Differences between fat AP and thin AP, advantages and disadvantages of networking

1. What is AP? How to distinguish fat and thin AP?

Let's talk about the concept of AP first. AP is short for Access Point, which is a wireless access point. Its function is to convert the wired signal (electrical signal) transmitted through the twisted pair in the local area network into a radio signal and transmit it to wireless terminals such as computers and mobile phones. At the same time, it converts the wireless signals sent by these wireless terminals into wired signals and transmits them through the twisted pair in the local area network. In this way, wireless coverage is formed, that is, a wireless local area network. When we usually say AP, we are referring to the thin AP mentioned below.

Wireless APs can usually be divided into two categories: Fat APs and Fit APs. They are not distinguished by appearance, but by their working principles and functions. Of course, some fat and thin APs can be distinguished by appearance, for example, those with WAN ports must be fat APs.

[[240765]]

In addition to the wireless access functions mentioned above, fat APs generally also have WAN and LAN ports, support DHCP server, DNS and MAC address cloning, VPN access, firewall and other security functions. Fat APs usually have their own complete operating system and are network devices that can work independently, and can implement dial-up, routing and other functions. A typical example is our common wireless router.

Thin AP, figuratively speaking, is to slim down the fat AP, remove the routing, DNS, DHCP server and many other loaded functions, and only keep the wireless access part. The AP we often refer to is this type of thin AP, which is equivalent to a wireless switch or hub, and only provides a wired/wireless signal conversion and wireless signal reception/transmission function. As a component of the wireless LAN, the thin AP cannot work independently and must cooperate with the management of the AC to become a complete system.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of fat and thin AP networking

What are the advantages and disadvantages of fat AP and thin AP networking solutions? We will explain and compare them in detail from the following aspects.

1. Network scale and application scenarios

Fat APs are generally used in small wireless network construction and can work independently without the need for AC. They are generally used in homes, small businesses, or small offices where only a small number of APs are needed for complete coverage.

Thin APs are generally used in the construction of medium and large wireless networks. A certain number of APs are used in conjunction with AC products to form a larger wireless network coverage. The usage scenarios are generally shopping malls, supermarkets, scenic spots, hotels, catering and entertainment, corporate offices, etc.

2. Wireless roaming

Fat AP networking cannot achieve wireless roaming. When a user walks from one fat AP coverage area to another fat AP coverage area, they will reconnect to a fat AP with a stronger signal, re-authenticate, and re-obtain an IP address, resulting in network disconnection.

When a user walks from the coverage area of ​​one thin AP to the coverage area of ​​another thin AP, the signal will automatically switch without the need for re-authentication or re-acquisition of the IP address. The network is always connected online, making it easy to use.

3. Automatic load balancing

When many users are connected to the same Fat AP, the Fat AP cannot automatically perform load balancing to distribute users to other Fat APs with lighter loads. Therefore, the Fat AP will frequently experience network failures due to the heavy load.

In the AC+thin AP network, when many users are connected to the same thin AP, the AC will automatically distribute the users to other APs with lighter loads based on the load balancing algorithm, reducing the AP failure rate and improving the availability of the entire network.

4. Management and maintenance

Fat APs cannot be centrally managed and need to be configured one by one, which is cumbersome. Thin APs can be centrally managed with AC products without the need for separate configuration, especially when there are a large number of APs. The advantages of centralized management are obvious.

In summary, although the AC+thin AP networking model has many advantages mentioned above, in small-scale networking, many users, such as restaurants, cafes, 4S stores, inns, beauty salons, gyms, etc., will choose to use several fat APs to provide WiFi to customers for cost reasons. The result is that although WiFi is available, the user experience is not good, which cannot add points to its own services. In many cases, it even deducts points, making customers unwilling to patronize again.

From the above, we can see that fat AP networking solutions are rarely used nowadays. Basically, the AC+AP networking mode is used, and the AP must be used in conjunction with the AC controller.

Based on this, today's wireless APs have basically achieved fat-and-thin integration. The wireless APs from Fengrunda that I know of, whether they are wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted, single-band or dual-band, all support Fat/Fit working modes, and can be switched according to the needs of their own usage scenarios, making networking more flexible.