What is the difference between a router and a router? What is the difference between a router and a router and which device is better to choose?

Let's start with the fact that these two devices are absolutely no different.

There is no difference between them. It’s just that a router is a “tracing paper” from English. And in Russian this word is translated as router. That's all. Both names refer to the same device.

This review will use both names so that by the end the user should have a full understanding of what this device does.

In packet-switched networks such as the Internet, a router is a device or (in some cases) software on the computer, which determines the best way to transmit the packet. Its main goal is to deliver data to its destination.

The router connects networks. Based on its current understanding of the network state, and depending on the type of connection, the router acts as a dispatcher.

It decides which way to send each information packet. Wireless router can be anywhere.

The main thing is that it provides access to the Internet. A router is often included network switch.

How does a router work?

Typically, a packet may travel through a number of network points before arriving at its destination.

Routing is a function related to network level.

To put it in complex terms, in the standard Ethernet programming model, the interaction of open OSI systems models.

Edge Router

An edge router is a device located at the edge of a network that connects to other networks, either global or local. In any case, Internet access is used.

For home and business users who need high-speed Internet connections such as cable, satellite or DSL connections, the device can act as a hardware firewall.

Many engineers believe that using such a gadget provides better protection from burglary than .

This is due to the fact that neither receives Internet protocol addresses directly connected to the Internet.

This makes port scanning nearly impossible. This technique is often used by attackers to study flaws in network security.

In addition, this device does not consume computer resources like a software firewall. Commercially produced routers are easy to install. They are available for wired or wireless networks.

Before we go deeper into the world wireless technologies, you must understand what a broadband connection is and how it works.

According to Dictionary.com, broadband systems have “high-speed, high-capacity data communications capabilities that can forward signals from multiple independent Ethernet switches.

For this, a coaxial or fiber optic cable is used. The Internet is delivered by creating various channels traffic.

Broadband technology can support a wide range of frequencies. It is used to transmit data, voice and video to long distances».

Types of routers

Routers take the information that comes through the broadband signal through the modem, decrypt it, and deliver it to computers on the network.

In these operating systems contained in a binary image of the firmware and additional OS, which is usually called firmware.

By storing configuration information in a part of memory called a routing table, routers can also filter both incoming and outgoing traffic. E

This is done based on the addresses of senders and recipients.

Solutions for corporate networks and the Internet

Back when home networks weren't so popular, hardware cost thousands of dollars.

Their setup and maintenance required special technical training. The services of specialists cost unimaginable money, and such specialists were worth their weight in gold.

The largest and most powerful network solutions then formed the basis modern Internet.

These gadgets had to manage many terabits of data passing through network Internet providers.

Watching movies, correspondence, remote work, online video conferencing is only a small part of the examples of what the Internet has brought into our lives. Network technologies are becoming more common, in many homes having multiple network devices is the norm, and in some cases, a necessity. Usually, a certain device is responsible for servicing all such household items. It is called differently, but not many people understand the difference. Today we’ll figure out how a router differs from a router and whether the difference between them is significant.

The functionality of a router and a router is no different

Is there a difference between a router and a router

I will answer right away, I will not pound water in a mortar. There is absolutely no difference between these concepts. These two names are synonymous and are used depending on the preferences of the speaker. The word “router” is only a transliteration of the English word router, the translation of which into Russian sounds like “router”. If you think about it a little, it is not difficult to give several similar examples.

The confusion in concepts was most likely due to home-grown “specialists”. Some argue that a mandatory attribute of a router is the ability to connect via Wi-Fi, while a router only allows you to connect using wires. Others loudly declare that a router is a small home box, but a router is serious provider-level equipment. Well, still others are confused in concepts, saying that the difference is in the number of ports for connecting different peripherals. There are also those who confuse everything with everything. Be that as it may, if you need to understand the subject, you should trust either a truly intelligent specialist, or find necessary information on a reputable resource on the Internet, fortunately this is not difficult.

