Key Takeaways
- Routers connect multiple devices to the internet at the same time, creating local area networks.
- They manage network traffic, assigning bandwidth to devices based on requests and prioritizing data packets.
- Routers also provide vital security features, acting as a firewall against potential malware and hacker attacks.
Many modern electronic devices and appliances are designed to connect to the internet. You can surf the web on your computer, stream Netflix shows to your TV, and update games on your Xbox Series X. However, if you only own a modem, you only do these one at a time. In order to stream Netflix while simultaneously working online, you’ll need a router.
What is a router?
Connecting an entire network to the internet instead of one device
While modems can only link up to one device at a time, usually a computer, routers specialize in splitting a modem’s connection between an entire house’s worth of smart devices. When a smart device requests a data packet, the router forwards it to the modem, which sends it to the appropriate server. Once the internet sends the appropriate data packet back through the modem, the router forwards it to the correct device. Depending on the source of the request, the packet might be part of a game update to a show on Netflix.
How does a router work?
Gathering data packet requests and disseminating the results
At their core, routers manage network traffic, which is how they connect more than one device to the internet at a time. Every smart device connected to a router forms part of a local area network (LAN) which means they can communicate with one another and send each other commands. The internet as a whole can be considered a wide area network (WAN).
Whenever a device in the LAN asks for a data packet from a WAN-based source, the router determines how to deal with that request. The router does this via an internal routing table stored in its Random Access Memory (RAM). At the heart of every routing table is an Internet Protocol address (IP address). Each IP address is a string of numbers that tells modems and internet servers where data requests originate and where the results should go.
Routers are also in charge of a smart home device’s bandwidth. The more bandwidth it assigns, the faster the computer’s (or smart gadget’s) internet connection, although remember that increasing bandwidth for one device means reducing it for another. Routers can’t perform this function autonomously: in order to give a computer or game console more bandwidth, you’ll have to log into the routers and fiddle with settings first.
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While routers let multiple devices connect to the internet at once, they also determine if a data packet request even requires a trip to the internet. Just on the LAN, you can do things like wirelessly print documents from your PC or unlock your front door with your phone. However, you aren’t sending data directly from one device to another but using the router to transfer the information. For instance, if you are trying to print something, the router’s routing table will dictate that the request should be sent locally, since transferring it over the internet would be inefficient.
Types of routers
Would you rather have signal strength or ease of setup?
Routers come in numerous shapes, sizes, and specialties, all of which can be divided into two main types: wired and wireless. Both fulfill the same basic function (connecting multiple devices to the internet at the same time), but each goes about this process in different ways.
Wired routers, as their names suggest, require owners to physically link their devices to the router using Ethernet cables. This setup limits the number of connections to the number of available ports, and all connected devices have to be relatively close to the router. However, wired connections guarantee faster and more reliable internet.
Wireless routers, meanwhile, transmit data to and from devices using radio waves, known as Wi-Fi. These waves travel much farther than most Ethernet cables, so users can link devices in other rooms to these routers. Moreover, wireless routers aren’t restricted by the number of available Ethernet ports, so many more devices can connect, albeit at the cost of bandwidth.
Depending on the size and layout of a house, a wireless router’s signal might not reach every corner, resulting in dead zones. Due to this drawback, many people supplement wireless routers with Wi-Fi extenders, which daisy-chain off the router’s radio waves to extend its reach. Supplementary routers can also achieve this effect, forming what is known as a mesh network.
While most routers are standalone objects, some are bundled with modem hardware to form one single device. These modem/router combos are generally more expensive than a single router or modem, but cheaper than buying both. Moreover, since they contain the hardware of both the router and modem in one shell, modem/router bundles take up less space and cut down on cable clutter.
Routers provide a first line of anti-malware defense
A hacker can’t hijack your Ring camera if they can’t get past your router
Since malware is a constant threat in the modern internet era, many routers are built to help secure networks from intrusions. Computers generally ship with some form of antivirus software, but a router is often the only thing standing between your Amazon Echo and a hacker.
Most modern routers contain some form of firewall that helps protect everything within its network. This program is a form of firmware – a low-level program that tells the hardware how to function – and is constantly running. While computers can use their own antivirus suites to fight off attacks that make it past a router’s firewall, other connected devices won’t be so lucky. It’s imperative to update a router’s firmware as often as possible to guard against new threats. An up-to-date router can be all that stands between a parent and a hacker spying on them through a camera.
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Due to the growing interconnected nature of modern devices, routers serve a crucial part in many households. Without a router, you can’t update your game console, watch Netflix on your TV, or even use a wireless printer.