What device can send out a wireless signal, allowing computers on the network to connect without cables?

A wireless access point serves as a crucial device in networking, specifically designed to create a wireless local area network (WLAN) by transmitting a wireless signal. When computers or other devices need to connect to a network without using physical cables, the wireless access point facilitates this connection by broadcasting radio waves that devices equipped with wireless capabilities can detect and connect to.

In typical setups, while a router can also have wireless capabilities and perform similar functions to a wireless access point, its primary role is to route data between networks. A modem is responsible for converting signals for internet connectivity and does not inherently provide wireless network access. A network switch, on the other hand, operates primarily as a wired connection device to manage communication between various wired devices within a local network and does not transmit wireless signals.

Therefore, the wireless access point specifically allows multiple devices to join a network wirelessly, making it the most appropriate choice for this functionality.