What should I choose

Let's bring some clarity to all this confusion. Fundamentally, any router is a small, highly specialized computer, the sole purpose of which is to transfer data packets between different networks. We have already decided that we are talking about synonyms; it is worth mentioning some functional differences different devices oriented towards home use, leaving more serious decisions for system administrators. Routers may differ:

availability and features of Wi-Fi modules.
number and speed of ports for connecting network wires.
installed USB connectors (for example, for public access to the printer).
presence of a GSM receiver.
support various standards connection to the provider's network.
stability of operation (very much depends on the manufacturer and the specific model).
other differences (there are really many of them; the most obvious ones were listed above).

When choosing a particular model, first of all, proceed from the availability of the options you need. You should not listen to the advice to “take the first one you come across,” since “they are all the same” is fundamentally wrong. If you are interested in a model, you should first read reviews and testimonials about it before purchasing, since advertising is one thing, but experience of use in real work can make its own adjustments.

Conclusion

There is no difference between router and router as they are synonyms. We hope that the different names will no longer confuse you, no matter where you find them.

The Internet world is full of all kinds of abbreviations and terms. Router and router, what's the difference? An ordinary person, concerned about the need to connect all of his “devices” on the global web, sooner or later he will encounter some confusion in the designation of the same device. In one store he will find a router with 4 LAN ports, in another he will come across a router with WI-FI and for a moment it will seem that the problem has been solved and the difference is obvious. He adds 2 plus 2 and thinks he knows the difference between a router and a router. But the only difference is in the spelling, and the secret is simple. Router is an English word borrowed from Russian and means “router”. Bingo!

There is no difference between the concepts “router” and “router”, since both words refer to exactly the same device.

The essence is simple: the device is designed to distribute network content in a small space, creating a certain information network within, for example, one apartment. The router is doing important function. The very concept of data transmission involves the processing of network segments. At the same time, the load on the network is significantly reduced, which is impossible to do with a simple switch or switch. This device, having one input, divides it into equal output parts, which significantly slows down the network speed.

A router is basically a small computer and redistributes content streams. Even with a heavy load on the local network, it is able to provide normal work users. This is a definite plus in favor of the router.

Hardware looks different

You can have a so-called “cord” at the entrance to the apartment if a fiber-optic cable is connected to the house and the brave fellows from Rostelecom, having made one single hole in the wall, connected the desired wire to the router, or, in pure Russian, to the router. The rest of the Internet distribution consists of entangling the entire apartment with wires; fortunately, 4 LAN outputs are provided for this purpose. This is the most proven and reliable way, in which there are no “jambs” of the following method.
You can connect with using WI-FI router that has USB port, a 3G modem is inserted there. Internet distribution occurs in a combined way, that is, the computer can be connected traditionally, by wire, via network card, but other devices (smart TVs, tablets, phones, etc.) are happy to connect via WI-FI. Some minus this method lies in the limited transmission of content due to a weak transmitting antenna and structural features. Those. The weak WI-FI may not reach the second floor.
The next method appeared relatively recently and requires special attention. These are the so-called “pure” 3G - 4G WI-FI routers. The devices have a SIM card slot inside and distribute mobile content. Moreover, you can have a miniature device that fits in your pocket and arrange a distribution via WI-FI for all sufferers, or you can buy a more solid device, which will also have a familiar LAN port. This is for connecting a computer.

A thinking person who approaches the process of purchasing and installing a router responsibly should be guided by certain principles and rules, the observance of which will lead to the coordinated operation of all devices connected to the Internet.

How to connect and configure a router

You need to find the installation location of the router. It should be equidistant from all potential users so that in the future WIFI signal was able to reach everyone who wanted it.

To enter the router settings, you should open any browser on your computer and type in address bar address of the web interface of your device model.

Setting up the router is very simple and intuitive. But it is still necessary to take some precautions. The first setup of the router involves logging into the WEB interface at the address specified in the manual. Next you need to set passwords for the admin panel and WI-FI network

The next step is the most important for the subsequent work. The maestro provider, about whom not a word has yet been said, appears on stage. The login and password from the provider must be entered in the appropriate fields of the router menu. Information about this procedure is in the setup manual or (most likely) on the Internet.

