Regardless of whether you realize it, most of us now have routers in our homes. You probably aren’t even sure what this device looks like. Many people confuse routers with modems. However, routers play a specific role in the way you receive access to the internet. Get an understanding of how routers function so that you can better understand your home internet system.
The Job of a Router
The main role of a router is to make connections between different devices. The thing that a router sends between these devices is referred to as data packet. These packets may be sent from the internet to a device, or from device to device.
You may be wondering how a router knows to send information to a specific device. This is done through the assignment of unique IP addresses. Unlike the IP address associated with your modem, these addresses are local in nature. Use of local IP addresses allows a router to send this information almost instantaneously.
A Little Bit on the Technical Side
There are some deeper aspects to what makes a router work. Routers are referred to as Layer 3 network gateway devices. They also operate at the network layer of the OSI model. We know this sounds rather complicated, but in a nutshell, pfSense router hardware connects two or more networks. Just like a computer, routers have a CPU, memory and several input-output connections. A modern-day router in Oakdale, Ontario, also runs on an operating system. It will also be capable of running applications to facilitate its operation. You probably wouldn’t guess all this is going on in that tiny little box, but routers are complex machines.
Why You Need a Router in the First Place
A few decades ago, you didn’t really even need a router. Most computers would connect to the internet through a single modem connection. Yet, once Wi-Fi came to Ontario, things all changed. It became a normal thing to have several devices connected to the same network. Hence, routers became necessary to manage the flow of information. Nowadays, you are likely to find one of two types of routers in a home: a single-unit router or a whole home Wi-Fi model.
Appreciate Your Router
pfSense router hardware is almost equally as important as a modem. In contemporary times, these two pieces of equipment are usually housed in the same unit. Without routers, enjoying the internet in Oakdale, Ontario, as we know it would not be possible.
For more detailed information about routers, contact CorpShadow Bizstore at corpshadow.biz.
