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I am just learning the differences between routers and AP. Based on what I have understood, AP just acts like a wireless switch enabling multiple devices to connect to a single router.

Since it is possible to build a LAN with just a single switch, is it possible to build a LAN with single AP without internet access?

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3 Answers 3

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Yes, it's possible. Your wireless clients can communicate with each other (although on some consumer devices, you have to explicitly allow this).

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  • This is known as ad-hoc mode, right?
    – gardenhead
    May 18, 2017 at 15:46
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    @gardenhead No, this is still infrastructure mode. Ad-hoc does not use an AP.
    – Ron Trunk
    May 18, 2017 at 17:24
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A LAN is a layer-2 network, and all hosts on a LAN are peers. Routers route between networks, not from a LAN back to the same LAN. Switches and WAPs are bridges that operate on layer-2 LANs, and neither requires a router unless the hosts need to communicate to/from a different LAN.

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Yes, you can. Computers in this case are in the same network, and they can communicate with each other through the AP.

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  • Why can't a server be on the wireless network?
    – Barmar
    May 1, 2017 at 21:28
  • Here we assumed there is no internet access , the AP acts like a switch so the devices connected to the AP can communicate without access the Internet
    – Nina
    May 1, 2017 at 22:37
  • I'm talking about local servers on the WLAN. Obviously you can't reach Internet servers if you're not connected to the Internet.
    – Barmar
    May 1, 2017 at 23:53
  • you can reach server in the same network
    – Nina
    May 2, 2017 at 16:28
  • You should clarify the answer to say what you really mean. Although I don't understand the point you were trying to make -- it's obvious that he's talking about a local network that's not connect to the Internet, so why would anyone think you could connect to Internet servers?
    – Barmar
    May 2, 2017 at 16:35

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