What is the difference between a router and an access point?

Question

network hardware

They say "wi-fi hotspot" and "wi-fi router", but as far as I know, these are different things, so what's the difference?
I would like to find a specific answer, what is the difference between these devices.

Answer 1

The trouble is that even the manufacturers themselves confuse these concepts.
Initially, based on theory, an "access point" is a device that processes traffic at the second level of the ISO / OSI model. Those. it is a "switch with wireless and wired interfaces". The "router" is the third layer of the ISO/OSI model, handling traffic at the layer 3 protocols, such as IPv4.
If we talk about a "WiFi router" - it usually consists of some kind of "router that provides L3 and, most often, NAT" and a "switch with wireless and wired interfaces." And in the "access point" for SOHO devices, there is usually the same thing, i.e. it is a router. And the division at the SOHO level into routers and access points is done by the manufacturer arbitrarily, most often by functionality - like "if there are several ethernet ports, it means a router, if there is one, it means an access point." But this is an incorrect division, blurring concepts and serving only for marketing purposes.
A classic access point (for example, the Cisco Aironet family) does not have the functions of a user traffic router, has its own IP address only for management, and,

Answer 2

An access point is practically a media converter that transmits packets unchanged in both directions.
The router, as you might guess from the name, can perform certain actions with packets, for example, filter them, act as NAT, redirect, etc. depending on sophistication.

Answer 3

It's probably about dlink.ru/ru/products/5/728.html - WI-FI router
AND about the access point www.tp-link.ua/products/details/?model=TL-WA5210G
Something like this