Configuring the distribution itself, namely the DHCP protocol, which regulates the Internet connection. Basically, the router simulates one user who opens several different pages on the Internet.

After the router is configured, you need to remember to connect all the necessary wires to the LAN ports and check the distribution. If everything is done correctly, then LED lighting in WAN and LAN ports this will be confirmed.

At any stage of the settings, errors and incorrect actions are possible, from which no one is immune. If the router is configured incorrectly or not as desired at first, there is always the possibility of rolling back to factory settings. Each model has a small hole on the back panel. You need to insert a thin object into it and lightly press the reset button. The router will return to its original state.

Progress in the field of computer science is off the charts. The emergence of improved models is growing like a snowball. Some general tips presented below will help you navigate what to pay priority attention to when buying a router.

To return the router to factory settings, you must press the RESET button.

Price. No matter how trite it sounds, we must understand the main principle inherent in the definition price category. You can't buy a normal router for ridiculous money. In general, this rule works. What does a "normal" router mean? Here you need to remember that a router is a kind of small computer with its own processor, RAM and firewall. The latest devices already have a dual-core processor. That is, if you buy a simplified model, then accordingly you may miss out on a lot. There will be no USB connector for a flash drive, reduced output gain, no protection from network attacks, but you never know what else will happen. As a result, the Internet connection hangs, breaks and is unstable.
Reviews. People won't teach you bad things. As a rule, someone has already been burned by a purchase and has laid out their thoughts for everyone to see.
You need to pay attention to the stability of operation: does the device freeze, does the speed slow down, or perhaps does not reboot at all. IN in this case there is a weak “stuffing” of the router that cannot cope with the network load.
About WI-FI. The fact is that the speed specified in the router, for example, 150Mb/s, is the upload speed, which does not correspond to the device’s reception speed, especially if there are several of them.

Equally important technical specifications. There are several of them:

Random access memory (RAM) - from 128MB and higher, the more the better.
Processor frequency – from 240 MHz and higher, for productive work the frequency should be at the same level. The brand of the processor may be different, but it is advisable to also, as they say, by ear.
FLASH - memory, not less than 16 MB.

This is the main thing to rely on. In addition, it is advisable to determine how many consumers the router is designed for without loss of upload speed, how many built-in or external antennas it has, which ultimately affects the signal gain.

https://site/

Well-known, promoted brand. And this is not only for confidence in the purchase, there is also software support from the manufacturer in the form of all kinds alternative firmware and improvements released to the market from time to time. You just have to go to the website of the brand of the same name and you will find a lot of options for how the device works, which makes life easier when the system “falls.” In this case, the non-name router is simply thrown away.

Buy a router in China and count on its adequacy in Russian networks not worth it.

There may be pitfalls in the form, for example, of an untranslatable menu on Chinese. Or the inability to work in known 802.11 protocols. Either the absence of certain transmission frequencies, or their replacement with “Chinese” frequencies, in a word, you can get into a lot of trouble and it is not a fact that they will be overcome in the end.

https://site/

A few words in conclusion

As is clear, the difference between the devices is only in the name. But remember that the router must be modern, with support for 802.11b/g/n/a, with the ability to connect a 3G modem, with several WI-FI antennas. This should be a well-known model, promoted and tested on the Internet by more than one user, with its own website and the ability to replace firmware. Accordingly, the price for this “device” will not be small, for which you need to be prepared.

What is the difference between a router and a router? Most ignorant users will not answer this question right away. Within the framework of this article, a comprehensive answer will be given to it, and recommendations will also be given on the selection and configuration of such devices.

How are they different?

