What happens if you press and hold the reset button for less than five seconds on an access point?

Pressing and holding the reset button for less than five seconds typically causes the device to reboot without resetting to factory settings. This action reinitializes the access point's operating state but preserves its configuration, allowing it to reconnect to the network without losing any customized settings.

The concept behind this feature is to provide a quick way to refresh the device's performance or resolve minor connectivity issues without the need to reconfigure it from scratch. Users often utilize this option when they encounter transient issues that may be resolved simply through a reboot.

In contrast, holding the reset button for a longer duration would initiate a factory reset, erasing all settings, while other actions like disconnecting from the network or entering recovery mode are not typical outcomes of a short press on the reset button.