What is the difference between a standalone access point and a controller-based ("thin" or "lightweight") access point, and what is a key operational benefit of the controller model?

• A.A standalone ("fat") AP manages its own configuration locally; a lightweight AP offloads configuration, RF management, and security policies to a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC), enabling centralized management, consistent policy, and seamless roaming across all APs
• B.A standalone AP must be connected via fiber; a lightweight AP can use copper Ethernet, because VoIP phones require a dedicated power circuit because PoE cannot exceed 5 watts. A next-generation firewall's application awareness comes from reading the TCP urgent pointer
• C.Controller-based APs cannot support WPA3 because the WLC terminates encryption before forwarding
• D.A lightweight AP requires more processing power than a standalone AP because it performs all encryption locally; a bridge builds its forwarding table from ARP replies rather than frame source addresses. An air-gapped network can be managed remotely through its dedicated management VLAN