Often, ill-informed users have a question: “Router or router - which is better?” The most interesting thing is that behind these words lies the same thing that unites into a local personal computers. The only difference is that the word “router” is English, which came into our language, and “router” is domestic. The functions they perform are identical. Both are equipped with one input jack for connecting a connector from the provider and at least 4 ports (there may be more) for connecting devices from your local network. Also, in mandatory, they are equipped with a special wireless Wi-Fi transmitter. Unlike a hub or switch, a router, like a router, is a more intelligent device. It stores a table of addresses of connected computers. When an external message arrives, the recipient's address is checked. If it is in his table, then the data is immediately transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, the information is deleted as unnecessary. This intelligent approach allows you to significantly relieve the local network and use its resources more efficiently. So to the question: “What is the difference between a router and a router?” You can answer like this: “Nothing! These are synonymous words."

Choice

Conventionally, routers, depending on their design, are divided into industrial and household. In the first case, it is a specialized device. They are most often used for organizing and are responsible for right choice a network administrator who is a technically trained specialist. But with household routers everything is much more complicated. Buy them regular users who are not well trained and knowledgeable experts in the field. Therefore, the following recommendations can be given to them:

First of all, we pay attention to the manufacturer. The best routers are considered brands D-Link, Asus and Zyxel.
Please pay attention to the maximum wireless network. In most cases this is 150 Mbit/s. But there are also devices capable of transmitting 300 Mbit/s. The more, the better.
Don't forget to check the package contents. In addition to the router, you must have a power supply, a user manual in Russian, a meter twisted pair cord for connecting and initial setup and a driver disk.
Then we look at the operating modes of the wireless network. There are only two options: “abg” and “bgn”. If your smartphone is equipped with a standard “a” transmitter, then it will not work in the latter type of router. In general, everything should be consistent and work in the same mode. Otherwise, connection problems may occur.

Some stores, in order to further confuse the ill-informed buyer, tend to name network devices differently on price tags. At the same time, those that come with a foreign word are more expensive. If in such a store you ask the seller: “What is the difference between a router and a router and why does the former cost more?”, then in most cases you will not be able to get an intelligible answer. Therefore, it is better to avoid such outlets. The quality of their products is usually questionable.

Settings

As mentioned earlier, the difference between a router and a router is only in the origin of the words. From a technical point of view, these devices are identical, and the setup procedure is no different. It consists of the following stages:

Connecting the power supply, input cable from the provider and meter twisted pair cable to a computer or laptop.
Turn on the computer and router. Be sure to wait for each of them to finish loading.
Launch the browser and enter network address: “192.168.1.1” (in some cases the last two numbers may be “0.1” - see the instruction manual).
We set the name of the network, the password to access it and the encryption method (it is best to choose WPA2 - the maximum level of security).
Reboot the router, everything is ready.

Results

In this article, we not only looked at how a router differs from a router, but also gave practical advice according to their choice and configuration. Following the previously stated recommendations, you can purchase exactly what network device, which is ideal for everyone specific case. We also indicated the order of their connection and configuration. There is nothing complicated about this; anyone, including a novice user, can cope with such a task.

26. 06.2017

Blog of Dmitry Vassiyarov.

Router - what is it and where is it used?

Hello.

Every modern Internet user should know what a router is. After all, with its help you can connect to the Internet most quickly, conveniently and stably. All necessary information You will find information about this device, including its types, operating principle and selection principles, in this article.

A router is...

Through routers, humanity enjoys such a benefit as Wi-Fi. You will say that the connection occurs through a router? Right. So what is the difference between a router and a router? No. It's the same thing, it's just that "router" is a more rooted English word that means "router" in Russian.

In scientific words, it is a specialized device with two or more network interfaces, whose task is to forward data packets between different network segments.

It’s easier to translate this into understandable language using the example of what role it plays when connecting to the Internet. Therefore, read on.

What is it for?

Let's say you wanted to bring Internet to your house. The provider runs one cable into your home. But you use not only a computer, but also a smartphone, tablet, and want to organize wireless communication with a printer. Theoretically, you can connect a cable to each device. However, this will not only be expensive, but also wires will spread throughout the house, which does not look aesthetically pleasing. What to do?

It is necessary to connect the cable to one access point, which will distribute the Internet to all devices. The router plays its role. Thus, its purpose is to distribute the Internet over the air, which it receives through the provider’s cable or mobile network.

In particular, a broadband router allows two or more computers to receive data packets from the Internet under one IP address at once.

