Gateway vs Router

Difference Between Gateway vs Router

Gateway and Routers are networking and security components. The router is a simple network component that transports the packets from one network to another. If any packets arrive in one port, the router explores the packet’s address information and decides its termination path. With the knowledge of the routing path, it guides and carries the packet to the next hop. The gateway in the network alters packets from one protocol to another form. The gateway functions as an exit and entry point for the network. Both have a slender difference in their functionalities, and rarely router performs both gateway and router functions. In this topic, we are going to learn about Gateway vs Router.

Head to Head Comparison Between Gateway vs Router (Infographics)

Below are the top 8 differences between Gateway vs Router.

Key Differences Between Gateway vs Router

The key differences between Gateway vs Router

1. Routing and Managing the Traffic Flow

Both devices are used to manage the traffic of the network between two or more distinct networks. But it can be achieved by applying for a minimum of two network cards in the device if the user is finding difficulties in regulating the traffic. In simple, gateway manages the traffic between two unidentical networks, whereas routers manage identical networks’ traffic flow. For example, if the user has a Windows 2000 network runs by using TCP as its essential protocol since TCP is the primary protocol of the internet connection.

The router will check on the localised network traffic that doesn’t get disturbed to other parts of the network. The directed traffic projected on the internet should not stay on it for the internet after the task completion. Routers can also perform the segmentation of traffic on commercial networks. It is helpful on huge networks when there is a mandate to limit the amount of traffic flow across the network.

It uses a router to split the network into fragments and enable only the allotted traffic for various fragments to flow in the network systems. Similarly, the gateway connects dissimilar networks. The best instances are if a gateway is a component that connects the network of PC with 3270 mainframe systems that enable the windows NT network to interact with the NetWare network. Though it can be deployed to reduce the traffic, it is more frequently applied to make possible communication in unidentical environments.

2. The Complexity of the Components

The major difference between router and gateway is that the point of access is single in the gateway outside of the network. Based on the gateway’s criticality, it either works as a server with the installed application of the gateway or acts as a connecting device between many computer networks to others. If any network N wants to join the M network, the two networks should possess a gateway that gives as entry and exit endpoints for the networks to interact. Gateways are the door to the network that defines the edges and boundaries of the network. Whereas routers decide the minimum possible distance that data packets can transport from computer m to computer n.

3. Security of the Gateway and Router

Routers need to be secluded from being crowded with huge data and heavy traffic. It is mandatory to be secured in a suitable way that congestion between the routing paths should be shortened, so many routing tables should be configured to map the process of data travel across the network. Whereas gateway is crucial, as it is an endpoint for the network, it should be secured highly to prevent from virus attack. Because the data passes through the gateway can be easily accessible. If a single router is flooded or conceded, the user can remove that particular router so that the other router will decide the shortest possible path to fetch the data across a network. If the user removes the gateway out, it leads to the entire down of the network.

4. Configuration of the Components

Routers are designed by the routing tables that contain a set of IP address that the router can pass the data. whereas the gateway is configured by describing the recommended internal address and external IP’s and so it has two ports for external and internal IP

To iterate the difference between routers and gateways, imagine two networks with every 20 computers. For the 20 computers inside the network to interact with each other, no gateway is required. But if they want to interact with a different system, the gateway is mandatory.

Comparison Table on Gateway vs Router

Let’s see some more differences between Gateway vs Router through a comparison table for clear understanding:

Behavioral Attributes	Gateway	Router
Definition	In simple terms, the gateway is a network component that functions as an entry and exit point to the networking system. It converts the protocol of the packets from one type to another.	A router is a networking component that has the ability to transport data packets between several networks by developing an overlay network.
Working principle	Gateway interprets from one packet to another by acting as endpoints of the network system.	Generally, routers function on the third layer of the protocol and transport the packet from one system to another by exploring the internal routing tables. The router decides the path of the network.
Features of the components	Conversion of protocol like voice over IP to the public switched telephone networks or network access control.	Routers serve additional attributes such as NAT, static routing, DHCP server and wireless routing over IPv6 address and MAC address.
Deployment	It is deployed as a virtual or dedicated appliance or a physical server.	It is deployed on the hardware of the router in a dedicated appliance.
Dynamic routing	Gateway doesn’t support dynamics routing.	The router supports dynamic hosting.
Open Source Interconnection	Gateway has the capability to work until the 5th layer.	Routers can operate only on layer 3 and layer 4
Associated terms	It is also called a voice gateway, proxy server, and gateway router.	The router is also called an internet router and wireless router.
Operating process of the components	It operates by differentiating the structure present in the network and the components present outside the network.	It operates by installing various routing data for different networks, and traffic are relied on the destination address.

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This is a guide to Gateway vs Router. Here we discuss the Gateway vs Router key differences with infographics and comparison table. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –

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