addresses assigned to access points?

Given that we now know what an IP address is, how it is used, and what an AP is, we can ask if an AP has an IP address. It does, in fact.

An access point will have an IP address just like any other network-connected device. Its role may differ from that of other networked devices, like your phone, tablet, PC, or gaming console, but it will always need an IP address because its main task is to connect other devices to a network. Because it is linked to a network hub (your router), it will also have a MAC address.

Why is an IP address required for access points?

Every network-connected device, as we previously stated, requires a special identification address to ensure that the pertinent data is transferred to it and nowhere else. An AP is likewise subject to this. Data that is transferred will have a better chance of reaching the connected devices with the help of the AP address.

Imagine yourself in a coffee shop using the free Wi-Fi. Normally, rather than connecting directly to the router, you will instead use an access point. In order for all the data to be transferred to your phone, it needs a path to take, and one of the roads it will take is through the IP address of the AP. The AP serves as a conduit between you, the router, and the internet.

Which IP address type will an AP have?

An AP point may have either an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address, which are the two different forms of IP addresses. The operation of both IP addresses is the same. They assign the device a special identification number so that the appropriate data can be transmitted to it and any subsequent devices linked to it.

What is the distinction between an AP’s possible IPv4 and IPv6 addresses?

A single unique address on the network is created by IPv4 using 32 binary bits, and it is represented as four integers separated by a dot. Each number is a representation of an octet, which is an eight-digit binary number.

An ordinary IPv4 address will resemble this;

66.94.29.13

An IPv6 address generates its own single, unique address on the network using 128 binary bits. It offers more security and long-term use since, as you can see, it is four times larger than 32 bits. It consists of eight colon-separated groupings of hexadecimal numbers. Typically, an IPv6 address will resemble this;

2001:0db8:0001:0000:0000:0ab9:C0A8:0102

The above may occasionally be abbreviated as such, although normally anything that is viewed as zero will be left out;

2001:db8:1::ab9:C0A8:102

Do APs have static or dynamic IP addresses?

An AP should be configured with a static IP address that will be inside the main router’s subnet but outside of its DHCP range. Although going into detail on this is outside the purview of this post, we will nonetheless define static and dynamic IPs and explain why your AP needs a static IP.

When you configure your device’s IP (address) manually, you have a static IP. You will never utilise a static IP for devices that connect to the internet if you don’t understand TCP/IP since there is so much possibility for error. They will automatically collect these from your router or Internet service provider (ISP).

These automatic IP addresses are on “lease” to you and are referred to as dynamic IP addresses. This occurs as a result of your devices’ intermittent network connectivity. They are taken away when your computer shuts down or you disconnect from the internet, and a new one is installed when you reconnect.
In the case of an AP, it is preferable to configure a static IP so that you may administer the access point from a distance without manually looking up its IP address. If it had a dynamic IP, it would have a different IP address each time it connected to the network, requiring you to log into your router and search through the list of IP addresses issued by its DHCP in order to locate the AP.

How to locate the address of your access point

If you have an AP, all you would need to do is take a quick glance at the back of the real device; there should be a label there with the IP address and MAC address printed on it.

Let’s say you wish to locate the AP address while already connected to a network. The approach will vary slightly based on the router’s configuration and headings. In that case, you can log into the router and proceed from there.

How to find your access point’s IP address using Windows

• If you are using a PC and do not have access to the router, you can change the network settings in Windows.
• Then select “network and internet settings.”
• Then select “Change Adapter Options” from the menu.
• Choose “status” from the menu when you right-click on the network you are currently logged into.
• Select “details” from the menu.
• Your AP’s IP address will then appear as a choice that displays either an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

How to get your access point’s IP address using the MAC technique

• As with the Windows approach, we’ll presume you’re already logged in to the network.
• In the menu bar, click the WiFi symbol.
• Choose “open network preferences” from the menu.
• Choose the network to which you are currently connected and select “advanced”
• Toggle to the TCP/IP tab.
• The word “Router” should be followed by your AP IP address.

Conclusion

We found that APs (Access Points) do in fact have IP addresses. This is so that the right data being transferred can be received at the right location. Every device connected to a network needs a unique address (IP address). as when you send mail and stamp the envelope with the address.

An access point (AP) is a device that links a number of wireless devices to a network; without an IP address, the information being transmitted to a device connected to the AP won’t know where to go.

Additionally, we learned that an AP can have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and that when configured properly, the access point should have a static IP. This is for user convenience.