Point of Presence (POP)

Point of presence (POP) is the point at which two or more different networks or communication devices build a connection with each other. POP mainly refers to an access point, location, or facility that connects to and helps other devices establish a connection with the Internet. POP is primarily the infrastructure that allows remote users to connect to the Internet. A POP is generally present at an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or the telecommunication service provider. It can consist of a router, switches, servers, and other data communication devices. An ISP or telecom provider might maintain more than one POP at different locations, with each catering to a distinct user base. Moreover, POP also supports the conversion of analog to digital data and vice versa to complement different data communication technologies and receiving devices.

How Points of Presence Work
Points of presence work very much like Internet exchange points, only on a smaller scale. The equipment located in a point of presence can be broken down into five categories:

• Base stations: A central point of connection with an access point and bandwidth management to distribute connection speeds
• Client equipment: Used by customers to connect to the central point of connection
• Network switches: Provides the link to the “last mile” and is used for distribution
• Routers– Provides multiple routes to the network
• Firewall– Protects from internal and external threats

See Also

• Software Architecture
• Enterprise Architecture
• Client Server Architecture
• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Software Design
• Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN)
• Software Project Management
• Software as a Service (SaaS)