The functions of the router are not limited to this. It is also necessary for organizing a wireless local network. That is, thanks to it you can exchange data via Wi-Fi between gadgets and control them remotely.

For example, you don't have to use a USB cable to download photos from your phone to your laptop or command the printer to print a document from your computer. All this can be done wirelessly, but provided that each device has a Wi-Fi adapter.
You can also organize a bridge between two access points, but not all models are suitable for this purpose, but only those with support for this option. This is necessary to expand the range of routers.

Operating principle

Do you want to know how exactly the router distributes the Internet? The essence of the work lies in the name of the device. It assigns data flow routes to connected devices, distributing speed evenly among them.

Technically it happens like this: internal memory The router has a routing table in which the most optimal paths to gadgets are selected. To do this, the router periodically sends test requests to each of them, thereby calculating the time it will take for the data packet to reach the recipient. This is how DHCP servers, the most popular dynamic routers, work.

But there are situations when it is necessary to register paths manually in order to set the exact address for a certain equipment. This helps to avoid errors in table synchronization, and thereby ensure a more stable and secure connection. This way of working is called static routing.

Types of routers

First of all, routers are distinguished by the Wi-Fi connection standard. On at the moment There are 5 of them. The name of each begins with 802.11, but differs in the letter at the end (a, b, g, n, ac). The difference between them is the data transfer speed. This is also influenced by the number of antennas.
For example, the fastest and most modern is the 802.11n standard. If it has 1 antenna, the speed will be 55 Mbit/s, 2 - 110 Mbit/s, 3 - 165 Mbit/s and 4 - 220 Mbit/s.

As for other standards, then:

“a” is used primarily by providers;
“b” practically never occurs anymore, since it has a low speed;
“g” works faster, but by today’s standards is no longer relevant;
“ac” has just recently begun to be implemented, but it is also only used by Internet providers.

When purchasing, keep this rule in mind: the speed of the router should not be less than that provided to you by your provider. Otherwise, you will only get the one that your device allows you to work with, and you will pay more.

Other characteristics

Knowing the basic parameters that routers have and, in fact, differ, it will be easy for you to choose the right one for yourself. So:

Range of data reception and transmission. For home and office use, 2.4 GHz devices are purchased, which are marked with the number 2. Less popular are 5 GHz devices (standards “a” and “ac”). They are often used by providers to supply the Internet when it is impossible to install wires. Such devices are marked with the number 5. There are routers that support both of these bands or others, for example, 3 GHz.

Data encryption standards. Often, modern routers support standards such as WEP (the most vulnerable to hacking), WPA (includes 128-bit encryption keys), WPA2 (the size of the keys is doubled compared to the previous version).
Number of LAN ports. The router can distribute the Internet not only over the air, but also through cables. There are special connectors for them, the number of which varies. Usually connected via wires desktop computers and equipment such as a printer, scanner, etc. Depending on how much you have, choose the number of LAN interfaces.

Signal strength. If you live in a large house and plan to install the router behind several load-bearing walls from the place where you often spend time on the Internet, you need to take a device with an antenna of at least 5 dBi.
Network connection type. Are you going to access the Internet via a mobile network? Then you will need a 3G/4G/LTE router. For cable connection ( twisted pair) you need an Ethernet model - this is the most popular option, and the optical fiber is connected through SFP devices. In villages and the private sector, EPON/GEPON/GPON routers are used.
Less common models are xDSL - works through a telephone cable, DOCSIS - through a television cable, and simply Wi-Fi, which connects to the provider wirelessly.

Additional features

Routers can also have advanced functionality, namely:

Built-in Firewall. Protects the connection from hacking.
Availability of a USB port. Through it you can external drives, peripheral equipment, mobile modem as an additional access point.

IPTV support. To watch Internet TV channels.
Built-in torrent client.
Traffic Shaper. Sets priorities in the distribution of data channels.
VPN tunnel support. Thanks to it you can create virtual network with a remote office.

I think now you will not have a problem choosing a router according to your individual needs.