What is a router? It’s like your WiFi’s post office.

Router is technically a device that directs packets between two or more computer networks, but it is also the short for the technical component you may be considering now: your home WiFi router.

A regular WiFi router creates a local area network (LAN) in your home, allowing your computer, smartphone and other devices to connect to your Internet service provider (ISP) network, thus accessing the open internet. If you want multiple devices in your home to access the network, a router is essential.

Router functions

The WiFi router is like a post office. It receives packets from your device and directs them to your ISP network (where more routers can send them to their final destination). Most importantly, WiFi routers allow many devices to share the same internet connection.

For example, suppose you are reading this article on your smartphone using your WiFi network at home. When you click on the link to this article, your smartphone will send a series of packets to your WiFi router, request the content of this article, and the router forwards it to your ISP network and then forward it to The server where PopSci is located. The server then sends the content of this post back to your WiFi router along nearly the same path, and the router returns it neatly back to your smartphone.

Do I need a WiFi router?

If you want to connect multiple devices to the internet or office space in your home, then yes, you need a WiFi router. This is the best way to create a WiFi network, which allows all devices to go live at the same time.

[Related: Device cannot connect to WiFi? First of all, what should I do. ]

Most WiFi routers are also wired routers. They usually have multiple Ethernet ports, so you can connect to devices without WiFi capabilities, or if you want direct access to the fast and reliable connection provided by the Ethernet cable.

While you may need a WiFi router, you may not need to purchase one. When you sign up for an Internet plan, most ISPs will send you a modem (allowing you to the internet) and a router (creating a LAN for all devices), although the two devices may be combined into one.

What is the difference between a router and a modem?

Although your ISP may combine the router and modem into one device, the two have different uses.

As we discussed, a router creates a LAN and manages the data on it. The modem connects your router to your ISP so that you can actually browse the internet.

If you have a router but don't have a modem, you will be able to create a LAN and send data between your devices. (That's how people play multiplayer games with friends before online games emerge.) You just can't connect to the open internet.

Now, if you have a modem but don't have a router, you will be able to connect one device to the internet at a time via an Ethernet cable, but you will not have a WiFi network for multiple devices to connect.

What are the advantages of buying a router yourself?

While the router provided by the ISP can do the job, if you want to get the best WiFi router, you may need to buy one yourself. There are many benefits to upgrading your WiFi router:

• Better WiFi routers will support the updated version of the WiFi standard, which allows faster network speeds and more stable connections to support more devices. For example, the best WiFi 6 routers support Gigabit WiFi speeds.
• Mesh router will allow you to create a single WiFi network using multiple routers, allowing you to cover your entire home with stable WiFi signals.
• Most ISP routers are not optimized for online gaming. If you want the best gaming performance over WiFi, you should consider a dedicated gaming router.

Of course, if you want to connect only one or two smartphones to the internet, any router will do. Just make sure your router security settings are updated to ensure your browsing is safe and reliable.

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