All Episodes

November 17, 2020 2 mins

What is a Router in Computer Networks?

The internet is one of the 20th century's greatest inventions and communication tools. It allows people around the world to email each other in a matter of seconds and allows you to read content posted on the website, among other functions.

In fact, most people have never come face to face with or didn't want to, the technology that allows the internet to exist. We are all used to seeing the familiar parts of the internet that it brings to our homes and offices, web pages, email messages, and downloaded files that make the internet a dynamic tool. But none of this could happen without an internet device that many people have probably never seen before. Without a router, there is no virtual world we call the Internet.

Most of the work done to send messages from one computer to another is done by the router. Because the router is an important device that enables messages to reach the correct address by traveling within the networks.

The router is the only device that sees messages sent by any computer in one of the networks of the company in which it is installed. In other words, the router sees which computer in the company the data packet originates from and which computer it is addressed to.

It controls the traffic of all connected computers and in this way ensures that the data reaches the correct address. The traffic line that provides data communication between computers does not interfere with each other thanks to the router. This is a different answer to the question of where to use the router.

What is the Difference Between Router and Modem?

Since modern modems are often equipped with a built-in router, the distinction between router and modem is often blurred in people's minds.

However, those who remember the early days of the internet know that routers and modems have different functions. The modem expression is derived by combining the word modulator with a letter at the beginning of the word demodulator.

It is possible for a computer to connect to the internet, that is, to the public network, that is to be online, with a modem. Also, a modem is a device that connects computers to computers in remote locations over the public network.

Thanks to the modem, the audio signals coming from the telephone box are converted into data that the computer can understand. Likewise, it converts the data coming from the computer into audio signals and transfers it to the general network.

The modem is a must-have device for connecting to the internet and building a large network. Router, on the other hand, is hardware for connecting multiple computers to the same network.

The router can connect the existing internet connection to home, office, etc. It is a device that shares it with other devices in the spaces. The router creates a network by emitting a wireless signal so that devices with wireless connectivity can connect to the internet via itself. You can also connect your devices to a router with ethernet ports directly by cable.

More Podcasts

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Cardiac Cowboys

Cardiac Cowboys

The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.