Blog About Network

A broadband router is a computer device that receives or forwards data packets to and from the Internet towards a destination in the process called routing. A broadband router is the essential component of the computer networking that enables any sent data to arrive at the right destination.

As an illustration, imagine that the Internet is the world and one computer is one household. Other computers connected through the Internet are households around the world. Say one household will send a letter to another household in any part of the world. The letter has an address right? And that address would determine the destination of the letter. But without one reading the address, the letter would not arrive to the right receiver. The letter also would not be able to reach the intended receiver if there is not medium. This medium would be the courier. And the courier of the computer data is the router.

A router (broadband router) is also a device that enables two or more computer to receive data packets from the Internet under one IP address at the same time. Remember that to be able to connect to the Internet, a computer must have an IP address unique from the rest of the computers. Therefore, every computer connected to the Internet has it own IP address. It is like having a fingerprint or ID as an access pass to be able to enter the web. With the presence of the router, this “fingerprint” or “ID” could be shared by two or more computer at the same time.

Routers are first to face any possible outside viruses, hacking threats and so they are vital in a network. But most internet user may not know this, practiced using anti-virus softwares only. A router safeguards your network by working as a filter between the outside internet world and your computers. In general, broadband modems don’t usually have sophisticated built-in security features, so having a network without a router can leave the door open to hackers and other online threatens. Using a router with an in-built firewall makes your wired or wireless network safer and secure, without being vulnerable for internet threats.

Broadband routers can be two types. One is ADSL modem router and the other is a cable routers. ADSL modem routers can only be used for ADSL broadband connections where as cable routers can also be used for cable broadband users. The mode of performance is similar in these two types of routers. The main dissimilarity between these two broadband routers is the mode of connection. ADSL Modem routers can easily be connected just by plug-in to share Internet connection. In case of cable routers, cable sockets and ports have to be used for getting the connection.

Why would anyone need a router? For households with two or more computers who would want to have Internet connection to every computers they have, taking subscription for each would be too much. The solution is to buy a router that would enable every computer in the house to have an Internet connection. In the definition above, the broadband router would act as a hub to the existing Internet connection.

Tags: broadband, Internet, routers