What is Router?

Introduction to Router

A router is used to transfer data packets between networks. Data from the internet is always sent through packets, and routers perform the function of directing traffic to different networks in the computer. There should be at least two networks within which the router is connected, i.e. either two LANs or a LAN and a WAN. Most routers are placed at gateways where the networks are connected. There are wired, wireless, core, edge and virtual routers available. Routers usually select the best route to direct the packets to reach faster. The best example is the mail carrier.

Top 5 Types of Router

Below are the different types of Router:

1. Wireless

It is present in the office, home or railway station, etc. It creates a wireless signal. Suppose you are in the office, we can connect to the internet using wireless signals because your laptop is within the range. We can provide security to routers by entering user id and passwords. When we try to connect to the router, it will ask for a password and UserId. UserId and password come along with the device. Due to security, no information about the user is harmed. When we visit public places, we can observe that a Wi-Fi window will prop up to use the internet on our phone, and you can observe that it is secure with a password. Wireless routers are publicly available. N number of users can connect to it.

2. Wired Router

The name itself defines its meaning. A wire is available to connect to the network. If we visit a bank or small college, or office, we can observe that a PC or Laptop is connected to the internet using an Ethernet cable, and that is the wired router. It has a separate Wi-Fi access point. If a user wants to connect to the phone, then they can use VIOP (voice-over IP technology). There is an ADSL (modem) that has two jacks to connect to ethernet and mobile phones.

3. Edge Router

It seats at the edge of the backbone of the network and can connect to the core routers. It can be wired or wireless and will distribute internet data packets between one or more networks. But it will not distribute internet data packets within networks.

4. Core Router

It is designed to operate in the internet backbone or core. It supports multiple telecommunication interfaces of the highest speed and usage in the core internet. It can forward IP packets at full speed on all of them. It supports the routing protocol that is used in the core. It will distribute internet data packets within the network. But core will not distribute internet data packets between networks.

5. Virtual Router

It is the default for a computer sharing network. It functions as per the virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP); it becomes active when the main or primary router fails or becomes disabled. It takes multiple routers in a group so that they can share a virtual IP address. It has a master for each group that handles IP packets. If the master fails while forwarding packets, then other routers will take a position.

Benefits of Router

Below are the benefits of the Router:

• Due to the collision feature, network traffic can be reduced.
• Due to broadcasting domains, network traffic can be reduced.
• It provides a MAC address and IP address that will choose the best route across a network.
• Easy to connect to the wired or wireless network.
• Highly secured with a password.
• No loss of information.
• It can connect to different network architecture such as ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, WLAN.
• The wireless router is easy to connect to the internet for a laptop or pc. No need to worry about a bunch of wires.

Conclusion

We have learned router is a hardware network used for moving, analyzing, and receiving internet data packets within the network or network. It has more network functionalities than hub or switch. We can keep the PC safe from an attacker because of the firewall due to the router’s enabling security. It has firmware software and should be updated by the manufacturer.

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This is a guide to What is Router? Here we discuss the Top 5 Types of Router like Wireless, Wired, Edge, Core, and Virtual along with Benefits. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

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