A

access control layer: Baked into the Wi-Fi standards; specifies how a Wi-Fi device, such as a mobile computer, communicates with another Wi-Fi device, such as a wireless access point. Also called MAC layer.

access point: A broadcast station that Wi-Fi computers can communicate with. Also called AP, hotspot, and base station. Access points are used as the central point for a network of Wi-Fi computers.

access point/router: This common hardware combination combines the functionality of a Wi-Fi access point with that of a network router.

ad-hoc mode: Wi-Fi computers in the ad-hoc mode communicate directly with one another in a peer-to-peer fashion without using an access point to intermediate network communication.